About me
I received my PhD from the Karolinska Insitutet in 2001, where I studied the role of estrogen receptor beta in bone maintenance, using a knockout mouse approach. During 2002-2004, I completed a post-doctoral fellowship under Dr. Roland Baron at the Yale University School of Medicine, where I investigated the effects of a proposed new treatment for osteoporosis. Upon my return to Sweden (2015-2017), I studied the importance of estrogen receptor alpha for bone development and function at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg. During 2014-2016, I investigated the effect of loading and osteoporosis drugs on bone at University of Bristol. I was recruited to the Karolinska Institutet in 2018.
Research description
The health concern
Osteoporosis-related fractures constitute a major health concern and result in a huge economic burden on health care systems and much suffering to the patients.
The current focus of the research in my group is on understanding the mechanisms for the bone strengthening effects of mechanical loading on bone. You can read more about it here: https://ki.se/en/labmed/research-group-sara-windahl
The long-term goal is that these studies will increase our understanding of how bone strength can be increased through loading, and that this will facilitate the development of more specific and safe treatments for osteoporosis
ORCID: 0000-0002-6611-6001
Teaching portfolio
Currently, I am responsible for the teaching at the division of pathology, department of laboratory medicine and the course director for the courses in Tissue Biology and Pathology given at the Bachelor program in Biomedicine, and for the course Pathology given at the Master program in diagnostic cytology at KI. I have experience in developing and coordinating new courses in molecular biology, bone biology, tissue biology and pathology. I have also supervised students at undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels. In addition, I have participated in development of a computer program used at the Bachelor program in Biomedicine to teach immunohistochemistry and planning of a laboratory experiment.
Education
1995 M.Sc. Chemistry, particularly biochemistry, University of Gothenburg
2001 Ph. D Cell- and molecular biology, Karolinska Institutet
2002-2004 Post doctoral research at Yale University School of Medicine, CT, USA
2011 Associate professor in experimental medicine, particularly endocrinology