Education

  • PhD, Central Drug Research Institute, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India, 2003, Botany/Molecular Biology
  • MSc, Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India, 1998
  • BSc, Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India, 1996

Research Interests

Dr. Singh has a broad interest in obesity and obesity-related disorders with a primary focus on mechanistic role of adipose tissue, adipokines, sleep, and sleep disorders to the development of hypertension, insulin-resistance, and cardiovascular diseases. She leads a hypothesis-driven translational research program which utilizes unique in-vitro models and tissue samples from well characterized, comprehensive, cross-sectional, and longitudinal human studies. At Pennington Biomedical, she is building a sleep centered translational research program which leverages the strengths of the institute in conducting comprehensive long-term behavioral and drug based interventional clinical trials. Her current studies seek to explore: 1) the role of sleep disorders on adipose tissue function and identify clinical strategies which may improve metabolic outcomes in patients with sleep apnea; 2) the mechanisms/strategies which may be used to alter cellular leptin actions to improve cardiometabolic profile in obesity; and 3) the role of miRNA in potentiating visceral fat gain during overfeeding and sleep deprivation.

Importantly, Dr. Singh has a strong interest in mentoring the next-generation of researchers. Over the last 10 years, she has effectively mentored research of more than 15 students of whom 3 were awarded postdoctoral grant award from American Heart Association and 2 were awarded summer research fellowship from The American Physiological Society. Several of her previous students are still perusing research/clinical training. Notably, she has a strong history of advising students and trainees from diverse backgrounds.

Selected Publications

  1. Singh P, Hoffmann M, Wolk R, Shamsuzzaman AS, Somers VK. Leptin induces C-reactive protein expression in vascular endothelial cells. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology. 2007; 27(9):e302-307.
  2. Romero-Corral A, Sert Kuniyoshi FH, Sierra-Johnson J, Orban M, Gami AS, Davison DE, Singh P, Pusalavidyasagar S, Huyber CM, Votruba SB, Jensen MD, Somers VK. Modest visceral fat gain causes endothelial dysfunction in healthy humans. Journal of American College of Cardiology. 2010; 56(8):662-666.
  3. Singh P, Peterson TE, Sert-Kuniyoshi FH, Jensen MD, Somers, VK. Leptin upregulates caveolin-1 expression: Implications for development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis 2011; 217 (2): 499-502. PMCID: 3482003
  4. Singh P, Somers VK, Romero-Corral A, Sert Kuniyoshi FH, Pusalavidyasagar S, Davison DE, Jensen MD, Effects of weight gain and weight loss on regional fat depots. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012; 96 (2):229-233. PMCID: 3396439
  5. Singh P, Peterson TE, Sert Kuniyoshi FH, Glenn JA, Davison DE, Romero-Corral A, Pusalavidyasagar S, Jensen MD, Somers VK. Leptin Signaling in Adipose Tissue: Role in Lipid Accumulation and Weight Gain. Circulation Research 2012, 111 (5): 599-603. PMCID: 3482005
  6. Cundrle I, Somers VK, Singh P, Johnson BD, Scott CG, van der Walt C, Olson, LY. Leptin Deficiency Promotes Central Sleep Apnea in Heart Failure Patients. Chest, 2014, 145 (1), 72-78
  7. Calvin AD, Covassin N, Kremers WK, Adachi T, Macedo P, Albuquerque FN, Bukartyk J, Davison DE, Levine JA, Singh P, Wang S, Somers VK. Experimental Sleep Restriction Causes Endothelial Dysfunction in Healthy Humans. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2014, 3(6):e001143. PMCID: 4338700
  8. Sahakyan K, Somers VK, Rodriguez-Escudero JP, Hodge DO, Carter RE, Sochor O, Coutinho T, Jensen MD, Roger VL, Singh P, Lopez-Jimenez F, Normal-weight central obesity: implication for total and cardiovascular mortality, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2015, 163(11):827-35. PMID: 26551006
  9. Singh P*, Sharma P, Sahakyan K, Davison DE, Sert-Kuniyoshi FH, Romero-Corral A, Swain JM, Jensen MD, Lopez-Jimenez F, Kara T, Somers VK. Differential effects of leptin on adiponectin expression with weight gain versus obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 2016 Feb; 40 (2):266-74. PMCID: 4747836. *: corresponding author)
  10. Covassin N, Singh P. Sleep duration and cardiovascular disease risk: epidemiologic and experimental evidence. Sleep Medicine Clinics. 2016 11(1):81-90. PMCID:4791534.
  11. Wolk R, Bertolet M, Singh P, Brooks MM, Pratley RE, Frye RL, Mooradian AD, Rutter, MK, Calvin AD, Chaitman BR, Somers VK, Prognostic value of adipokines in predicting cardiovascular outcome – Explaining the obesity paradox. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2016, 91(7): 858-66. PMCID: 4935584.
  12. Singh P, Somers VK, Obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes and obesity: Partners in Crime? Sleep Medicine, 2016, 25:162-163. PMID:27567164
  13. Covassin N, Singh P, Somers VK, Keeping up with the clock: Circadian disruption and obesity risk, Hypertension, 2016, 68(5):1081-1090.
  14. Baheti S, Singh P, Zhang Y, Evans J, Jensen MD, Somers VK, Kocher JPA, Sun Zhifu, Chakkera H. Adipose tissue DNA methylation changes in development of new onset diabetes after kidney transplantation. Epigenomics, 2017, 9 (11), 1423-1435.
  15. Polonis K*, Somers VK, Becari C, Schulte P, Covassin N, Druliner, Boardman L, Singh P. Moderate-to-severe sleep apnea is associated with telomere lengthening. AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2017, 313 (5): H1022-H1030.
  16. Covassin N, Sert-Kuniyoshi FH, Singh P, Romero-Corral A, Davison DE, Lopez-Jimenez F, Jensen MD, Somers VK, Experimental weight gain increases ambulatory blood pressure in healthy subjects: Implications of visceral fat accumulation. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2018, 93 (5), 618-626.
  17. Sharma P*, Somers VK, Peterson TE, Zhang Y, Singh P. Intermittent hypoxia attenuates eNOS activity via increases in caveolin-1 expression. Scientific Reports, 2018, 20, 8(1):14110. PMID: 30237409 PMCID: PMC6148090 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32490-3
  18. Zhang Y*, Somers KR, Becari C, Polonis K, Pfeifer MA, Allen A, Kellog TA, Covassin N, Singh P. Comparative expression of renin angiotensin pathway proteins in visceral versus subcutaneous fat. Frontiers in Physiology, 2018, 9:1370. PMID: 30364113 PMCID: PMC6191467 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01370

    Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/prachi.singh.1/bibliograpahy/42825131/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending