Research interests include the study of hypertension (HTN), a disease that affects over 65 million Americans and one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. Hypertensive heart disease (HHD)-endophenotypes, including left ventricular hypertrophy, LV diastolic dysfunction, LV systolic dysfunction, and vascular hypertrophy are common and inter-related. Furthermore, HHD-endophenotypes are worsened by co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia, thus suggesting that common underlying pathologic processes control/modulate these phenotypes through gene-gene and/or gene-environment interactions. Genes involved in myocardial metabolism and inflammation have been postulated as modulators of these highly complex endophenotypes. Through our large cardiovascular disease phenotype-genotype repository, we are conducting a genome-wide association study where important genes will be associated with quantitative HHD-endophenotypes.

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Cardiomyopathy; magnetic resonance imaging; myocardiology; hypertension; vascular surgery; coronary artery disease; supervising and interpreting diagnostic tests, such as echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms, treadmill stress test, Holter, event and loop monitors.

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