Dr. Sherita Golden’s primary research interest centers around identifying endocrine risk factors associated with development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease through the incorporation of hormonal function measures into the design of clinical trials of cardiovascular risk modification, observational studies of incident cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and studies evaluating diabetic complications. Dr. Golden’s research explores the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis biomarkers in type 2 diabetes pathogenesis. She has made fundamental discoveries regarding hormonal determinants of the association between depression and type 2 diabetes, specifically HPA axis activation. Her groundbreaking investigation demonstrating a bidirectional, longitudinal association between depression and type 2 diabetes spawned international collaborations to explore biological mechanisms. Recognizing the lack of direct data measuring HPA axis activity, Dr. Golden identified measures of subclinical HPA axis hyperactivity to incorporate into epidemiological studies as potential markers of chronic HPA axis activity — dexamethasone-suppressed cortisol and adrenal gland volume. She obtained an NIDDK-funded grant to establish a clinic-based cohort and investigate one marker further, and in an NHLBI-funded study, she is investigating the association of metabolic risk factors with stress hormone responses. Dr. Golden has also studied other molecular epidemiology aspects of type 2 diabetes, demonstrating that endogenous sex hormones in post-menopausal women are associated with atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. She is the Principal Investigator of the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcome Study at Johns Hopkins and in 2012 led the Writing Group of the Endocrine Society’s first Scientific Statement on Disparities in Endocrine Disorders.