Directors
Francois M. Abboud, 1974-2012
Mark E. Anderson, 2012-2014
Barry London, 2015-
Co-Directors
Barry London, 2012-2015
Peter J. Gruber, 2014-2015
Deputy Director
Donald Heistad, 1990-2012
Associate Directors
Michael Brody, 1974-1990
Allyn L. Mark, 1974-2012
Mark E. Anderson, 2005-2012
Examples of Key Scientific Contributions
- Foundational Discoveries about how the cardiovascular and nervous systems regulate each other
- Regression of atherosclerosis and restoration of endothelial function by dietary cholesterol restriction
- Identification of key molecules and pathways that transmit electrical and chemical signals in the heart and are involved in cardiovascular response to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and ischemia
- Linking molecular defects to human diseases, including arrhythmia, hypertension and diabetes
- Advancing our understanding of calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII)
- Identification of a new gene mutation that causes an inherited form of atrial fibrillation
- Assessment of the effects of maternal diabetes on fetal and postnatal heart development—as well as risk of diabetes later in life for the childe
- Illuminating the common molecular mechanisms (e.g., abnormal ion channel activity) underlying diseases that affect disparate systems and organs, such as the heart and sensory organs
- Pioneering work outside cardiology, such as discovery of a gene that causes a form of muscular dystrophy
- Linkage of autonomic nerves and the immune system is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and mortality
Prestigious Roles Held by Center Members
Circulation Research, 1981-1986
Editor in Chief: Francois M. Abboud
Hypertension: 1989-1993
Editors in Chief: Allyn L. Mark, 1989-92 and Gerald F. DiBona, 1993
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, Vascular Biology, 1999-2007
Editor in Chief: Donald D. Heistad
Journal of Lipid Research, 1994-1998
Editor in Chief: Arthur Spector
Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians, 1995-2000
Editor: Francois M. Abboud
American Journal of Physiology (Regulatory), 2007-2013
Editor in Chief, Curt D. Sigmund
American Autonomic Society
Mark Chapleau, 2008-2010
American Clinical and Climatological Association
Francois M. Abboud, 2007
American Federation for Clinical Research
Francois M. Abboud, 1971
Gary Hunninghake, 1986
Gerald F. DiBona, 1978
Francis Miller, 2010
American Heart Association
Lewis E. January, 1966
John W. Eckstein, 1978
Francois M. Abboud, 1990
American Physiological Society
Gerald F. DiBona, 2000
American Society of Echocardiography
Richard E. Kerber, 1997-1999
American Society for Clinical Investigation
Michael Welsh, 2012
Association of American Physicians
Francois M. Abboud, 1990
Michael Welsh, 2002
Association of University Cardiologists
Allyn L. Mark, 1995
Donald D. Heistad, 2002
Central Society for Clinical Research
John W. Eckstein, 1974
Francois M. Abboud, 1986
James B. Martins, 2007
Federation of the American Society of Experimental Biology
William Talman, 2011
Society of General Physiologists
Kevin Campbell, 2004-2005
Major NIH-Funded Programs
Integrative Neurobiology of Cardiovascular Regulation
Francois M. Abboud, Program Director, 1971-2019
Fatty Acids, Lipoproteins and Lipid Oxidation
Arthur A. Spector, Program Director, 1992-2002
Genetic Signaling Mechanisms in the Central Regulation of Blood Pressure
Curt D. Sigmund, Program Director, 2007-2018
Cerebral Blood Vessels
Donald D. Heistad, Program Director, 1987-2008
Frank M. Faraci, Program Director, 2008-2013
Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Protection and Disease (Formerly Oxidative Mechanisms in Vascular Disease, Formerly Vascular Mechanisms of Atherogenesis)
Donald D. Heistad, Program Director, 2000-2016
Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
Michael J. Welsh, Program Director, 1993-2009
Paul B. McCray, Jr., Program Director, 2009-2014
Airway Phyiology and Pathophysiology in a Porcine CF Model
Michael J. Welsh, Program Director, 2008-
SCOR in Lipids, Atheroscleoris and Thrombosis
Arthur A. Spector, Program Director, 1971-1992
SCOR in Ischemic Heart Disease
Melvin L. Marcus, Program Director, 1984-1989
SCOR in Coronary and Vascular Diseases
David J. Skorton, Program Director, 1990-1995
SCOR in Occupational and Immunologic Lung Disease
Gary W. Hunninghake, Program Director, 1986-1997
SCOR in Acute Lung Injury
Gary W. Hunninghake, Program Director, 1998-2003
SCOR in Hypertension
Michael J. Brody, Program Director, 1989
Allyn L. Mark, Program Director, 1990-1995
SCOR in Molecular Genetics of Hypertension
Allyn L. Mark, Program Director, 1996-2000
Curt D. Sigmund, Program Director, 2001-2006
SCOR in Congenital Heart Disease
Ronald M. Lauer, Program Director, 1990-1998
SCOR in Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease
Ronald M. Lauer, Program Director, 1999-2003
O'Brien Kidney Disease Center
John B. Stokes, III, Program Director, 1997-2007
SCOR in Childhood Airway Diseases
David A. Schwartz, Program Director, 1998-1999
Gary W. Hunninghake, Program Director, 2000-2003
Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Fellowship
Francois M. Abboud, Director, 1975-2016
Training Program in Hematology: Molecular and Cell Biology of Blood Cells
C. Patrick Burns, Director, 1978-2006
Steven R. Lentz, Director, 2006-2019
Research Training Program in Pediatric Cardiology
Ronald M. Lauer, Program Director, 1978-2003
Multidisciplinary Lung Research Career Development Program
Gary W. Hunninghake, Director, 1986-2008
Michael J. Welsh, 2008-2016
Training Grant in Kidney Disease, Hypertension, and Cell Biology
John B. Stokes, III, Director, 1997-2012
Christie Thomas, Director, 2012-2018
Community-Based Research
The Muscatine Heart Study
Ronald M. Lauer, Director, 1970-2005
Trudy Burns, Director, 2005-
Note: The Muscatine Heart Study gained international prominence as the pediatric counterpart of the renowned Framingham Heart Study of risk factors for disease in adults. Begun with and sustained in part through NIH funding, in 2009, the Muscatine Study joined with six other international childhood cohort studies to form the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort Consortium. Data from more than 41,000 childhood participants across the cohorts have been pooled to evaluate associations between childhood CV risk factors and adult subclinical disease.
Clinical Research Trials
Shared Research Facility
Francois M. Abboud, Director, 1986-1987
Lipid Research Clinic
Francois M. Abboud, Program Director, 1984-1990
Childhood Determinants of Adult Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk
Ronald M. Lauer, Program Director, 1985-1991