Nathan O. Stitziel, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and of genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected to the Association of University Cardiologists. Members are elected by their peers, with active membership limited to 135 academic cardiologists across the U.S.Stitziel — who also serves as the director of Translational Cardiovascular Genetics at the Center for Cardiovascular Research in the Department of Medicine’s Cardiovascular Division — will be inducted as a new member at the organization’s annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. in January 2025.
According to the association, the group is focused on education and includes leaders in the field of cardiology who shape the course of research and training in cardiovascular disease across the country.Stitziel’s research is focused on understanding the inherited basis of cardiovascular disease. He has identified several inherited genetic variations that increase or decrease the risk of atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. Such genes could serve as targets for future treatments or prevention strategies for cardiovascular disease.