About Me

I am a pediatric nephrologist, epidemiologist and physician-scientist investigating the origins of hypertension and kidney and cardiovascular disease. My focus is the renin-angiotensin system, especially angiotensin-(1-7). I direct the Pediatric Hypertension Clinic, which is actively involved in numerous studies, including the PHRAS study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03310684), the GAP study (NCT03489993) and the HOPS study. Our Pediatric Hypertension Registry (NCT03305562) is a database of our patients with hypertensive disorders and is a multi-center collaborative study. I investigate how hypertension, obesity and kidney and cardiovascular disease develop in patients born preterm as they grow up into adulthood. I investigate these relationships in the searchfor Diabetes in Youth Study. I also study the relationship between health disparities and disease, particularly food insecurity. 

I have a team of research assistants, including undergraduates, post-baccalaureates, medical students and graduate students, and am always looking for students to join our team. I collaborate with many colleagues at Wake Forest and at other institutions. I work closely with the Hypertension and Vascular Research Biomarker Analytical Core and have active memberships in the MidWest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium and the Neonatal Kidney Collaborative.

Education Program Involvement

Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology PhD 
Program Research Interest: Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Cardiovascular Physiology and Hypertension, Regenerative Medicine, Neuro- and Behavioral Pharmacology, Cancer Therapeutics Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Lifespan Physiology.