天美传媒

John Ryan MD, FACC, FAHA, is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, Echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology with extensive training and experience in research investigation and clinical patient care. He is an internationally renowned specialist in pulmonary hypertension and the director of the University of Utah Pulmonary Hypertension Center, which is the first accredited Pulmonary Hypertension Association Comprehensive Care Center in the Mountain West. 

Dr. Ryan is also Sports Cardiology Consultant for the United States Olympic Committee, the National Basketball Association, the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah Utes. Dr. Ryan鈥檚 research has been published in leading cardiovascular journals including Circulation, CHEST, The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, among others. 

The research interests of Dr. Boerwinkle encompass the genetic analysis of the common chronic diseases in humans, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, and non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes.
Dr. Boerwinkle received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Cincinnati in 1980, an M.A. in Statistics (1984), and M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Genetics (1985) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he served as Senior Research Associate in the Department of Human Genetics from 1985-1986. He joined the University of Texas-Houston Center for Demographic/ Population Genetics in 1986 as a Research Assistant and became Assistant Professor in the same year. In 1991 he joined the Department of Human Genetics at the School of Public Health, University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center as Associate Professor, in 1996 was promoted to Professor, and in 1997, Director of the Human Genetics Center. He became a faculty member of the Institute of Molecular Medicine in 1996 and became Professor and Director of the Research Center for Human Genetics.

Dr. Boerwinkle is a member of the American Diabetes Association and the American Society of Human Genetics. The research interests of Dr. Boerwinkle encompass the genetic analysis of common chronic diseases in humans, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, and non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes. This work includes localizing genes which contribute to disease risk, identification of potentially functional mutations within these genes, testing these candidate functional mutations in experimental systems, defining the impact of gene variation on the epidemiology of the disease, and determining the extent to which these genes interact with environmental factors to contribute to disease risk. Activities include both statistical analysis and laboratory work. A large part of Dr. Boerwinkle's current research effort consists of localizing genes contributing to disease risk using modern genome-wide mapping methods. Success depends on keeping up with the latest genomic technical advances. The laboratory is set-up and operating as a high throughput sequencing and genotyping facility in which speed, accuracy and efficiency are monitored continuously. However, we are constantly seeking out more efficient methods to collect and manage genetic information.

Dr. Boerwinkle and colleagues have completed the world's first genome-wide analyses for a variety of CAD risk factors, including diabetes and hypertension. These investigations have to lead to the identification of novel susceptibility genes in both cases. Dr. Boerwinkle is particularly interested in methods for identifying potentially functional mutations within a gene region. This seemingly simple objective is made difficult because the functional mutations are expected to have small effects and are embedded in a sea of silent genetic variation. Once nearly all of the variation is cataloged directly by DNA sequencing, individuals are genotyped for each variable site. Both novel and traditional statistical methods are applied to relate the array of genetic information to a wealth of phenotypic data. This algorithm generates "candidate functional mutations" that are then tested in an in vitro or mouse model system. Once a functional mutation has been identified, Dr. Boerwinkle's group evaluates the ability of the variable site to predict the onset of disease (e.g. myocardial infarction or stroke) above and beyond traditional risk factors. This work is carried out as part of multiple prospective studies of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in tens of thousands of individuals representing the major American ethnic groups.

Finally, he is working on experimental designs for studying genotype by environment interaction in humans. In particular, we are working on the extent to which inter-individual variation in lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medications are influenced by genetic factors. The practical objective of the research is to use genetic information to identify individuals at increase risk of disease and to design more efficacious interventions. Genetic studies are defining, at the molecular level, novel mechanisms of disease risk, onset and progression. Dr. Boerwinkle and collaborators address the localization of genes which contribute to disease risk in cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes. The methodology used involves screening of families having the disease and linking the presence of disease with known markers of the human genome. In this manner, the genomic region in which relevant mutations are located can be mapped and the relevant DNA sequenced. By assessing the structural change the mutation may have caused in the gene product (protein), it is possible to infer how it may affect biological function. In order to determine experimentally whether a mutation is functional, it is necessary to introduce the mutated gene into an animal, usually a mouse, and assess its biological effects on the animal's phenotype.

Dr. Boerwinkle has participated in multiple notable discoveries since joining the Institute. Only two will be highlighted here. First, Dr. Boerwinkle's group has completed the first-ever genome-wide search for genes contributing to inter-individual blood pressure levels. This initial effort has lead to the identification of an important gene (an adrenergic receptor) that influences blood pressure levels and the risk of hypertension. This is the first time that such a genome-wide approach has led to the identification of a susceptibility gene to a major cardiovascular disease risk factor. Second, Dr. Boerwinkle has participated in similar efforts to identify genes contributing to the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes. In this case, however, there were no genes in the region that were suspects for the disease. A team of collaborating investigators has painstakingly characterized the genetic region and identified the mutated gene (in this case a protease). This is the first time that anyone has ever positionally cloned a gene contributing to any common chronic disease. This work is of obvious potential clinical importance. It may lead to improved prediction of those at increased risk of disease and the design of more efficacious intervention strategies. The technologies and information from the human genome project provide new tools for lessening the burden of ill-health. Dr. Boerwinkle's accomplishments in developing an internationally recognized team of investigators targeting the genetics of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors ensure a productive future and further discoveries. 

Dr. Sharma is a trained dietitian and physical therapist. As a health professional, she strongly felt she was treating preventable diseases stemming from poor lifestyles: heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. She saw the repercussions were devastating to the community. Her love for teaching, academics and the community-led her to pursue a Ph.D. in public health, focusing on epidemiology. Her interest is in nutrition and physical activity-based interventions to address obesity via school, family, and the community, predominantly in low-income minority populations. She co-founded Brighter Bites, a partner program of the Houston Food Bank, and serves on the Mayor of Houston’s Go Healthy Houston Task Force. She is currently working on Healthy Eating Active Living (HE/AL). Dr. Sharma explains, “HE/AL is designed to promote healthy birth outcomes and prevent maternally and childhood obesity among low-income Medicaid patients. The project will use evidence-based strategies from Brighter Bites, Legacy of Health, and The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre to promote breastfeeding and physical activity among pregnant women and women with infants. Families will receive free group education classes (nutrition, cooking, and exercise) and 30 lbs of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables weekly for 12 weeks. We will be tracking the effect of the program on maternal weight gain during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, infant birth weight, breastfeeding, and infant weight gain in the first year of life.”

Dr. Hassan N. Ibrahim is currently the chief of nephrology and the director of the living donor kidney transplant program at Houston Methodist. He is a professor of medicine at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. Prior to joining Houston Methodist in May 2017, he was a tenured professor at the University of Minnesota, the director of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, and the medical director of the kidney transplant program.

After finishing his basic medical training in Detroit, he began his career as a clinical fellow in nephrology at the University of Minnesota in 1995, then spent three years in the laboratory studying basic mechanisms of progression of kidney disease. He subsequently obtained a master鈥檚 degree in clinical research from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.

At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Ibrahim was heavily involved in education and served as the director of both the general nephrology and transplant nephrology fellowships. He was also the principal investigator on an NIH-funded training grant in renal investigations for 10 years. He has also been involved in teaching medical students, medical residents, graduate students, and junior faculty. Many of his trainees have advanced to leadership positions both in the US and abroad.

His research interests include chronic kidney disease, kidney transplantation, and outcomes of kidney donors. Over the years he has received funding for his research from the National Institute of Health, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and other agencies. He has spent the last 15 years studying the outcomes of kidney donation. With his colleagues, they have been able to provide critical information that assists both kidney donors and health professionals in assessing the long-term risks of kidney donation. He is a reviewer for numerous general medical and specialty journals and has served on many study sections for the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, and also the National Kidney Foundation.

Dr. Ibrahim is a frequently invited speaker at both national and international venues.
Since his arrival at Houston Methodist, Dr. Ibrahim has dedicated most of his time to building the academic nephrology division, expanding the live donor program, and mentoring general nephrology and transplant fellows.

My research focuses on the characterization of spontaneous hypertension in a novel model Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus, the African Green Monkey. As an Old World non-human primate, the African Green Monkey is highly similar to humans in terms of physiology, gene structure, social hierarchy, and behavior. I am specifically interested in the connections between the sympathetic nervous system and the adaptive immune system and their contributions to blood pressure control in this novel animal model.

Research Interests:
Physiology
Hypertension
Adaptive Immune System
women's health
Science Education

Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan is the Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine for University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, the Herman K. Hellerstein, MD Professor of Cardiovascular Research, and Director of the Case Cardiovascular Research Institute at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Rajagopalan completed internal medicine training, including serving as Chief Resident, at SUNY (Buffalo, New York), Clinical and Research Fellowships in Cardiovascular Medicine/Vascular Biology at the Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, Georgia) and Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging training at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina).

Dr. Rajagopalan is among an elite group of physician scientists whose work has helped transform global perceptions of the impact of the environment on cardiovascular health. He is passionate about technology innovation in cardiovascular medicine for the development of personalized approaches to heart disease prevention.

Dr. Rajagopalan is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), American Association of Physicians (AAP), Association of University Cardiologists (AUC) and the Association of Professors of Cardiology (APC).

, is a board-certified cardiologist. She works with patients on prevention of cardiovascular disease, as well as management of coronary disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and other cardiovascular problems. She believes good communication with her patients is an important part of the physician-patient relationship, and strives to provide evidence-based yet individualized care to each one.
Daniels is a professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She lectures to physicians, medical students and the general public on topics such as screening for cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease prevention, women's cardiovascular health, and late cardiovascular outcomes in adults with a history of Kawasaki disease.

, is a board-certified cardiologist who focuses on general and preventive cardiology, as well as women's cardiovascular health. As a general cardiologist, she works with patients to diagnose, treat and prevent heart disease, as well as manage conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease and congestive heart failure.
She is the founding director of the Step Family Foundation  at Jacobs Medical Center. Taub was responsible for all aspects of creating the center, which provides a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program for patients with established heart disease.
Taub believes that prevention is the new frontier in cardiovascular medicine. She takes an evidence-based approach to care and tailors it to each patient, with the goal of minimizing medications and procedures. She also collaborates closely with other specialists to provide cardiac care for patients with complex, multi-system diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disease.