What is your professional background?
Following my PhD, I was a postdoctoral researcher in cardiovascular physiology and bio-chemistry at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Research Institute with F. Merlin Bumpus. I subsequently established an independent group at the Cleveland Clinic and rose to the position of associate staff faculty. In 1997, I moved to the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, where I was the deputy director, head of the cardiac enzymology, and professor of biochemistry at the University of New South Wales. In 2003, I relocated to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where I was the director of heart failure research and professor of physiology. In 2008, I moved to Emory University School of Medicine, where I currently am a professor in the Department of Medicine.
In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I work in the Division of Cardiology/Department of Medicine. I am a mentor to several junior faculty members in the School of Medicine.
Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?
Ischemic heart disease is the most common cardiac illness and the leading cause of death in Western civilizations. Our research efforts are focused at building heart muscle in diseased hearts. Our approach involves coaxing existing cardiac muscle cells in adult hearts to proliferate in a controlled fashion. We have been able to build stronger hearts in normal mice, but are now focused on achieving this in diseased hearts. Ultimately, we wish to use this approach to design a “cure” for heart failure.
What do you like most about Emory?
The cultural and scientific diversity is impressive.
What is your favorite book, movie, or TV show?
I Wish I’d Made You Angry Earlier: Essays on Science, Scientists, and Humanity by Max F. Perutz, former Chairman and Member of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England, is a favorite.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy cooking meals at a community kitchen.
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