Zahir Shaikh
Professor
University of Rhode Island
USA
Biography
He is research concentrated mainly on metal toxicology, with emphasis on the mechanisms by which metals cause nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. His laboratory also investigated the biomarkers of renal dysfunction in both occupationally- and environmentally-exposed populations in the United States and Japan. His research in more recent years shifted to investigating the role of cadmium in breast cancer progression. Dr. Shaikh chaired the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and later the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy from 1985 to 2003. He was also the Director of NIH grant-supported state-wide RI-INBRE Program from 2001 to 2018. In this capacity, he fostered the recruitment and research career development of junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students, and promoted collaborative biomedical and behavioral research among the junior and senior faculty from the University of Rhode Island, Brown University and five primarily undergraduate institutions.
Research Interest
Toxicity of metals; nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity; breast cancer