Heather Simmons

Veterinary Pathologist/ Pathology Unit Head

Department:

Heather Simmons

Animal Services (Pathology), Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

Contact Information:

  • (608) 265-8279

Curriculum Vitae

Heather Simmon's Curriculum Vitae

Aligned research focus:

Comparative pathology, aging, cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Organ system/disease focus:

Infectious diaseases, aging, cancer/neoplasia

Research description:

My research interests include comparative pathology of nonhuman primates (NHP), wildlife and domestic species; non-human primate models of human disease; and mechanisms of infectious and non-infectious disease. I collaborate with investigators to plan research protocols investigating a variety of research interests including cervical anatomy during pregnancy, spontaneous neoplasia, infectious diseases such as SIV/HIV and listeria, Parkinson's disease, as well as pathologies associated with diet and aging.

The WNPRC is committed to ensuring maximum scientific use of animals through the Nonhuman Primate Biological Materials Distribution program, which allows distribution of biological samples from animals assigned to short term minimally invasive protocols and animals undergoing terminal procedures.

Selected references:

Christine R Swanson, James J Raschke, Valerie Joers, Viktoriya Bondarenko, Kevin Brunner, Heather A Simmons, Toni E Ziegler, Joseph W Kemnitz, Jeffrey A Johnson and Marina E Emborg. The PPAR-gamma agonist pioglitazone modulates inflammation and induces neuroprotection in parkinsonian monkeys. Journal of Neuroinflammation. (in press MS ID :7670882825378876)

Simmons, H.A. and Mattison J.A. The incidence of spontaneous neoplasia in two populations of captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). ARS forum issue on Primate and Human Aging. ARS V14. #2. (2011).

Colman, R.J., Anderson, R.M., Johnson, S.C., Kastman, E.K., Kosmataka, K.J., Beasley, T.M., Allison, D.B., Cruzen, C., Simmons, H.A., Kemnitz, J.W., and Weindruch, R. Caloric Restriction Delays Disease Onset and Mortality in Rhesus Monkeys. Science. 35: 201-204 (2009).