Hypertension Online Editorial Board

Co-Chairs/Editorial Directors James L. Pool, MD Addison A. Taylor, MD, PhD Contributing Editors George L. Bakris, MD Barry M. Brenner, MD William C. Cushman, MD Victor J. Dzau, MD Murray Epstein, MD Steven M. Haffner, MD Joseph L. Izzo, MD Stevo Julius, MD, ScD Sverre E. Kjeldsen, MD, PhD Daniel Levy, MD Doug L. Mann, MD S. Noor Rahman, MD Domenic A. Sica, MD

The resources for Hypertension Online have been developed under the guidance of an Editorial Board of clinicians and researchers from medical institutions who are experts in hypertension and related disorders. The panel ensures that Hypertension Online addresses timely issues based on the most current research findings. In keeping with the principle of full disclosure, Editorial Board members have disclosed any financial interest or other relationship with any commercial concern(s) related directly or indirectly to their presentation(s) or reviews. This information is acknowledged solely for the information of the visitor to Hypertension Online. The information in this site represents the viewpoints of the Editorial Board. Conclusions drawn by the audience should be derived from careful consideration of all available scientific information.

George L. Bakris, MD

Dr. Bakris received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School in 1981. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, where he also did a research fellowship in physiology and biophysics. He completed fellowships in nephrology and clinical pharmacology at the University of Chicago in 1988. He is a board certified nephrologist. From 1988 to 1991, he was a faculty member of Tulane University School of Medicine and on the staff of the Ochsner Clinic. Since 1993, Dr. Bakris has been on the faculty of Rush Medical College and the staff of Rush Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, where he is currently Professor of Preventive Medicine and Internal Medicine. Dr. Bakris is Director of the Rush University Hypertension Center in the Department of Preventive Medicine and has been Vice-Chairman of the department since 1998.

Dr. Bakris has published more than 200 articles and book chapters in the areas of renal disease progression and diabetic nephropathy. He is also the co-editor of a book entitled Hypertension: A Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment. He is the co-principal investigator of an NIH-funded K30 grant to train clinical researchers (one of 35 in the USA). He chaired the National Kidney Foundation position paper on the reduction of blood pressure and impact on renal disease progression (2000). He has served on many national committees, including the JNC VI writing committee (1997), the NIH National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on Hypertension and Renal Disease (1994), and the NIH medical advisory panel on hypertension in blacks (1991). Dr. Bakris has served as an expert consultant to the Cardio-renal Advisory Board of the FDA since 1993. He is on the editorial boards of 14 different journals concerned with hypertension and kidney disease, including Kidney International, Hypertension, American Journal of Hypertension, and Journal of Nephrology. He also serves as the associate editor of Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, and Kidney: A survey of the literature.

Dr. Bakris is engaged in research, serves as a consultant, and is on the speakers bureaus for Merck, Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Pharmacia, Forest and Novartis.

Barry M. Brenner, MD

Dr. Brenner earned a bachelor of science degree in biology at the Long Island University in 1958 and a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1962. He has since received honorary degrees from Harvard University (AM, 1977), Long Island University (DSc, 1987) and the Université de Paris, Pierre et Marie Curie (DMed Sci, 1992). Dr. Brenner completed his internship and residency at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Brenner continued his career in research positions at the National Heart Institute and the University of California before arriving at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in 1976. He holds various positions at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, including: Director, Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Physiology; Senior Physician; Director, Physician-Scientist Program (in conjunction with Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Joslin Diabetes Foundation and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute); Co-Director, Joint Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program in Nephrology; and Director Emeritus, Renal Division. Dr. Brenner also is the Samuel A. Levine Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Brenner has received numerous awards and accolades, including the following recent distinctions: Best Doctors in America, Second Edition (1997); Fellow, Royal College of Physicians, London (1998); Jean Hamburger Award, International Society of Nephrology (1999); and the John P. Peters Award, American Society of Nephrology (2000). Dr. Brenner holds 25 editorial board appointments, has published 565 scientific articles and 45 books and has participated in 285 invited lectures and/or professorships.

Dr. Brenner is engaged in research activities for Merck & Co., Novartis and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He is a consultant and member of the speakers bureaus for both Merck & Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

William C. Cushman, MD

Dr. Cushman is Professor of Preventive Medicine and Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. He is also Chief, Preventive Medicine Section, at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Memphis.

Dr. Cushman graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, where he was also selected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honorary society in his third year. He completed his residency training at the University of Mississippi in Jackson and served on the faculty from 1977 to 1988, when he moved to the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

Dr. Cushman has been an investigator in many clinical studies relating to hypertension and lipid therapy. He has been the chairman for two VA Cooperative Studies: 1) PATHS (Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension Study), a multi-center clinical trial examining the effects of reducing alcohol intake on blood pressure in heavy drinkers, and 2) the VA participation in the Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) study comparing cardiovascular events from four major classes of anti-hypertensive agents in over 42,000 patients. He is also principal investigator for the VA Clinical Center Network of the NHLBI-sponsored Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial (2000-2008).

Dr. Cushman's research is focused on: drug treatment and lifestyle changes in the prevention and management of hypertension and lipid abnormalities; prevention of cardiovascular outcomes; and cardiovascular disease epidemiology. The types of trials he is involved with include: morbidity and mortality outcomes, efficacy, compliance, predictors of response, hypertension in special populations and intermediate endpoints. Areas of research in lifestyle changes (non-drug therapy) include exercise, alcohol intake, sodium intake, potassium intake and weight loss.

Dr. Cushman was also a member of the writing team for JNC VI. He is a member of the Executive Council of the American Society of Hypertension, where he also serves as treasurer.

Dr. Cushman is engaged in research for AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc., Kos, Aventis Pharma, King Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, and Boehringer-Ingelheim. He serves as a consultant for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer Inc. and Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Victor J. Dzau, MD

Dr. Dzau was born in Shanghai, raised in Hong Kong and received his bachelor of science and medical degrees from McGill University in Montreal. He completed his postgraduate training at Harvard Medical School, where he was a faculty member until 1990. Dr. Dzau then went to Stanford University and, until 1995, was the William G. Irwin Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, and Director of the Falk Cardiovascular Research Center. He served as the Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University from 1995 to 1996. Dr. Dzau then returned to Harvard Medical School, where currently he is the tenth Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic (Medicine) and Chairman of the Department of Medicine. He is also Physician-in-Chief and Director of Research at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Dr. Dzau has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the American Heart Association Goldblatt Award for Cardiovascular Research; the William N. Creasy Award in Clinical Pharmacology, Burroughs-Wellcome Fund; the Distinguished Scientist Award to the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (1992); the National Institute of Health MERIT Award (1994); and from the American Heart Association, the Special Recognition Award (1997), and the Scientific Councils Distinguished Achievement Award (1999). Recently, he was awarded an Honorary Degree by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and received the Commemorative Gold Medal from the Ludwig-Maximilliam University of Munich and E.K. Frey-Werle Foundation in 1998.

Dr. Dzau is a leader in both the clinical and scientific arenas. His research efforts have centered on molecular cardiology, vascular biology and gene therapy. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vascular Medicine and Biology and is currently a member of multiple editorial boards. He is actively involved in several professional societies and is a founding member of the Society of Vascular Medicine and Biology. He has served as Chairman of the National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular Disease Advisory Committee, and Chairman of the American Heart Association Intercouncil Vascular Biology Working Group. He is currently the Chairman of the Council of Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology of the American Heart Association and serves on the Advisory Committee to the Director of NIH (Harold Varmus). In 1998, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science (USA). In 1999, he assumed the position of Editor-in-Chief for the American Physiology Society's new journal, Physiological Genomics.

Dr. Dzau serves as a consultant for Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novartis.

Murray Epstein, MD

Dr. Epstein is Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami, School of Medicine. He is a recipient of the 1990 Distinguished Scientist Award of the National Kidney Foundation. He currently serves as a member of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee and contributed to the development of JNC VI.

Dr. Epstein has authored more than 340 journal articles and book chapters. Many of these have related to 1) the pathogenesis and management of hypertension, 2) renal function in diseases characterized by abnormal volume regulation, and 3) the role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. He has also written extensively on head-out water immersion, an investigational model that he has defined and applied to the study of edematous disorders, including liver diseases. Dr. Epstein's most recent works include chapters on the renal complications of liver disease in the Textbook of Nephrology (1st, 2nd and 3rd editions) and Schiff's Textbook of Hepatology, and a chapter on disorders of sodium balance in the Textbook of Internal Medicine: A Systematic Approach (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions).

Dr. Epstein is a member of the editorial boards of Hypertension, the American Journal of Hypertension, the American Journal of Nephrology, and the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. He also is a reviewer for numerous journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Gastroenterology, Kidney International, and the American Journal of Physiology.

Dr. Epstein has also served as the editor of 4 editions of The Kidney in Liver Disease, the premier book in the field, which surveys the wide spectrum of renal functional abnormalities in liver disease. Dr. Epstein has also co-authored Hypertension: Practical Management, the second edition of which has appeared recently. Most recently, Dr. Epstein has edited Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists, the first comprehensive book to survey the effects of AT1 receptor antagonists on both cardiovascular and renal function. In addition, this book considers the effects of these novel agents in elucidating the profound physiological effects of angiotensin II.

Dr. Epstein, who is a 1963 graduate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, did his postgraduate medical training at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin and at the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. From 1966 to 1968, he was a research fellow in Nephrology in the Kidney Laboratory of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston under Professor John P. Merrill. Dr. Epstein was also an established investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Dr. Epstein is engaged in research for Pfizer Inc. and Pharmacia. He is a member of the speakers bureaus for Pharmacia, Pfizer Inc., and AstraZeneca and is a consultant for Pharmacia.

Steven M. Haffner, MD

Dr. Haffner is Professor of Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. After earning his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, Dr. Haffner pursued his internship training at the University of Southern California Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He then completed residency training at the USC Medical Center and at Boston City Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Haffner subsequently pursued a fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Washington in Seattle. His research interests include insulin resistance and its relation to coronary artery disease.

Dr. Haffner is engaged in research activities and is a consultant for Merck & Co. He is a member of the speakers bureaus for Parke-Davis and Merck & Co.

Joseph L. Izzo, Jr, MD

Dr. Izzo is currently Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Chief of Clinical Pharmacology at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo. He served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine, Millard Fillmore Hospitals, from 1988 to 1998, and as Program Director in internal medicine from 1988 to 2001.

Dr. Izzo received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University Medical School, and performed his internship and residency at the Barnes Hospital of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He trained in experimental therapeutics in the Hypertension-Endocrine Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Bethesda.

Dr. Izzo is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology. He is listed in Who's Who in Science and Best Doctors in America, and has been designated a hypertension specialist by the American Society of Hypertension. Dr. Izzo's current committee memberships include the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Expert Advisory Panel of US Pharmacopeia, the National High Blood Pressure Education Program of the NHLBI, and the American Heart Association's publications and education committees. He is a member of a variety of medical societies, serves on the editorial board and as a reviewer for numerous journals, is widely published in books and journals, and is senior editor of the American Heart Association's Hypertension Primer.

Dr. Izzo has widely ranging research interests that include the mechanisms of hypertension and stress responses of blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction and exaggerated vasoreactivity, cellular and physiologic control of sympathetic nerve activity, cardiovascular pharmacology and outcomes monitoring.

Dr. Izzo is engaged in research for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, and Solvay. He is a consultant for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Aventis, Glaxo-Wellcome, and Forest Labs. In addition, he serves on the speakers bureaus for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca, Solvay, Wyeth-Ayerst, Novartis and Monarch.

Stevo Julius, MD, ScD

Dr. Julius is a graduate of the Medical School of the University of Zagreb (Croatia), is Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology, and the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of Hypertension at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he has been on the faculty more than thirty-five years. He recently stepped down as Chief of the Division of Hypertension in the Department of Medicine after 25 years of service.

Dr. Julius' research is in the pathophysiology of hypertension with a specific emphasis on the role of the nervous system. His methods to investigate this issue range from invasive studies in humans through using pharmacologic probe to epidemiologic research.

Dr. Julius distinguished himself as an educator on hypertension. The Ann Arbor program, under his supervision, trained more than 50 specialists in hypertension, many of whom have become internationally recognized leaders in numerous countries worldwide. In conferring on him its Life Achievement award, the Council for High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association quoted his achievements as "role model and mentor for the youth of our profession."

He has received numerous awards including: the Astra Cardiovascular Award of the International Society of Hypertension, the Distinguished Faculty Award of the University of Michigan, the Corcoran Lectureship of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, and the MERIT Award of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Julius also received an Honorary Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Göteborg in Sweden and a citation of esteem from the Japanese Society of Hypertension. He has also been elected an honorary member of the Australian, Finnish, Hungarian, Spanish, Polish, and Sweden Hypertension Societies. The International Society of Hypertension has honored Dr. Julius by establishing the "Stevo Julius Award for Excellence in Hypertension Education," which is bestowed to a distinguished person during the Society's regular plenary meetings.

Dr. Julius serves as a consultant for Merck & Co.

Sverre E. Kjeldsen, MD, PhD

Dr. Kjeldsen is Adjunct Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hypertension at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Chief Physician and Professor in the Department of Cardiology at the Ullevaal University Hospital in Oslo, Norway. His main research interests are the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and treatment of human hypertension. He has published over 150 full peer-reviewed articles related to hypertension. Dr. Kjeldsen is an executive member of several ongoing, large clinical outcome trials in hypertension, including LIFE (Secretary and European Coordinator), VALUE (Associate Chairman) and ASCOT (International Steering Committee). He also has served as an executive member of HOT, NORDIL, and INSIGHT, among others.

Dr. Kjeldsen is a fellow of the American Heart Association, Council for High Blood Pressure Research, and a member of the Scientific Council of the European Society of Hypertension. He is Vice President of the Norwegian Society of Hypertension and a member of the Guidelines Committee of the European Society of Hypertension. Dr. Kjeldsen received his medical degree from the University of Oslo in 1979 and his doctoral degree from the University of Oslo in 1984. He was a medical resident and fellow in cardiology at Ullevaal University Hospital.

Dr. Kjeldsen has no relationships to disclose.

Daniel Levy, MD

Dr. Levy is Director of the Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, Massachusetts. Dr. Levy is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and an active member of the American Heart Association (AHA) Clinical Council on Cardiology, the AHA Council on Hypertension, and the American Society of Hypertension. In addition, Dr. Levy serves on the American College of Cardiology Committee on Hypertensive Diseases. He was a member of the Writing Committee for JNC VI.

Dr. Levy has dual faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Levy has published more than 200 articles in leading cardiovascular and scientific journals as well as a book on the Framingham Heart Study. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Hypertension and the American Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Levy has been the recipient of many awards, including the National Institutes of Health Director's Award given for his research achievements at the Framingham Heart Study. His main areas of research interest include the epidemiology of hypertension, the epidemiology of left ventricular hypertrophy, the epidemiology of heart failure, and the prevention of coronary heart disease.

Dr. Levy is serving as Contributing Editor to Hypertension Online in his personal, private capacity.

Dr. Levy was a consultant or speaker for Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer Inc. He terminated all consulting with industry in 2003 or earlier.

Douglas L. Mann, MD

Dr. Mann is the Gordon Cain Chair and Professor of Medicine and Director of the Winters Center for Heart Failure Research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His research interests have focused on the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to cardiac decompensation, including the role that inflammatory mediators play in regulating cardiac structure and function. Dr. Mann is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of University Cardiologists, the Heart Failure Society of America, the International Cytokine Society, the International Society for Heart Failure Research and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology as well as the American College of Chest Physicians. He is currently an Associate Editor for Circulation and Deputy Editor for Chest, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiology Today, Heart and Vessels, Heart Failure Reviews, and Heart Failure Monitor. He has received numerous awards including the Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence from the American College of Chest Physicians, and the Michael E. Debakey Award for Excellence in Research.

James L. Pool, MD

Dr. Pool is currently Professor, Department of Medicine, and Professor, Department of Pharmacology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is also Director of the Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology Research Clinic at Baylor.

After graduation with honors from the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine in 1972, Dr. Pool completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham. Following his fellowship, he began his research career at the National Institutes of Health within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. By working with Dr. Frederic C. Barttner in the Hypertension-Endocrine Branch and Dr. Jerry R. Mitchell in the Chemical Pharmacology Branch, he developed expertise in both hypertension and pharmacology.

Dr. Pool is certified as a medical specialist by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology. His research interests in hypertension include antihypertensive drug development, cardiovascular pharmacology, metabolic effects of cardiovascular drugs, and cardiovascular disorders of the autonomous nervous system.

Dr. Pool is engaged in research, serves as a consultant, and is on the speakers bureaus for Abbott, AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Solvay, Pfizer Inc., Pharmacia and Sankyo.

S. Noor Rahman, MD

Dr. Rahman received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Houston and his doctor of medicine degree from UTESA School of Medicine, Santo Domingo. Dr. Rahman completed his internship and residency training in internal medicine at St. Luke's Hospital and St. Louis Regional Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri, where he served as chief medical resident. His nephrology fellowship was completed at the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver. Dr. Rahman is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Rahman is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston in the Division of Renal Disease and Hypertension. He is Director of Hypertension and the renal transplant physician. Dr. Rahman is Chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee at Vencor Hospital in Houston and a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for the Harris County Hospital District.

Dr. Rahman's research has focused on hypertension, renal disease, anemia in chronic renal failure and dialysis issues. He is the primary investigator for numerous ongoing clinical studies and has authored numerous papers on renal disease in hypertension.

Dr. Rahman is engaged in research for Amgen, Inc., AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Novartis.

Addison A. Taylor, MD, PhD

Addison A. Taylor, MD, PhD, is Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, and Molecular Physiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Taylor has been Chief of the Section on Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine at Baylor since 1989.

Dr. Taylor received his doctor of medicine and doctor of philosophy degrees from the University of Missouri in Columbia. After completing an internal medicine residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham and an endocrinology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, he became a senior investigator in the Hypertension-Endocrine Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Dr. Taylor joined the faculty in the Hypertension-Clinical Pharmacology Section of the Department of Medicine at Baylor in 1977.

Dr. Taylor is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology. His major research interests are in pathophysiology of altered cardiovascular autonomic function in man and in the clinical pharmacology of blood pressure regulation.

Dr. Taylor is engaged in research for Abbott, AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Solvay, Pfizer Inc. and Pharmacia.