Jessica Faulkner, PhD

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology

Phone: (706) 721-4110
Fax: (706) 721-7299
Email: jefaulkner@augusta.edu
Office: CA-3135
Lab: CA-3132E

Education and Training

Augusta State University, Biology, BS, 2008
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Medical Pharmacology, PhD, 2015
Augusta University, Post-doctoral Fellowship, PhD, 2016-2021

Academic Appointments

2024- Program Leadership in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University

2021- Graduate Faculty in The Graduate School of Augusta University, Augusta GA

2021 - Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University

2021- Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

2017-2021 - Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta Univeristy

Research Interests

Studies in the Faulkner laboratory explore the mechanisms of high blood pressure, metabolic dysfunction, renal and vascular damage and fetal growth restriction in obese and lean pregnancy. In particular, the laboratory focuses on the physiological alterations to the vasculature caused by abnormal hormone release and activity in the vasculature, placenta, adrenal gland and adipose tissue utilizing human tissues/cell lines and rodent models of preeclampsia. The laboratory is primarily exploring mechanisms of metabolic dysfunction, vascular endothelial cell biology and function, renal injury, lipid dysfunction, uterine artery blood flow, steroid hormone synthesis, leptin and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling. Studies are approached with a translational perspective, utilizing transgenic and surgical mouse models as well as human tissues/cell lines to determine pathways involved in adverse outcomes of pregnancy in both mother and offspring in pregnancy. These results lead to mechanistic exploration of the underlying biochemical, molecular and genetic factors involved. Experiments to test our hypotheses include functional measures of blood pressure and vascular function, protein and mRNA expression measures as well as hormone, cell signaling and genetic analyses, among others. We approach all studies with translation and bench to bedside approach at the forefront. These studies are supported by ongoing grants from the NIH NHLBI, NIH NIDDK and the American Heart Association.

Selected Awards and Honors

2025 American Physiological Society Shih-Chun Wang New Investigator Award

2025 Editorial Board- Physiological Genomics

2024 University of Mississippi Medical Center Distinguished Alumnus Award for Early Career Achievement

2024 Medical College of Georgia Group on Women in Medicine Early Impact Award

2024 Medical College of Georgia Faculty Senate Outstanding Young Basic Science Faculty Award

2024 Editorial Board- AJP-Regulative, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

2024 Longo/Power New Investigator Award from the Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA

2023 Augusta University Research Institute Emerging Scientist Award

2023 American Heart Association Council on Hypertension. Harry Goldblatt Award for Early Career Investigators.

2023 Fellowship of the American Heart Association

2021 Consulting Editor - AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology

2020 American Physiological Society and Data Sciences International: Dean Franklin Young Investigator Award

2019 American Physiological Society Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award

2018 Editorial Board - AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology

Selected Recent Publications

Elgazzaz M, Ogbi S, Cooper G, Moronge D, Mellott E, Backer K, Hitchings J, Valesquez Zarate L, Kavuri S, Ilatovskaya D, Woodham PC, Maher J, Annex B and Faulkner JL. “Soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 increases leptin production via suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 and 3 activation: implications for preeclampsia.” bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Jun 1:2025.05.27.656489.

Mellott E, Moronge D, Cooper G, Backer K, Connor G, Elgazzaz M, Ogbi S, Faulkner JL. “Eplerenone lowers maternal blood pressure in leptin-induced preeclampsia but decreases fetal growth mid-gestation in mouse model”. 2026. American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology. PMID: 41533341 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00522.2025

Elgazzaz M, Brawley A, Moronge D, Faulkner JL. “An emerging role for leptin in vascular and placental dysfunction in preeclampsia”. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2025 Apr 3. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.124.321676. “Editor’s Pick”, April, 2025.

Moronge D, Godley H, Ayulo V, Mellott E, Elgazzaz M, Cooper G, Mohamed R, Ogbi S, Gillis E, Faulkner JL, Sullivan JC. “Persistent subclinical renal injury in female rats following renal ischemia reperfusion”. Clinical Science. 2025 Feb 4:CS20241851.

Faulkner JL, Takano M, Ogbi S, Tong W, Nakata M, Moronge D, Cindrova-Davies T, Giussani DA. “Mid-late Gestation Leptin Infusion Induces Placental Mitochondrial and Endoplasmic Reticulum Unfolded Protein Responses in a Mouse Model of Preeclampsia”. Placenta. 2024 Dec:158:253-262.

Elgazzaz M, Woodham PC, Maher J, Faulkner JL. “Implications of Pregnancy on Cardiometabolic Disease Risk: Preeclampsia and Gestational Diabetes”. AJP Cell Physiology. 2024 Jul 16. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00293.2024. PMID: 39010840.

Moronge D, Ayulo V, Elgazzaz M, Mellott E, Ogbi S, Faulkner JL. “Both endothelial mineralocorticoid receptor expression and hyperleptinemia are required for clinical characteristics of placental ischemia in mice”. AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2024. May 17. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00188.2024.

Moronge D, Sullivan JC, Faulkner JL. “Physiology of Pregnancy-Related Acute Kidney Injury”. Comprehensive Physiology. 2023 Jun 26;13(3):4869-4878.

Mellott E, Faulkner JL. “Mechanisms of Leptin-induced Endothelial Dysfunction”. Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension. Vol. 32, No. 2, March 2023.

Faulkner, JL, Wright D, Antonova G, Jaffe IZ, Kennard S, Belin de Chantemele EJ. “Midgestation leptin infusion induces characteristics of clinical preeclampsia in mice which is ablated by endothelial mineralocorticoid receptor deletion”. Hypertension. 2022 Jul;79(7):1536-1547.

Faulkner JL. “Cardiovascular complications of obesity in women: hypertension and heart failure”. Clinical Science (Lond). 2021 Jun 25;135(12):1523-1544

Jessica Faulkner, PhD