The Early Years: 1924-1970
1924-1946
Fred M. Smith, M.D., appointed head of UI Department of Internal Medicine. Smith's groundbreaking research into myocardial infarction at Rush Medical College and the University of Chicago set the stage for the development of research programs at Iowa.
1925-1940
UI faculty in the departments of Internal Medicine (Elmer L. DeGowin, M.D.) and Pathology (Emory D. Warner, M.D., Head of the Department of Pathology) are on the forefront of research advances in the area of coagulation of blood, vitamin K, and hemorrhagic disorders. Under the leadership of Dr. DeGowin, a pioneer in the banking, storage, and transportation of blood, the Blood Transfusion Service at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was established in 1938, the first blood bank established west of the Mississippi River.
1944
Estate of William Pearson, M.D., Iowa physician, establishes Pearson Trust Fund at The University of Iowa stipulating that income be used by the UI College of Medicine to further heart research.
1945-1946
UI faculty return from military service: Johann Ehrenhaft, M.D., leads the development of thoracic and cardiac surgery; Lewis E. January, M.D., leads the clinical cardiology training in internal medicine; Robert C. Hardin, M.D., returns from the European Theater with specialized knowledge gained from directing blood banking and transportation efforts for the Allied forces.
1948-1970
William B. Bean, M.D., is appointed Head of the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Bean is appreciative and supportive of clinical and basic research and initiates research programs with the recruitment of new faculty.
Hemodynamic Research Laboratory was founded to investigate cardiac and circulatory problems. James W. Culbertson, M.D, recruited by Dr. Bean from Boston University to head laboratory efforts.
Walter M. Kirkendall, M.D., joins the UI Department of Internal Medicine Faculty. Dr. Kirkendall pursues interests in cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
1951
John W. Eckstein, M.D., joins the UI Department of Internal Medicine residency program. Dr. Eckstein pursued an interest in cardiology by becoming the first research fellow of the Hemodynamic Laboratory.
1956
William E. Connor, M.D., joins the UI Department of Internal Medicine faculty.
Dr. Connor pursues interests in hyperlipidemia and lipid metabolism.
1957
Dr. Eckstein appointed Director of Hemodynamic Research Laboratory, and Established Investigator of the American Heart Association.
1960
François M. Abboud, M.D., joins the laboratory of Dr. Eckstein as an American Heart Association Advanced Research Fellow.
1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson appoints a Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke to develop national plan of research and health care. Chaired by Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Commission recommends establishing regional centers for heart disease, cancer, and stroke investigation, teaching, and patient care.
1966
Dr. January serves as President of the American Heart Association.
1970
Dr. Eckstein is appointed Dean of the UI College of Medicine.
Dr. Abboud is appointed the first Director of a formalized Division of Cardiovascular Diseases in the UI Department of Internal Medicine by Dr. James Clifton, new Head of the Department of Internal Medicine.
1971
National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds a program project grant (PPG) on the "Regulation of the Circulation in Pathological States" under the direction of Dr. Abboud as Principal Investigator in 1971 for $2.5M over a period of 5 years – 38 projects were submitted of which 26 projects were approved – the first major interdepartmental and intercollegiate program at the University of Iowa. This will become the largest single research component of the UI CVC and The University of Iowa and will be funded for 9 consecutive cycles under the same PI (Dr. Abboud) in 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2014. With several early cycles, one or two supplemental applications were submitted and funded.
NIH funds Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) in Atherosclerosis at Iowa. This will become a major core component of the UI CVC. (Principal investigator: Initially Dr. William Connor, later Arthur Spector, M.D, Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry.) This was later funded as a PPG with Donald Heistad as PI.
NIH funds Lipid Research Clinic (LRC) at Iowa, one of 12 nationwide to investigate the lipid hypotheses. (Principal Investigator: Initially Dr. Connor and Dr. Abboud; later with Dr. Abboud as Principal Investigator, and Dr. Helmut Schrott as Associate Director.
Dr. Abboud is elected President of the National American Federation for Clinical Research. Later elected as Presidents from the Department of Medicine at Iowa were Drs. Gerald F. DiBona, Gary W. Hunninghake, Bradley Britigan, and Francis J. Miller.
1974
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute announces competition to award large grants to 15 National Centers for Cardiovascular Research, Education, and Demonstration.
Application submitted for a University of Iowa CV Research, Education, and Demonstration Center by Dr. Abboud as Principal Investigator. The 10-volume application for $25 million for 5 years was submitted on January 22, 1974 to support 181 projects by more than 116 investigators from 23 different departments and colleges. The Center application was approved and highly ranked by the NIH but no congressional funds were appropriated to support any center for this national initiative. This application, however, formed the infrastructure from which the University of Iowa Cardiovascular Center arose.
UI College of Medicine and the Iowa Board of Regents approve the establishment of the Iowa Cardiovascular Research Center.
On January 15, Dean Eckstein declared the establishment of a Cardiovascular Research Center under the direction of Dr. Abboud.
1975-2016
NIH funds Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Training Program (T32) administered through CVC with Dr. Abboud as Principal Investigator. Program is renewed in 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. Director, Dr. Abboud, was then joined by Co-Directors: the late Michael J. Brody, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, followed by Donald D. Heistad, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology. The most recent renewal was funded until 2016 with Drs. M. Anderson, Heistad, and Sigmund as Co-Directors. The support of up to 13 postdoctoral fellows was provided in recent years.
1976-2002
Dr. Abboud appointed Head of the UI Department of Internal Medicine.
1977
On January 14, the Board of Regents approved the construction of a Cardiovascular Research Center addition to the Medical Research Center.
Funding campaign begun for construction of a physical facility to house the Cardiovascular Research Center at Iowa. Pearson Trust provides half of cost (facility to be located on 5th and 6th floors of MRC).
1978
NIH funds two training programs, one in hemostasis and thrombosis (Director: Initially John C. Hoak, M.D., Professor of Medicine, later C. Patrick Burns, M.D., Professor of Medicine) and another in Pediatric Cardiology (Director: Ronald Lauer, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics). Both are administered by CVC.
1979
Dean Eckstein serves as President of the American Heart Association.
1980
NIH renews Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Training Program.
1981-1986
Dr. Abboud appointed Editor-in-Chief of the premier journal of cardiovascular research in the world, Circulation Research. The editorial office is housed in the CVC. Associate Editors are Michael Brody, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, Allyn L. Mark, M.D., Professor and Director of the Division of Cardiology, and Donald D. Heistad, M.D., Professor of Medicine.
1982
The UI CVC is officially dedicated on May 28. Investigators begin to move in to new laboratory space on 5th and 6th floors of MRC. The Lewis E. January Learning Resources Unit is available to medical students, staff, and physicians in private practice.
1984
NIH grants $4.5 million over 5 years to new CVC SCOR in Ischemic Heart Disease. (Principal Investigator: Melvin L. Marcus, M.D., Professor of Medicine.)
NIH provides major grant to investigate the effect of salt in hypertension. (Principal Investigators: Allyn L. Mark, M.D., Professor of Medicine; Annette Fitz, M.D., Professor of Medicine, and William Lawton, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine.)
1985
NIH grants $1.5 million over 5 years for new CVC program to investigate juvenile hypertension and the pre-hypertensive state: blood determinants in the young. (Principal investigator: Ronald Lauer, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics.)
1986
Dr. Abboud elected President of the CSCR (later also Drs. Gary W. Hunninghake and James B. Martins).
1987
NIH funds $5.5 million over 5 years to a new SCOR in Occupational and Immunologic Lung Diseases. (Principal Investigator: Gary Hunninghake, M.D., Professor of Medicine.)
NIH funds PPG on Cerebral Blood Vessels, providing nearly $4 million over 5 years. (Principal Investigator: Donald Heistad, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology.)
1988
François M. Abboud, M.D. is named Edith King Pearson Professor of Cardiovascular Research, University of Iowa College of Medicine.
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation funds nearly $1.5 million over 3 years to a Research Development Program in Cystic Fibrosis (Principal Investigator: Michael Welsh, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Physiology.)
NIH funds $2.3 million over 5 years to a new SCOR in Cystic Fibrosis (Principal Investigator: Michael Welsh, M.D.)
1989
Dr. Abboud serves as President-Elect of the American Heart Association.
Allyn L. Mark, M.D. is named Editor of Hypertension on January 1 for a five-year term.
NIH approves supplement to PPG on the "Regulation of the Circulation in Pathological States." (Principal Investigator: François M. Abboud, M.D.)
1990
NIH provides renewed funding of $5.7 million over 5 years to the SCOR in Coronary and Vascular Diseases (previously known as the SCOR in Ischemic Heart Disease [see 1984]). (Principal Investigator: David J. Skorton, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Computer Engineering.), formerly under the direction of Melvin L. Marcus, M.D. who passed away on October 19, 1989.
NIH provides funds of $3.7 million over 5 years for a new SCOR in Congenital Heart Disease. (Principal Investigator: Ronald Lauer, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics.)
NIH provides funds of $5.6 million over 5 years for a new SCOR in Hypertension. (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Brody, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, later under the direction of Allyn L. Mark, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine.)
NIH provides renewed funding of $2.3 million over 5 years to the Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Training Program, funded since 1975. This fellowship will provide support for 15 postdoctoral trainees per year. (Principal Investigator: François M. Abboud, M.D. and Michael J. Brody, Ph.D.)
American Heart Association and Squibb fund $420,000 over 3 years for a Training Center for Clinical Management of Lipid Disorders. (Principal Investigator: Helmut Schrott, M.D.., Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine.)
Dr. Abboud serves as president of the national American Heart Association.
Drs. Abboud and Brody receive the CIBA Award for Hypertension Research, Council on High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association.
1991
Dr. Abboud received the Doctor Honoris Causa diploma from the University of Lyon, French Ministry of Education, Lyon, France, October 30.
NIH provides renewed funding of $6.5 million to the SCOR in Occupational and Immunologic Lung Disease (Principal Investigator: Gary W. Hunninghake, M.D.) for years 6-10.
NIH provides renewed funding of $3,590,870 to the PPG in Cerebral Blood Vessels (Principal Investigator: Donald D. Heistad, M.D.) for years 6-10.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) provides renewed funding of $1,200,000 for an additional three years to the CFF Research Development Program on the “Membrane Biology of Cystic Fibrosis” (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
NIH provides renewed funding of $2,321,757 for an additional five years to the Interdisciplinary Pulmonary Training Program, titled “Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Lung”. This fellowship will offer positions for 3 predocs and 12 postdocs per year. (Principal Investigator: Gary W. Hunninghake, M.D.).
On December 13-14, a symposium titled the “Michael J. Brody Symposium Scientific Program” was held in honor of Michael J. Brody, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Cardiovascular Center, who died on December 3, 1990. Approximately 150 people from across the country and around the world attended the symposium, poster and social events.
Frank M. Faraci, Ph.D. receives the Harold Lamport Award, given by the Cardiovascular Section of the American Physiological Society to the outstanding young investigator under 36 years of age. He also receives an Established Investigatorship from the American Heart Association.
1992
Dr. Abboud was named Master, American College of Physicians.
NIH provides funds of $3.2 million to a new PPG in Fatty Acids, Lipoproteins and Lipid Oxidation for a five-year period (Principal Investigator: Arthur A. Spector, M.D.).
NIH provides renewed funding of $690,300 to the Research Training Program in Pediatric Cardiology for years 16-20 (Principal Investigator: Ronald M. Lauer, M.D.). This fellowship offers positions for 4 postdocs.
The fifth competitive renewal application to NIH of the PPG on Integrative Functions in Neurovascular Control (formerly titled “Regulation of the Circulation in Pathological States”) is approved for funding of $5.7 million for an additional five years to begin on January 1, 1993 (Principal Investigator: François M. Abboud, M.D.).
1993
For the second competitive renewal, NIH provides funding of $2,873,523 to the SCOR in Cystic Fibrosis (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
NIH funds a new PPG on Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease in the amount of $3,003,033 for a five-year period (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation funds a new CFF Gene Therapy Center in the amount of $1,000,000 for a five-year period (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.). These funds will support four pilot and feasibility studies per year.
Gerald DiBona, M.D. assumes editorship of Hypertension until University of Iowa term ends in December.
Allyn Mark named to the Roy J Carver Chair in Internal Medicine (1993-2013).
1994
Donald D. Heistad, M.D. is appointed Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Center.
The 1994 Merck, Sharp and Dohme International Award for Research in Hypertension is presented to François M. Abboud, Gerald F. DiBona, Donald D. Heistad, and Allyn L. Mark at the International Society for Hypertension Meeting, March 23, 1994, in Melbourne Australia.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, for the third competitive renewal of the CFF Research and Development on the “Membrane Biology of Cystic Fibrosis”, awards $1,200,000 on July 1 for a three-year period (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
1995
François M. Abboud, M.D. is named to the Advisory Council of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, effective September, 1995, by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala.
NIH, for the fifth competitive renewal of the Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Institutional Research Fellowship Training Grant, awards $2,126,864 to provide support for fifteen postdoctoral positions per year for a five-year period, effective July 1 (Principal Investigator: François M. Abboud, M.D.).
François M. Abboud, M.D. is named Editor of the new Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians, effective April 1.
Arthur A. Spector, M.D. is named Editor of the Journal of Lipid Research, effective May 1.
François M. Abboud, M.D. is appointed to the Membership Committee of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences for a three-year term.
Kevin C. Dellsperger, M.D., Ph.D. is elected Chairman of the American Heart Association, Iowa Affiliate Research Committee for a two-year term.
Gerald F. DiBona, M.D is appointed for a three-year term to the Publications Committee, American Physiological Society.
Allyn L. Mark, M.D., Assistant Director of the Cardiovascular Center, is named Associate Dean for Research Development and Graduate Programs for the College of Medicine.
Val C. Sheffield, M.D., Ph.D. is appointed to serve as a member of the Cardiovascular Center Executive Committee.
Arthur A. Spector, M.D. is appointed Chair of the American Heart Association Subcommittee on Policy, Research Policy Evaluation Committee.
Michael J. Welsh, M.D. is chosen to deliver the 11th Annual Presidential Lecture in February. His talk was titled “The Pathway of Discovery in Pursuit of a Genetic Disease.”
NIH approves funding of $2.5 million for the second five year competitive renewal of the SCOR in Congenital Heart Disease for a period of four years, effective January 1, 1996 (Principal Investigator: Ronald M. Lauer, M.D.).
1996
NIH approves funding of $5.67 million for the second competitive renewal of the SCOR in Molecular Genetics of Hypertension for a period of five years, effective February 1, 1996 (Program Director: Allyn L. Mark, M.D.).
NIH approves funding for the third competitive renewal of the Pulmonary Training Program, Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Lung for a period of five years, effective July 1. (Program Director: Gary Hunninghake, M.D.) The grant provides support for three predoctoral and twelve postdoctoral positions per year.
Trudy L. Burns, Ph.D. (Preventive Medicine) and Mary J. C. Hendrix, Ph.D. (Anatomy and Cell Biology) were appointed to the Cardiovascular Center Executive Committee.
Richard E. Kerber, M.D. (Internal Medicine) received the American Heart Association’s Award of Meritorious Achievement.
1997
Richard E. Kerber, M.D. (Internal Medicine) was elected President of the American Society of Echocardiography, serving a two-year term. The membership of the ASE was 6,000 at that time; it is currently 14,000 in 2014.
NIH approves funding of a new five-year grant, O’Brien Kidney Research Center, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, effective July 1. The first year budget is $624,437. (Program Director: John B. Stokes III, M.D.)
NIH approves funding of $3.9 million for the first five year competitive renewal of the Program Project on Fatty Acids, Lipoproteins and Lipid Oxidation for a five year period beginning September 30. (Program Director: Arthur A. Spector, M.D.)
François M. Abboud, M.D. (Internal Medicine) was formally welcomed as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) by the Council of the Midwest Center of the AAAS at the Chicago Historical Society on November 1, 1997. The Academy, founded by John Adams during the American Revolution, honors achievement in science, scholarship, the arts, and public affairs.
Donald D. Heistad, M.D. (Internal Medicine) received the 1997 Novartis Award, given by the AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research, for his outstanding work in hypertension research. A special reception in honor of this event was held on Monday, November 24, 1997 in the Eckstein Medical Research Building atrium.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, for the fourth competitive renewal of the CFF Research and Development on the “Membrane Biology of Cystic Fibrosis”, awards $1,200,000 on July 1 for a five-year period ending June 30, 2002 (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
The second competitive renewal of the Program Project Grant on Cerebral Blood Vessels is funded by the NINDS. For this and subsequent renewals, Frank Faraci, Ph.D. became Principle Investigator of the overall Program.
1998
Michael J. Welsh, M.D. (Internal Medicine) was one of 146 persons elected this year to fellowship in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining a number of other distinguished University of Iowa faculty in this accomplishment.
NIH approved funding of $10.9 million for the fifth competitive renewal of the Program Project Grant, “Integrative Neurobiology of Cardiovascular Regulation,” has been awarded for a five-year period beginning January 1. (Program Director, François M. Abboud, M.D.)
The fourth five year competitive renewal of the Pediatric Cardiology Training Program, (HL 07413-16), under the direction of Dr. Ronald Lauer, has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective July 1, 1998. The grant received support for three postdoctoral positions per year for five years.
NIH approved funding of a $6.2 million new SCOR on Acute Lung Injury under the direction of Gary W. Hunninghake, M.D., has been received from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective September 30, 1998 for the period, September 30, 1998 – August 31, 2003.
Joint NIH/NIEHS and EPA approved funding of a $4.6 million new Center on the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Airway Disease in Children from Rural Communities under the direction of David A. Schwartz, M.D., M.P.H., has been received for the period, August 1, 1998 – July 31, 2003.
NIH has approved the second five-year competitive renewal of the SCOR on Gene Therapy in Cystic Fibrosis under the direction of Michael J. Welsh, M.D. $5.7 million has been awarded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, for the period, September 30, 1998 through August 31, 2003.
1999
NIH has approved the third five-year competitive renewal of the SCOR in Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease, directed by Ronald M. Lauer, M.D. $3.3 million has been awarded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for the period, January 1, 1999 – December 31, 2003.
François M. Abboud, M.D. (Internal Medicine) was chosen as a member of the review panel for the Donald W. Reynolds Clinical Cardiovascular Research Program.
Gerald F. DiBona, M.D. (Internal Medicine) was elected President-Elect of the American Physiological Society. He served a three-year term.
Two University of Iowa physician-researchers, Harold P. Adams, M.D. and Donald D. Heistad, M.D. received special recognition from the American Heart Association for their research on stroke and heart disease at the association’s 72nd Annual Scientific Sessions in Atlanta, GA, November 1999. Dr. Adams received the AHA Scientific Councils Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Heistad received the AHA Council on Circulation George E. Brown Memorial Lectureship, giving a talk titled “Gene Transfer to Blood Vessels: What’s the Buzz?”
François M. Abboud received the American Heart Association’s 1999 Research Achievement Award in recognition of his career-long accomplishment in cardiovascular science.
2000
Curt D. Sigmund received the Henry Pickering Bowditch Award from the American Physiology Society at Experimental Biology 2000 in San Diego, CA in April 2000.
Gerald F. DiBona was Incoming President, American Physiological Society, Experimental Biology 2000, San Diego, CA. April 14-18, 2000.
A new Program Project Grant on Vascular Mechanisms in Atherogenesis under the direction of Donald D. Heistad, M.D. has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective June 1, 2000 – May 31, 2005. The grant received $1,062,911 for the first year and a total of $5,669,066 for the five year grant period. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Biochemistry, and Radiation Research will collaborate.
The sixth five year competitive renewal of the Cardiovascular Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship, under the direction of François M. Abboud M.D. and Donald D. Heistad, M.D. has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective July 1, 2000. The grant provides support for fifteen postdoctoral positions per year. Over the past 25 years this grant has supported 319 fellowship positions. Two additional renewals in 2005 and 2011 provided funding of post-doctoral fellows until 2016.
The American Physiological Society and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute jointly sponsored the “Baroreceptor & Cardiopulmonary Receptor Reflexes” Conference in Iowa City, August 23-27, 2000. This conference brought more than 200 scientists to Iowa City. Numerous outstanding international speakers participated including many former Iowa fellows. This was the first conference focused on this topic since a similar conference was held in Oxford, England more than 20 years previously. The conference was a huge success. Mark Chapleau (Internal Medicine and Physiology & Biophysics) directed the program. Speakers from the University of Iowa included W. Talman (Neurology); A.K. Johnson (Psychology & Pharmacology); Drs. F. Abboud, C. Benson, M. Chapleau, DiBona, H. Drummond, Felder, A. Mark, M. Price, M. Welsh (Internal Medicine). The Proceedings of this conference were published later this year in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Joel N. Kline received the Central Society for Clinical Research’s Outstanding Investigator Award in September, 2000.
Mary J. C. Hendrix, Ph.D. was named to the Kate Daum Research Chair.
2001
The second five year competitive renewal of the SCOR – Molecular Genetics of Hypertension, under the direction of Curt Sigmund, Ph.D., has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective February 1, 2001 – January 31, 2006. The grant received $2,080,151 for the first year and a total of $10,748,622. Investigators from Anatomy & Cell Biology, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics in the College of Medicine, and Biostatistics in the College of Public Health will collaborate.
A new grant program, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Functional Genomics for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease, under the direction of Paul B. McCray, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, has been funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, effective March 1, 2001 – February 28, 2004. The grant received $500,000 for the first year and a total of $1,500,000. Investigators from Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Microbiology in the College of Medicine, and Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering will collaborate.
Michael J. Welsh was inducted into membership in the National Academy of Sciences in April 2001. Dr. Welsh is the first Biological Sciences and Medicine faculty elected to this distinguished academy from the University of Iowa.
The fourth five year competitive renewal of the Pulmonary Training Grant “Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Lung,” under the direction of Gary W. Hunninghake, M.D., has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective July 1, 2001 – June 30, 2006. The grant provides support for ten postdoctoral and six predoctoral fellows.
Hal B. Richerson (Internal Medicine) was recipient of the 2001 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, September 27, 2001.
François M. Abboud (Cardiovascular Center) was honored as the Third Annual Ebert Visiting Professor, giving a presentation titled “Syncope and Ion Channels” at the Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Arkansas College of Medicine, November 8, 2001.
Richard E. Kerber (Internal Medicine) received the American Heart Association Scientific Council’s Distinguished Achievement Award and presented at the AHA 74th Scientific Sessions, November 13, 2001.
Lewis E. January received the Laureate Award from the Iowa Chapter of the American College of Physicians—American Society of Internal medicine for his lifetime achievements in the field of medicine. Dr. January was president of the American Heart Association in 1966-1967.
Larry T. Mahoney was named President of the Society of Pediatric Cardiology Training Program Directors.
Robert Tomanek was appointed to the Editorial Board of American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulation.
2002
Robin L. Davisson (Anatomy and Cell Biology) was elected to APS Neural Control/Autonomic Regulation Steering Committee; she has also been honored with the American Society Hypertension/Monarch Pharmaceuticals Young Scholars Award, May 17, 2002; and the Harry Goldblatt Award in Cardiovascular Research, American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research (September 2002).
The third five year competitive renewal of the Program Project Grant on Cerebral Blood Vessels under the direction of Frank Faraci, Ph.D. has been funded by the NINDS effective June 1, 2002. The grant received $1,274,031 for the first year and a total of $6,756,286. Investigators from Anesthesia, Biochemistry, Internal Medicine, and Radiation Research will collaborate.
The second five year competitive renewal of the O’Brien Kidney Research Center under the direction of John B. Stokes, M.D., has been funded by the NIDDK, effective July 1, 2002. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Urology will collaborate. The grant provides research of $108,596/year for a five year total of $542,980 including support for postdoctoral fellows.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, for the fifth competitive renewal of the CFF Research and Development on the “Membrane Biology of Cystic Fibrosis”, awards $1,200,000 on July 1 for a three-year period ending June 30, 2005 (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
Ronald M. Lauer (Pediatrics) received the 2002 Braunwald Mentoring Award from the American Heart Associate and presented at the AHA Annual Meeting in November 2002.
Peter M. Snyder (Internal Medicine) has been named this year’s winner of the Gill Heart Institute’s Young Physician Scientist Award. Dr. Snyder will receive the award and deliver a presentation at the Gill Heart Institute’s Cardiovascular Research Day on November 1, 2202 in Lexington, KY.
François M. Abboud was honored on Friday, October 25, 2002 for his contributions to Medicine and to the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. The event, titled “Healing with Heart and Mind: A Celebration in Honor of François M. Abboud,” featured a two-hour medical symposium followed by a reception and the naming of the François M. Abboud Chair (to be held by future Heads) of Internal Medicine.
Abboud was also elected Officer of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences as Chair of Class II (Biological Sciences). He was named Associate Editor, “Physiology in Medicine” of the American Physiological Society, 2002-2005, and accepted an invitation to join the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas, Houston.
Douglas M. Behrendt (Surgery) was named to the Johann L. Ehrenhaft Professorship in Cardio-thoracic Surgery.
Kevin C. Dellsperger (Internal Medicine) was named Governor of Iowa for the American College of Cardiology.
Donald D. Heistad (Internal Medicine) has been awarded the prestigious research Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. This award has been given annually since 1953 in recognition of distinguished scientific achievement in the field of cardiovascular research.
Robert Wallace (Epidemiology) was recently elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine.
2003
The seventh competitive renewal of the Program Project Grant on the Integrative Neurobiology of Cardiovascular Regulation under the direction of François M. Abboud, M.D., has been funded by the NHLBI effective January 1, 2003. The grant received $2,167.530 for the first year and a total of $11,297,373. Investigators from Anatomy & Cell Biology, Physiology & Biophysics, Internal Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology in the Carver College of Medicine, Clinical Pharmacy in the College of Pharmacy and Psychology and Exercise Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will collaborate.
François M. Abboud was selected as the speaker for the Wallace M. Kirkendall Annual Memorial Lecture in Houston, TX on May 6, 2003. Dr. Abboud’s address was titled “Neurocardiovascular Dysregulation in Syncope and Heart Failure.”
Peter M. Snyder (Internal Medicine) will receive the Young Scholars Award from the American Society of Hypertension on May 16, 2003.
The second five year competitive renewal of the O’Brien Kidney Research Center under the direction of John B. Stokes, M.D., has been funded by the NIDDK, effective June 1, 2003. The grant received $1,022,787 for the first and a total of $5,113,935. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Urology will collaborate.
The fifth five year competitive renewal of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research and Development Program under the direction of Michael J. Welsh, M.D., has been funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, effective July 1, 2002. The grant received $400,000/year for a five year period. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Microbiology will collaborate.
The sixth competitive renewal of the Training Program in Hematology under the direction of C. Patrick Burns, M.D., has been funded by the NHLBI, effective July 1,2003. The grant supports 5 postdoctoral fellows per year over a five year period.
Allyn L. Mark (Internal Medicine) received the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Heart Association Council for high Blood Pressure Research in September 2003 at the Annual Meeting.
The fourth competitive renewal of the SCOR in Cystic Fibrosis under the direction of Michael J. Welsh, M.D., was submitted to the NHLBI in October, 2002 and funding received effective September 1, 2003. The grant received 1,684,015 for the first year and will receive a total of $8,951.369 over five years. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Anatomy & Cell Biology will collaborate.
Mark W. Chapleau (Internal Medicine) was appointed to Board of Directors, American Autonomic Society.
Donald D. Heistad (Internal Medicine) was named President, Association of University Cardiologists. Dr. Heistad will also continue as Editor-in-Chief of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology until 2007. William G. Haynes (Internal Medicine, Steven R. Lentz (Internal Medicine), Arthur A. Spector (Biochemistry) and Frank M. Faraci (Internal Medicine) serve as Associate Editors.
Francis Miller (Internal Medicine) was elected Secretary-Treasurer for the Midwestern Section of the American Federation of Medical Research.
Curt D. Sigmund (Internal Medicine) was appointed Member, United States Scientific Program Committee (USSPC) and the International Scientific Program Committee (ISPC) for the International Union of Physiological Sciences Meeting to be held in San Diego, CA in 2005, and Member, FASEB Program Committee (representing the American Physiological Society).
William T. Talman (Neurology) was nominated to run for Council of American Physiological society; named Associate Editor of Cellular and Molecular Neurology; and appointed to the Editorial Board of Hypertension.
2004
François M. Abboud received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American College of Cardiology.
Allyn Mark receives the William Harvey Distinguished Scientist Award of the American Society of Hypertension.
2005
Mark E. Anderson (Internal Medicine) was named the Potter-Lambert Chair in Cardiology and Division Director for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. He joined the Faculty of the Department of Internal Medicine on October 1, 2005.
Richard E. Kerber (Internal Medicine) gave the Laennec Society Lecture at the American Heart Association 78th Scientific Sessions, Dallas, TX, November 2005.
Donald D. Heistad (Internal Medicine) gave the George L. Duff Memorial Lecture, “Oxidant Stress in Health & Disease” at the American Heart Association 78th Scientific Sessions, Dallas, TX, November 2005.
François M. Abboud received the Excellence Award from the American College of Physicians, Iowa Chapter. Dr. Abboud also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
The seventh five year competitive renewal of the Cardiovascular Institutional Research Fellowship, under the direction of François M. Abboud M.D. and Donald D. Heistad, M.D. has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective July 1, 2005. The grant provides support for 13postdoctoral positions per year.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, for the sixth competitive renewal of the CFF Research and Development on the “Membrane Biology of Cystic Fibrosis”, awards $1,200,000 on July 1 for a three-year period ending June 30, 2007 (Principal Investigator: Michael J. Welsh, M.D.).
2006
Mark E. Anderson and Jack Stapleton (Internal Medicine) were elected to the Association of American Physicians in April 2006.
Joseph Zabner and William G. Haynes (Internal Medicine) were elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in April 2006.
The seventh five year competitive renewal of the Cardiovascular Institutional Research Fellowship, under the direction of François M. Abboud M.D. and Donald D. Heistad, M.D., has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective May 1, 2006. The grant received 776,175 for the first year and a total of $3,880,875. This grant supports fifteen postdoctoral positions per year.
The second five year competitive renewal of the Program Project on Oxidative Mechanisms in Vascular Disease, under the direction of Donald D. Heistad, M.D., has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective June 1, 2006. The grant received 1,236,109 for the first year and a total of $5,222,044. The grant supports 4 projects primarily within the Dept. of Internal Medicine.
The fifth five year competitive renewal of the Pulmonary Training Grant “Multidisciplinary Lung Research Career Development Program,” under the direction of Gary W. Hunninghake, M.D., has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective July 1, 2006. The grant received 842,803 for the first year and a total of $4,214,015. The grant provides support for ten postdoctoral and six predoctoral fellows.
François M. Abboud (Internal Medicine) was appointed chair of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Interest Group on Cardiovascular Disease/Vascular Biology. Dr. Abboud also received the Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Mentor Award for 2006.
Jeffrey C. Murray and Val C. Sheffield (Pediatrics) were elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences.
2007
The fifth competing renewal of the Program Project Grant under the direction of Frank Faraci, Ph.D. on Cerebral Blood Vessels was submitted to the National Institute for Neurological Disease & Stroke on June 1, 2006. This grant was subsequently funded for the period April 1, 2008-March 31, 2013 for a total of $5,951,785 over the five year period. Investigators from Internal Medicine and Pathology will collaborate.
A resubmission of the SCOR in Hypertension as a Program Project Grant under the direction of Curt Sigmund, Ph.D., “Genetics and Signaling Mechanisms in the Central Regulation of Blood Pressure,” was submitted to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and funded for a five year period, June 1, 2007 to May 31, 2012 at $10,095,370. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics & Gynecology will participate.
The third competing renewal of the Kidney, Cell Biology and Hypertension Training Grant under the direction of John B. Stokes, M.D., was submitted to the NIDDK on May 10, 2006. It was subsequently funded for the period July 1, 2007-June 30, 2012 for a total of $589,569 over the five year period. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics & Gynecology will participate.
The sixth five year competitive renewal of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research and Development Program under the direction of Michael J. Welsh, M.D., was awarded effective July 2, 2007. This grant was funded for a four year period, July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2011 with a total of $2,000,000 expected. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Microbiology will collaborate.
The eighth competing renewal of the Program Project Grant, “Integrative Neurobiology of Cardiovascular Regulation,” was submitted October 25, 2007 under the direction of François M. Abboud, M.D. and subsequently funded on July 1, 2008 for a five year period ending June 30, 2013. Total funding was $11,121,750. Faculty from Internal Medicine, Exercise Physiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychology will participate.
François M. Abboud was named an American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist for 2007. Dr. Abboud was also elected President of the American Clinical and Climatological Association.
Donald D. Heistad received the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Heart Association Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology
Gary W. Hunninghake was the recipient of the 2007 University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Mentor’s Award.
Allyn L. Mark was the recipient of the 2007 University of Iowa College of Medicine Distinguished achievement Award.
Peter J. Mohler is named a Pew Scholar (2007-2011).
Thomas Scholz is a Council Member Representing Cardiology, Society of Pediatric Research for 2007-2010.
Curt D. Sigmund was the recipient of the 2007 Arthur C. Corcoran Memorial Lecture Award of the Council of High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association.
2008
A new Program Project Grant, “Sinus Rhythm in Health and Disease,” was submitted in May 2008 under the direction of Mark E. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. The fourth competitive renewal of the Program Project Grant on Cerebral Blood Vessels under the direction of Frank Faraci, Ph.D. has been funded for 5 years and a total budget of $5,941,785. Investigators from Internal Medicine will collaborate with Investigators at Washington University, St. Louis.
A Program Project Grant on Airway Physiology and Pathophysiology in a Porcine CV Model was submitted to the NHLBI on May 25, 2007 under the direction of Dr. Michael Welsh to replace the existing SCOR in Cystic Fibrosis. This grant was subsequently funded for a five year period, August 1, 2008-July 31, 2013 for a total of $11,450,135. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Pathology, Radiology and Microbiology will participate.
A program grant from the SPAR, “Calmodulin Kinase II Signaling in Asthma” was submitted and received in 2008. The funding period is July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2011. This program is under the direction of Mark E. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. and involves six investigators from Internal Medicine.
A consortium grant, “Alliance for Calmodulin Kinase II Signaling in Heart Disease,” was submitted and funded in 2008 by the Leducq Fondation, Paris, France under the direction of Mark E. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. This grant involves several investigators from Internal Medicine as well as from several sites in the US and Europe, including Mayo Clinic, UC Davis, Washington University, Case Western Reserve University, Metro Health Medical Center, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Baylor University, University of Pavia, Italy, University of Utrecht, KUL, and Georg-August-University Göttingen.
Gerald F. DiBona received the Robert W. Berlinger Award for Excellence in Renal Physiology from the Renal Section of the American Physiological Society, 2008
Thomas Scholz is an Ad Hoc Member, Pregnancy and Neonatology Study Section, National Institutes of Health, 2008.
Curt D. Sigmund was named to the Roy J. Carver Chair in Hypertension Research for a 5-year period, beginning in 2008. This endowed chair was established through gifts to the UI Foundation by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, Iowa.
2009
The fifth five-year competitive renewal of the Program in Hematology: Molecular & Cell biology of Blood Cells Research Fellowship, under the direction of Steven Lentz, M.D., Ph.D. was submitted to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on January 25, 2008. It was subsequently funded on September 1, 2009. This grant supports five postdoctoral positions per year.
Peter J. Mohler is a newly appointed member of the NIH Electrical Signaling, Ion Transport and Arrhythmia Study Section (ESTA) for the term, July 1, 2009- June 30, 2013; he is also a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences.
François M. Abboud was the Kober Medalist of the Association of American Physicians and the Cannon Lecture of the American Physiological Society in 2009; was appointed to serve on an advisory panel of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to study the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space in 2009-2010. Dr. Abboud is Editor Emeritus of Circulation Research.
Mark E. Anderson was elected as a Councilor (2009-2015) of the International Society of Heart Research—North American Section; became a member, Heart Rhythm Society Research Task Force.
He was appointed Head of the Department of Internal medicine and named the François M. Abboud Chair in Medicine in August 2009.
Richard Kerber was appointed Interim Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases.
Kevin Campbell, Val Sheffield, and Michael Welsh all received a competing renewal of their support as Howard Hughes Medical Investigators.
Kevin Campbell received the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology.
Mark W. Chapleau was elected to a three-year term as President of the American Autonomic Society (AAS) in 2009.
Gerald F. DiBona received the Distinguished Achievement Award of the Department of Internal Medicine 2009.
Thomas Scholz is Chair for the Richard D. Rowe Award in Perinatal Cardiology Review Committee, 2009.
Curt D. Sigmund was the recipient of the 2009 Novartis Award for Hypertension Research from the American Heart association Council for High Blood Pressure Research.
2010
Dr. Sigmund named Head of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa.
Frank M. Faraci, Ph.D. receives the Robert M. Berne Distinguished Lectureship Award from the Cardiovascular Section of the American Physiological Society.
2011
François M Abboud is named a member of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) Cardiovascular Alternations Panel Chair, 2011-2012 and NIH Reviewer for 2011 NIH Director’s New Innovator Applications.
Allyn Mark founded and co-directs the UI Obesity Research and Education Initiative with Charles Brenner.
The eighth five year competitive renewal of the Cardiovascular Institutional Research Fellowship, under the direction of François M. Abboud M.D. and Donald D. Heistad, M.D. has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective May 1, 2011. The grant provides support for 13 postdoctoral positions per year.
This funding will bring the total number of postdoctoral fellows supported since the beginning of the training grant in 1975 until the year 2016 to a total of 552 trainees.
The seventh competitive renewal of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research and Development Program under the direction of Michael J. Welsh, M.D., was awarded effective July 2, 2011. This grant was funded for a four year period, July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015 with a total of $2,000,000 expected. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Microbiology will collaborate.
The third five year competitive renewal of the Program Project on Oxidative Mechanisms in Vascular Disease, under the direction of Donald D. Heistad, M.D., has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, effective May 1, 2011. The grant received a total of $7,390,440. The grant supports three projects primarily within the Dept. of Internal Medicine.
2012
Barry London, M.D., Ph.D., recruited from the University of Pittsburgh was appointed as Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine in February. Richard Kerber, M.D., the Interim Director of the Division, received the Chairman’s Appreciation Award of the Department of Internal Medicine.
Mark E. Anderson is named the Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center and Barry London is named the Co-Director. François M. Abboud has been named the Founding Director from 1974 until 2012.
Program Project Grant under the direction of Curt Sigmund, Ph.D., “Genetics and Signaling Mechanisms in the Central Regulation of Blood Pressure,” was renewed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on June 1, 2013. This grant was funded for a five year period. Investigators from Pharmacology, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics will participate.
Frank M. Faraci, Ph.D. is a Network member for a new Transatlantic Network on Small Vessel Disease and Brain funded by the Leducq Fondation in Paris.
2013
The ninth competing renewal of the Program Project Grant, “Integrative Neurobiology of Cardiovascular Regulation,” was submitted May 25, 2013 under
the direction of François M. Abboud, M.D. This program was subsequently funded July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2019. Faculty from Internal Medicine, Pharmacology, Exercise Physiology, Psychology and Psychiatry will participate.
The competing renewal of the Program Project Grant on Airway Physiology and Pathophysiology in a Porcine CV Model was submitted May 25, 2013, under the Director of Dr. Michael Welsh. Investigators from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Pathology, Radiology and Microbiology will participate. This Program was approved for renewed 5-year funding in October 2013.
Appointment of a Board of Directors of the CVC consisting of corporate leaders with interest in cardiovascular therapeutics and diagnostics: Chair: Howard C. Dittrich, M.D.; David C. Stump, M.D., Shlomo Ben-Haim, M.D., Natalie A. Pons, Michael Mahoney, Steve Warnecke.
In October 2013, the “First International Symposium” of the Center was held to:1) reaffirm our multi-disciplinary research emphasis; 2) inaugurate the establishment of the international alliance with the University of Heidelberg and the University of Peking; and 3) launch an initiative in commercialization of discoveries.
Appointment of several new members to the Executive Committee of the CVC.
Allyn Mark named the 13th recipient of the CCOM Distinguished Mentor Award.
On December 4, 2013, the Board of Regents of the University of Iowa approved the new honorific naming of the Cardiovascular Research Center to be known henceforth and for perpetuity as the François M. Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center.
2014
January 15th was the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the François M. Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center under Dr. Abboud in 1974 as designated by Dean John Eckstein.
Dr. Peter Gruber, M.D., Ph.D., recruited from the University of Utah was appointed Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery.
Richard Kerber, M.D., received the Ernest O. Theilen Clinical Teaching and Service Award.
Mark. E. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., moved to Johns Hopkins University Medical School as Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Gary Rosenthal was appointed as Interim Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine.
Curt D. Sigmund, Ph.D., is appointed Director of a newly established Center for Hypertension Research.
Peter Gruber and Barry London are appointed as Co-Directors of the François M. Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center.
On October 9-10, the “Second Cardiovascular Symposium” was held to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Center and the dedication ceremony of its naming “The François M. Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center. The event included: Research presentations, poster sessions, dedication ceremony at President Mason’s home, followed by a festive dinner at the home of François and Doris Abboud, and a banquet at the Sheraton.