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Douglas Foster, Ph.D.


 
Faculty Appointment: Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Interests: Our research focuses on the neuroendocrinology of sexual maturation. We wish to understand how the pubertal increase of GnRH secretion from the hypothalamus is timed because this increases the production of pituitary LH to stimulate the gonads to function as those of an adult. The sheep is used as an experimental model. Our interest is at several levels. We study how internal and external cues time the pubertal increase in GnRH secretion. For internal cues, we wish to identify those related to growth and determine how they interface with those for sexual development. For external cues, we explore mechanisms by which day length times puberty. We study how the brain becomes sexually differentiated before birth to time puberty differently in males and females.

Education and Credentialing:
Degree: Ph.D., 1970, University of Illinois