Special Resources
The successful application for the NHLBI Vascular Disease Academic Award in 1994 was the impetus for the development of Vascular Medicine at Wake Forest. With the recruitment of Pavel J. Levy, MD, Vascular Medicine is an important and fully integrated component of the Department. The recent funding of a K12 Mentored Clinical Scientist Program in Vascular Medicine serves as the financial and educational framework for a fellowship in Vascular Medicine. This mentored clinical scientist program will provide unique additional expertise in the medical management of vascular disease. The combination of Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine at the level of the teaching faculty and fellows in training is unequaled and provides optimal patient management.
The Vascular Biology Laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Randolph L. Geary, is funded by the National Institutes of Health, industry, and institutional grants to study the cellular and molecular basis of arterial injury and restenosis following vascular reconstruction, as well as host responses to bioengineered blood vessels constructed from autologous cell sources for use in vascular access and arterial reconstructive procedures. We are studying the injury response in atherosclerotic primates treated with periarterial hyaluronan and also the effects of genetic deletion of specific hyaluronan receptors in knockout mice and effects on the response to injury. The overarching goal is to identify molecular targets to block constrictive remodeling after arterial reconstruction as a means of preventing restenosis.
The Laboratory is also collaborating with Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (http://www.wfirm.org) to characterize the in vivo responses of bioengineered blood vessels created using autologous endothelial and smooth muscle cell sources. The Laboratory has active collaborations with the Wake Forest University Primate Center (http://www1.wfubmc.edu/wfupc) - a large nonhuman primate research center recognized worldwide for expertise in modeling atherosclerosis and with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine directed by Dr. Anthony Atala, a world leader in the clinical application of bioengineered tissues and organs.
For those trainees who wish to pursue a career in academic surgery with a focus on clinical research, an optional third year of training in Health Services Research within the Division of Public Health Sciences is available. This didactic training in clinical research is complemented by ongoing involvement in funded clinical research projects. With successful completion of the trainee’s thesis, the program culminates in a Masters Degree in Epidemiology and Health Services Research. Thus far, three trainees have completed this program - two trainees who have taken academic positions and both are funded investigators. This record of academic achievement is an explicit statement of the value of the program.