Epidemiology Bone and Vascular Calcification

Our Research Focus

Dr. Hughes-Austin is an epidemiologist and physical therapist whose research focuses on processes influencing abnormal calcification, both in the vasculature and the bone. She combines epidemiologic methods with physiologic parameters in human populations to address disease prevention and intervention.

Her current projects include:

• Determining the prevalence and risk factors for low bone turnover in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing surgery for hip fracture.
• Establishing a blood biomarker panel to identify low bone turnover and predict future risk for hip fracture in patients with chronic kidney disease.
• Evaluating associations of antibodies to citrullinated peptide antigens with coronary artery calcium, myocardial structure and function, cardiovascular events (e.g., angina, myocardial infarction) and bone mineral density in a multi-ethnic community-dwelling population.
• Determining whether statin therapy influences concentrations of antibodies to citrullinated peptide antigens in a multi-ethnic community-living population.
• Determining whether changes in antibodies to citrullinated peptide antigens over time are associated with myocardial structure and function, and whether genetic predisposition to this antibody development identifies a subset of the general population at higher risk for coronary heart disease and myocardial disease.
• Aside from her primary research, Dr. Hughes-Austin is also actively involved in examining health equity and disparities. She is currently researching musculoskeletal injuries on the border of California, USA and Baja California, Mexico, and has established the department's committee on Equity, Inclusion and Culture.

She is also an investigator with the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), Studies of the Etiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA), the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), the Health Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC), the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) and the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS).