With the ultimate goal of developing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral interventions for primary and secondary prevention, the laboratory examines mechanisms underlying the development of cardiovascular disease and seeks to better understand the impact of psychosocial factors on health and illness.

Techniques used by the lab include:

• Ambulatory blood pressure and cardiac output monitoring
• Echocardiography
• Heart rate variability
• Vascular stiffness and endothelial function
• Treadmill testing
• Behavioral interventions, including exercise, DASH diet, and weight reduction
• The design and implementation of new research initiatives

Cardiovascular medicine fellows have opportunities to participate in this work.

Current NIH-funded studies include: 

• Behavioral interventions in the treatment of myocardial ischemia
• The use of the DASH diet and exercise in the management of hypertension
• Mechanisms responsible for the increased risk of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy in African Americans
• The effects of estrogen and progesterone on vascular function and 24-hour blood pressure in postmenopausal women
• Behavioral determinants of disease progression and outcome in patients with congestive heart failure
• The use of exercise as a treatment for depression in coronary heart disease patients
• Causes and consequences of a nocturnal "dip" in blood pressure
• The effects of a telephone-based stress-management program in lung transplant patients
• The impact of cardiac surgery on cognitive function and health-related quality of life