# 31st Annual Vascular Biology and Hypertension Symposium

> **NIH NIH R13** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $25,000

## Abstract

The ultimate goal of the 31st Annual Vascular Biology and Hypertension (VB&H) Symposium, to be held
on campus at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, June
18, 2020 – Friday, June 19, 2020 is to disseminate knowledge used to reduce morbidity and mortality
resulting from hypertension (HTN) and related diseases and to improve the quality of life for patients.
Hypertension (HTN) is the most prevalent modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United
States (US) and worldwide (1). To control HTN in the US, implementation of strategies to detect and manage
HTN and related comorbidities are critical. A particularly hot current topic, in the wake of the AHA Scientific
Statement on Measurement of Blood Pressure in Humans (2), chaired by Paul Muntner (Symposium Co-
Director), is blood pressure (BP) measurement. The 2020 VB&H Symposium will feature a Blood Pressure
Measurement Workshop (Day 1, June 18) that will provide a Hands-on Skills Building Sessions on how to
measure in-office, home and ambulatory BP accurately and educate attendees on contemporary techniques of
implantable telemetry in animal models of HTN and how they inform development of treatments for human HTN.
In depth discussions of how to implement state-of-the-art treatment strategies to improve BP control in diverse
settings will follow the morning Skills Building Sessions and Networking Luncheon. The overall goal of Day 2
(June 19) is to review evidence on the molecular mechanisms of HTN and its comorbidities and link these with
novel treatments. Day 2 will include morning and afternoon sessions led by leaders in their field that will: 1) assess
the role of immune mechanisms and altered diurnal rhythms in the pathogenesis of HTN and its CVD outcomes;
2) review novel mechanisms linking HTN and its treatment and systemic cholesterol levels with cognitive
dysfunction and dementia; and 3) examine the pathogenesis of HTN and CVD in the setting of HIV. The format
of the 2020 VB&H Symposium will facilitate interaction of a national audience of senior HTN scientists and
clinicians and other healthcare providers with early stage investigators (ESIs), basic, clinical and translational
researchers and trainees on all levels (undergraduate and graduate students, medical residents and postdoctoral
fellows in basic, clinical and population science) from diverse backgrounds. It will feature 23 Participating
Symposium Faculty (13 external, 10 internal, 3 session chairs), with participation from these speakers and
engaged UAB faculty in the BP Measurement Workshop. The 2020 VB&H Symposium is highly significant
because it will introduce cutting-edge multidisciplinary science on HTN and CVD to a diverse audience
of national healthcare providers, scientists and trainees. This shared knowledge will be readily
translatable to improving HTN detection and management and in preventing CVD in this underserved
region of the US as well as across the US.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9992909
- **Project number:** 1R13HL152517-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Suzanne Oparil
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $25,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9992909

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9992909, 31st Annual Vascular Biology and Hypertension Symposium (1R13HL152517-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9992909. Licensed CC0.

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