Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular Research
Coronary heart disease and stroke rank first and third among causes of death for Americans. The Division has an important emphasis on investigating the role of lifestyle factors, pharmaceuticals, biomarkers, and genetics in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. Dr. Ken Mukamal has studied the effects of behavioral factors – and particularly alcohol consumption – on the incidence and prognosis of myocardial infarction and stroke in a number of national cohort studies, including the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Nurses' Health Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Post CABG Trial, and the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study. He currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), an ongoing multicenter NHLBI-funded cohort study of older adults and has active NIH grants related to studies of alcohol and other nutritional factors in relation to cardiovascular disease from NHLBI and NIAAA.
Dr. Stephen Juraschek has expertise in both epidemiology and clinical trials. He is currently investigating the roles of sodium content and a DASH diet in vulnerable populations in two separate trials, and he has examined the effects of blood pressure treatment and diet in dozens of completed clinical trials. He is also the principal investigator on a NIH-funded study of the effect of the DASH diet on high sensitivity troponin and NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide. Lastly, he has NHLBI funding to study the determinants and consequences of orthostatic hypotension, particularly in older populations.