Kedra Wallace, PhD

APS members are doing amazing things. We asked Kedra Wallace, PhD—one of our esteemed member-researchers—to tell us about her work and its implications on our understanding of life and health. She also discusses why activism would have been a calling if not for her career in science.

What do you do?

KW: I am a reproductive neuroscientist in the departments of pharmacology & toxicology, obstetrics & gynecology and neurobiology & anatomical sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. My research group focuses on two areas 1) the relationship between hypertensive pregnancies and postpartum mood disorders and 2) quality of life following reproductive disorders, in particular, uterine fibroids.

Give it context.

KW: My long-term goal is to help others understand that many factors contributing to negative changes in mental health occur due to physiological disturbances; disturbances that may or may not be adaptable. However, recognition of these disturbances may decrease the stigma surrounding mental health and hopefully improve the access to care.

What would you be doing if not science?

KW: I think I would be an activist. I hate injustice and I was raised to always voice my opinions, especially when there are others who could be hurt by silence.

Kedra Wallace, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. She is also chair of the APS Women in Physiology Committee.