Harrison joins Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
David Harrison, M.D., will join the Vanderbilt faculty as the Betty and Jack Bailey Professor of Medicine and the director of the Center for Vascular Biology in the Department of Medicine effective Jan. 1, 2011. Harrison will be a member of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine with an affiliation with Clinical Pharmacology.
David Harrison, M.D.
A graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, Harrison received his Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at Duke University.
He completed a research fellowship at the University of Iowa Cardiovascular Center before joining the faculty there. In 1990, Harrison moved to Emory University, where he currently directs the Division of Cardiology.
“David is one of the most innovative scientists I know. His presence here will catalyze much exciting research and jumpstart our young cardiovascular investigators,” said Nancy Brown, M.D., incoming chair of the Department of Medicine.
Harrison's career has been devoted to basic research related to vascular function, the practice of cardiology and the education of young physicians.
An expert on hypertension, Harrison and colleagues were among the first to show that lowering dietary cholesterol intake improves vascular endothelial function. His recent work focuses on how the adaptive immune system contributes to experimental hypertension.
Harrison has served as the chairman of the American Heart Association (AHA) Circulation Council and the Council on Basic Science and has chaired the NIH Experimental Cardiovascular Sciences study section. He is a past president of the Association of University Cardiologists and a member of the Association of American Physicians. He has served on numerous editorial boards and received numerous recognitions for his research.
In 2004, Harrison received the Novartis Award from the American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure, which is the highest award given for hypertension research.
“We are incredibly excited to have Dr. Harrison join us at Vanderbilt. His expertise in vascular biology will enhance the research program across many departments, and his leadership and mentoring experience will add tremendously to our efforts to continuously improve our academic and clinical programs,” said Doug Sawyer, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.