Meghan Bowler

Dr. Bowler is a Biomedical Engineer whose research career has been characterized by an interest in how cells communicate. During her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, Dr. Bowler performed research in immunology and molecular biology at the Stanford Center for Clinical Sciences Research and the Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies in Germany. Her doctoral work at Vanderbilt University, partially funded by an NSF GRFP fellowship, focused on a cell-cell adhesion protein, cadherin-11, integral to the pathogenesis of calcific aortic valve disease. In the pursuit of novel targeting strategies for aortic valve calcification, Dr. Bowler discovered an unanticipated effect of celecoxib, a “heart-safe” NSAID, in promoting calcification in vitro that was supported by a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records. This publication received the most attention (highest Altmetric score) of any paper from that journal in 2019.