Associate Professor
The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Mina Desai, M.Sc., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is also the Director of Perinatal Research at The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Desai is also the Chair of Student Advising and Academic Standards Committee, Co-Chair of the Admissions Committee, and member of Steering Committee of the Lundquist Graduate Program. In addition, she is the Faculty Scientific Director and Advisor of the Summer Fellowship Program at The Lundquist Institute.
Dr. Desai received her Ph.D. in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, UK. Her basic, translational and clinical research interests focus on the topic of the ‘developmental origins of health and disease’ (DOHaD). The ongoing research includes understanding the mechanism contributing to offspring obesity and metabolic syndrome as a result of exposure to perturbed maternal nutritional milieu. Her studies also include novel strategies of prevention of early infant weight gain and later obesity.
Dr. Desai embarked on her academic career with National Institutes of Health (NIH) K01 grant funded by NIDDK. Since then, she has been continually funded by the NIH, March of Dimes, American Heart and Institutional grants. She serves as an NIH grant and scientific journal reviewer, and is an Associate editor of the DOHaD journal. Dr. Desai has over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journal, numerous book chapter and reviews. She is a recipient of International Atomic Energy Agency Fellowship, Perinatal Research Society Award, The Richard E. Weitzman Memorial Award and US DOHaD, President’s Award.
