Jing Wang, MD
Jing Wang, MD
Jing Wang, MD
The 2024 recipient of the Women's Lung Health Disparities Grant, Jing Wang, MD, is Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the Ohio State University. Her research focus is on the intersection of respiratory and women’s health. The award will support her study, centered on examining the effects of adverse pregnancy outcomes on the future maternal risk of developing COPD, a disease which disproportionately impacts women.
In recent years, we’ve recognized the importance of gestational outcomes as a “window” to future maternal health. Specifically, adverse pregnancy outcomes are established predictors of maternal heart health later in life. As cardiovascular diseases share mechanistic overlap with chronic airways diseases, including systemic inflammation, Dr. Wang hypothesized that these same adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with worse heart health may also be linked to worse respiratory health, including greater risk of COPD. She hopes to uncover novel findings that, for the first time, link pregnancy outcomes with the probability of developing COPD.
This study will also facilitate Dr. Wang’s transition from an early career investigator to independent physician-scientist, and she expects to leverage results from this study to secure further funding dedicated to exploring the role of female reproductive factors as potential early predictors of women’s lifetime respiratory health.