Introduction

In the United States, over 70 million adults have some form of cardiovascular disease. According to the latest available statistics, cardiovascular diseases are directly responsible for almost 40% of all annual deaths nationwide. This is an especially large problem in West Virginia, where our death rate from cardiovascular disease is higher than that of almost any other state due to a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity and diabetes. Research that deepens our understanding of normal and abnormal cardiovascular function, as well as the mechanisms of cardiovascular growth and development, is vital for the development of better strategies to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. The Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Cardiovascular Sciences (CIRCS) serves this goal through a commitment to excellence in cardiovascular research that crosses traditional discipline boundaries, and to the education of students and fellows who will become the next generation of cardiovascular scientists.

In the future, meaningful advances in biomedical research will increasingly depend on the combined talents of many investigators, as well as on new patterns of interaction among basic scientists and clinician-scientists. Beneath the broad umbrella of cardiovascular research, the investigative activities of CIRCS faculty members are organized around five thematic areas as they relate to a host of diseases and cardiovascular risk factors. The diagram below reflects the interests and expertise of our current investigators. However, the identity and number of these thematic areas may change over time to reflect evolving areas of research strength or new research initiatives.