Mark Alberts, Professor of Neurology. 
Dr. Alberts’ research interests include acute stroke therapy, secondary stroke prevention, aspirin resistance, and genetics of stroke.  Dr. Alberts is currently identifying genes and
polymorphisms that may predict the development of intracranial aneurysms and sub-arachnoid hemorrhages in affected families. 

Philip Greenland, MD, Professor of Medicine & Preventive Medicine. 
Dr. Greenland’s research focuses on cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention as well as lower extremity peripheral arterial disease.  Dr. Greenland is a co-investigator on epidemiologic studies, including the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort, which provides opportunity to study many aspects of clinical vascular medicine.

Todd Kuiken, MD, PhD Professor of Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation and Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Dr. Kuiken’s research focuses on the development of prostheses for amputees, including those with vascular disease.  Dr. Kuiken studies the development and validation of models of electromyographic signal propagation in skeletal muscle for improved myoelectric prosthesis control.  He is developing nerve-muscle graft techniques in amputees for improved prosthesis control. 

Debiao Li, PhD, Professor of Radiology.
Dr. Li’s research focuses on arterial vessel imaging. 
Specific research interests include: (1) Developing
ultra-fast MRI techniques to acquire high-resolution
images of coronary arteries; (2) Imaging the arterial
wall for the detection and characterization of plaque;
(3) Evaluating the utility of MR contrast agents in
imaging the anatomy and function of the heart and
peripheral blood vessels; (4) MR molecular imaging.

Kiang Liu, PhD, Professor of Preventive Medicine. 
Dr. Liu is PI on the NIH-funded MESA and the NIH-funded CARDIA study at Northwestern University.  He is co-PI on the Hispanic Community Health Study Field Center. The MESA study is a 10-year longitudinal observation study of an ethnically diverse cohort of 7,000 men and women.  Baseline measurements in MESA include the ankle brachial index, circulating biomarkers, carotid artery ultrasound imaging, brachial artery endothelial reactivity, and coronary artery calcium score.  There are many opportunities for secondary data analyses of risk factors for vascular disease and outcomes of vascular disease in the MESA and CARDIA cohorts.

Douglas Losordo, MD, Professor of Medicine. 
Dr. Losordo’s translational research program focuses on vascular biology and includes clinical trials of stem-cell stimulated angiogenesis.  An internationally recognized cardiologist and physician-scientist, Dr. Losordo conducts research in stem cell biology, tissue repair and regeneration, and angiogenesis and vasculogenesis with a focus on
developing therapies for cardiovascular disease.

Mary M. McDermott, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine. 
Dr. McDermott leads a multidisciplinary clinical research program in peripheral arterial disease, including the study of functional outcomes, mechanisms of disability, peripheral vascular imaging, and biomarkers in peripheral arterial disease.  Two ongoing clinical trials include exercise interventions and a behavioral intervention to achieve ideal LDL-cholesterol levels in persons with PAD.  

Mark E. Molitch, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology. 
Dr. Molitch’s research interests focus on the long-term complications of diabetes mellitus.  His ongoing NIH-funded studies provide opportunity for clinical investigation of the epidemiology of diabetes and vascular disease. 

William H. Pearce, MD, Professor of Surgery. 
Dr. Pearce’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) as well as health disparities in vascular procedure rates.  He studies the cellular and molecular biology of AAA formation, focusing on the role of metalloproteinases and inflammation in the pathogenesis of aneurysms.  Dr. Pearce’s research also focuses on the genetics of AAA. 

Anne H.  Rowley, MD, Professor of Pediatrics
and of Microbiology and Immunology at NUFSM. 
Dr. Rowley’s research program aims to understand the pathogenesis of Kawasaki Disease, an acute potentially fatal vasculitis of young childhood.  Dr. Rowley has developed a bank of tissues that uses to address many questions regarding the pathogenesis of Kawasaki’s vasculitis.  She has published the novel finding that IgA plasma cells are prominent in the inflammatory infiltrate in the vascular wall in acute Kawasaki Disease, suggesting a mucosal portal of entry of the etiologic agent.  Dr. Rowley also isolated and sequenced the IgA variable region genes present in vascular tissue from acute Kawasaki’s Disease cases and found an oligoclonal IgA response, indicating an antigen-driven process.  

Learn more about the program