Grace Niziolek, MD

Grace Niziolek, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. Clinically, she serves as a Trauma and Acute Care Surgeon as well as staffing the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Her research program is centered on elucidating the mechanisms of endothelial barrier dysfunction following traumatic injury, with a particular emphasis on vascular permeability during hemorrhagic shock and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. Niziolek’s prior research in TBI has defined key mechanisms of cerebrovascular endothelial dysfunction, including the contribution of acidosis and inflammatory signaling to blood–brain barrier disruption, edema formation, and secondary brain injury progression. Building on this work, her laboratory employs novel in vivo models of hemorrhagic shock and TBI, along with complementary translational approaches, to uncover therapeutic targets that may preserve endothelial integrity, mitigate organ injury, and improve outcomes for critically injured patients.