Keywords: Immunology, Aging, Infectious Disease

Colwyn Headley, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, USA

Dr. Headley is a 1st year Post-Doctoral Fellow in the cardiovascular Institute at Stanford University – School of Medicine. In the simplest sense, Dr. Headley’s scientific interests reside around finding the fountain of youth. During his Ph.D. training at the Ohio State University, Dr. Headley became fascinated with aging biology, and whether transplanting young, healthy mitochondria into older immune cells could boost immunity in the elderly. At Stanford’s Cardiovascular Institute, in the lab of Philip Tsao, Dr. Headley is combining his interests in immunology, mitochondrial biology, and aging, to deeper investigate the aging-associated shifts within the immuno-cardio-metabolic axis, and how these may favor cardiovascular disease progression.  

Before starting his fellowship at Stanford, Dr. Headley was also involved in several research projects at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, related to host-pathogen interactions and infectious diseases, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Influenza A, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). While attending undergrad at The Ohio State University, Dr. Headley conducted extensive research in cellular oxidative stress. These projects primarily focused on the use synthetic antioxidants (nitrones) to treat reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated pathologies (such as, hyperglycemia, chemotherapy induced toxicity and hypertension), as well as ways to determine their intracellular compartmentalization in living cells. 

Outside of the laboratory, Dr. Headley is an avid runner, soccer player, and an amateur coffee aficionado. Dr. Headley also dedicates a portion of his time towards mentoring, and advocating for accountability, equity, and diversity in science.