Bio: Ekin Atila is a second-year biomedical engineering student at the University of California Irvine. She is currently working as an undergraduate student in Dr.Chesler’s Cardiopulmonary Health Lab, striving to improve cardiovascular health with an emphasis on health equity. So far, she has learned how to analyze echocardiograms and heart rate variability data, while also presenting research on health disparities among marginalized groups. She aspires to pursue medicine in the future and continue to gain experience in research and clinical settings in order to contribute to a greater impact in the medical field. Outside of academics, she loves to go on scenic runs, volunteer in Turkish-American events, play the piano, and produce music!

Project Description: The study aims to investigate the role of sex and sex hormones in pulmonary hypertension due to left heart failure. We will be utilizing myocardial infarction (MI) and controlled mice models to address the gap in knowledge regarding sex and its role in heart failure recovery. I will analyze cardiac function changes in MI mice using VEVO Lab ultrasound analysis. The mice in this study will be used to study disease progression with multiple time points, and female and male mice will be used to assess sex and sex hormone differences in disease progression and remodeling.