Kalpana Acharya

I have examined the interplay between estrogens and the gut microbiome in female metabolism during my time at Wellesley College. In particular, I investigated the role of gut microbe Akkermansia in glucose metabolism and estrogen-mediated protection against high-fat diet-induced obesity. I further identified the mechanisms of hormone-dependent and hormone-independent activation of progestin receptors and their impact on neuronal function. In my earlier work, I have also characterized the estrogen receptor GPER (GPR30) and its role in sexually dimorphic brain development.

I have also conducted clinical research, primarily at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, I evaluated maternal and fetal immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination across different gestational stages. I further investigated the effect of maternal obesity on hedonic eating, via its impact on brain dopaminergic signaling. In addition, I studied how gestational diabetes is linked to placental immune-metabolic programming to potentially affect offspring neuronal development.

As an educator, I prioritize learning topics in biology through experiment design, data analysis, and effective presentations – skills critical to developing scientists. My teaching experience has spanned the classroom and lab settings, including to college lab students, high schoolers, and middle schoolers. College students’ proactivity and desire to venture into unexplored frontiers of science makes working with them uniquely exciting.

When I am not working, I love being outdoors, especially by the water! I enjoy hikes with family and friends, listening to music, BollyX dance workouts, cooking with vegetables from my garden (if only year-around!), and learning Sanskrit.

Education

• B.A.M.S., Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine
• Ph.D., Kent State University