Education

M.D., 1965, New York University
B.A., 1961, Grinnell College

Relevant Publications

Yang G, Meguro T, Hong C, Asai K, Takagi G, Karoor VL, Sadoshima J, Vatner DE, Bishop SP, Vatner SF. Cyclosporine reduces left ventricular mass with chronic aortic banding in mice, which could be due to apoptosis and fibrosis. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2001 Aug;33(8):1505-14. PubMed Citation

Kim SJ, Kim YK, Takagi G, Huang CH, Geng YJ, Vatner SF. Enhanced iNOS function in myocytes one day after brief ischemic episode. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2002 Feb;282(2):H423-8. PubMed Citation

Lewandowski ED, Kudej RK, White LT, O'Donnell JM, Vatner SF. Mitochondrial preference for short chain fatty acid oxidation during coronary artery constriction. Circulation. 2002 Jan 22;105(3):367-72. PubMed Citation

Kim YK, Kim SJ, Kramer CM, Yatani A, Takagi G, Mankad S, Szigeti GP, Singh D, Bishop SP, Shannon RP, Vatner DE, Vatner SF. Altered excitation-contraction coupling in myocytes from remodeled myocardium after chronic myocardial infarction. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2002 Jan;34(1):63-73. PubMed Citation

Hardt SE, Geng YJ, Montagne O, Asai K, Hong C, Yang GP, Bishop SP, Kim SJ, Vatner DE, Seidman CE, Seidman JG, Homcy CJ, Vatner SF. Accelerated cardiomyopathy in mice with overexpression of cardiac G(s)alpha and a missense mutation in the alpha-myosin heavy chain. Circulation. 2002 Feb 5;105(5):614-20. PubMed Citation

Areas Of Interest

Stem cells

MECHANISMS OF CARDIOVASCULAR CONTROL
Dr. Vatner's research aims are directed at expanding the knowledge of mechanisms of cardiovascular control in normal and disease states; these discoveries have led to innovative new approaches to the treatment of heart and blood vessel diseases. He has made important contributions to the understanding of cardiovascular mechanisms at the molecular level, including those regulating adrenergic neural control, exercise and inotropic state. As an integrative physiologist, he has been a pioneer in delineating how normal physiologic controls that go astray can contribute to the pathogenes in myocardial ischemia, heart failure and reperfusion injury.
In 1975, Dr. Vatner and his colleagues published studies describing a new concept in the control of ischemic heart, myocardial stunning. This seminal work opened the way to the now-accepted concepts of myocardial hibernation, reperfusion injury, cardiac protection and pre-conditioning. When coronary vasospasm was receiving renewed attention, his research provided insights into coronary artery diameter control. More recently, Dr. Vatner has used transgenic animals to identify altered cardiovascular control mechanisms and receptor coupling in the disease process of hear failure. His findings are documented in more than 350 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
In addition to his research, Dr. Vatner has also made significant contributions to the academic and scientific communities and the area of public service. He has trained more than 90 postdoctoral research fellows (since 1972), including more than 20 who now hold full professorships. From 1991 to 1999, he was editor-in-chief of the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research.