Hypertension and Vascular Research Center
Director: Dr. Debra Diz
The Hypertension Center was established in 1992 under the direction of Drs. Carlos Ferrario and Richard Dean within the Division of Surgical Sciences to integrate basic science and clinical efforts for advancements leading to the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure and vascular disease. In 2007, The Hypertension and Vascular Research Center achieved institutional center status. The mission of the center is to facilitate research, education and clinical management of hypertension and vascular disease. The success of the Center in large part results from the team approach to both research and clinical efforts and the emphasis on translation of cutting edge scientific advances to the patient and the community. The Center setting is also conducive to comprehensive education and training of the next generation of individuals determined to continue our mission to make substantial progress in research and patient care.
The center encompasses outstanding basic science research efforts that have provided novel concepts in the field and contributed to our understanding of numerous advances in treatment of cardiovascular disease. The tight interactions among basic science faculty and expert physicians, along with outstanding support staff and trainees, allow for innovative patient care and application of new diagnostic and analytic tools to investigate the pathophysiology of hypertension and vascular disease in human subjects. Community outreach has addressed the disparities in our health care system, attempting to ensure uniform treatment paradigms for all individuals in the southeastern U.S., regardless of whether they reside in a major metropolitan area or rural regions of our communities. Outreach initiatives include postgraduate medical educational activities and community-based awareness programs with outcomes tracking for identification and follow-up care for patients with hypertension.
The funding for the center’s research efforts comes from a program project and other grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as from the American Heart Association (AHA), private foundations, and the pharmaceutical industry. Training opportunities at the undergraduate, predoctoral and postdoctoral level are supported by NIH and AHA and center-based initiatives are integral to school-wide efforts to increase diversity at all levels within the institution. Faculty members from the center participate in training students from a variety of graduate programs, including physiology and pharmacology, molecular medicine, neuroscience, and molecular genetics.
The Center has been extremely competitive in the research arena, having obtained over $42 million in research funding, with $36 million from NIH, CDC, AHA and other peer-reviewed mechanisms. You can contribute to our continued success in fighting cardiovascular diseases and to our mission of training the next generation of clinical and basic science researchers with your donations (How You Can Help).
Debra Diz, Ph.D., FAHA, Director
The Hypertension and Vascular Research Center
