Deepika Laddu, PhD, FAHA

Deepika Laddu, PhD, FAHA, is a public health research scientist with a focus on health promotion, chronic disease prevention and risk management. She brings her scientific and clinical expertise to the Scientific and Data Coordinating Center at Arbor Research. Her research portfolio includes behavioral-lifestyle and translational research, with a primary emphasis on cardiovascular disease epidemiology, diabetes and obesity management, as well as nutrition and exercise science. Much of her work focuses on investigating the preventative and therapeutic effects of lifestyle therapies, such as exercise, physical activity, nutrition/diet on cardio-metabolic disease risk and health outcomes, particularly in underrepresented and high-risk populations. She is skilled in designing and delivering behavioral lifestyle interventions precisely targeted at the mechanisms of disease and socio-behavioral determinants, with additional considerations for implementation. Dr. Laddu is also actively engaged in projects that aim to understand multiorgan dysfunction within the context of cardiovascular disease, and its impact on clinical and patient-centered outcomes. Currently, she serves as a principal investigator for an NIH/NHLBI career development award, evaluating the effects and underlying physiological mechanisms of a resistance training exercise on blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease risk reduction in older adults with chronic muscle loss. Dr. Laddu has an extensive publication record, having led and/or coauthored numerous peer-review publications, abstracts and conference presentations on various heath conditions, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, heart failure, as well as musculoskeletal disorders. Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Laddu has a longstanding commitment to service in the American Heart Association (AHA), for which she has earned the title of fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA).  As immediate past Chair of the Behavior Change Science Committee within the Lifestyle Council, she has played a pivotal role in developing or contributing to clinical guideline statements and as well as providing expertise on an AHA Medical Nutrition Therapy advisory report. She has also represented the AHA in providing content expertise for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s updated recommendations on Healthy Diet/Physical Activity for primary CVD prevention. Dr. Laddu received her doctoral degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Arizona in 2013 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular disease prevention at Stanford University School of Medicine in 2016. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2023, she held a position as an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago.