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Vasantha Padmanabhan, PhD

Professor emerita (in sevice)
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI, United States

Vasantha Padmanabhan, M.S., Ph.D., is Professor Emerita (In service) of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Environmental Health Sciences, and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan. She is internationally recognized for her translational research on the fetal origins of pubertal and adult disorders. Her laboratory has advanced understanding of how excess maternal testosterone such as that seen in hyperandrogenic disorders and environmental pollutants like bisphenol-A program lifelong risks for reproductive and metabolic health. Using integrative approaches in cell and molecular biology and animal physiology, she has uncovered mechanisms underlying reproductive neuroendocrine dysfunction, ovarian pathology, and metabolic disturbances, especially those related to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). She is globally acknowledged for developing the sheep model of PCOS, a standard in the field. As Principal Investigator of the NIH/NIDDK T32 “Developmental Origin of Metabolic Disorders” and Associate Director of the U-M NIEHS P30 Core Center, she leads multidisciplinary studies on the impact of prenatal toxicant exposures across the lifespan. Her current research leverages the Michigan Maternal Infant Pair (MMIP) cohort that she established and a precocial animal model, investigating how real-world environmental toxicant mixtures affect maternal and infant outcomes and long-term health. Dr. Padmanabhan’s prolific publications translate animal model discoveries to clinical strategies, shaping preventive health directions. She serves on editorial boards for key journals (Endocrinology, JCEM, DOHAD, Toxics, and Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology) and her collaborative, translational work continues to inform clinical practice and public health policy worldwide.

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