April Carson

Last updated
April Carson
Alma mater University of Georgia
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Scientific career
FieldsCardiovascular epidemiologist
Institutions University of Alabama at Birmingham
Doctoral advisor Gerardo Heiss

April Perry Carson is an American epidemiologist. She is an associate professor of epidemiology and associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. [1] Carson is director of the Jackson Heart Study. [1]

Contents

Education

Carson completed a B.S. in microbiology at University of Georgia. She earned a M.S.P.H. and Ph.D. in epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. [1] Carson was a postdoctoral researcher in cardiovascular disease epidemiology at UNC. [2] Her 2005 dissertation was titled Individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status across the life course and subclinical atherosclerosis. [3] Carson's doctoral advisor was Gerardo Heiss  [ Wikidata ]. [4]

Career

Carson is an associate professor of epidemiology and associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health. [1] On September 20, 2021, she succeeded Adolfo Correa as director of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). JHS is the United States' largest and longest-running longitudinal study of cardiovascular health in African Americans. [5] [6]

Carson has a history of studying the disproportionate effects of disease in African Americans. [7] As an epidemiologist at UAB, she has worked to identify and address the root causes of disparities associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. [3] She participates in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, [8] which looks at the factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease over adulthood in African Americans and non-Hispanic white Americans. [9] Carson served as a member of the study’s Publications and Presentations Committee and Laboratory Committee. She also served as chair of its New Investigators’ Committee, where she guided study operations, provided scientific expertise, and played a pivotal role in integrating early career scientists into the study. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atherosclerosis</span> Form of arteriosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis in which the wall of the artery develops abnormalities, called lesions. These lesions may lead to narrowing due to the buildup of atheromatous plaque. At onset there are usually no symptoms, but if they develop, symptoms generally begin around middle age. When severe, it can result in coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, or kidney problems, depending on which arteries are affected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiovascular disease</span> Class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases, stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, abnormal heart rhythms, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framingham Heart Study</span> Cardiovascular cohort study

The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular cohort study of residents of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of participants. Prior to the study almost nothing was known about the epidemiology of hypertensive or arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Much of the now-common knowledge concerning heart disease, such as the effects of diet, exercise, and common medications such as aspirin, is based on this longitudinal study. It is a project of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in collaboration with Boston University. Various health professionals from the hospitals and universities of Greater Boston staff the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Ridker</span> Cardiovascular epidemiologist and biomedical researcher

Paul M. Ridker is a cardiovascular epidemiologist and biomedical researcher. He is currently the Eugene Braunwald Professor of Medicine at Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he directs the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. Ridker also holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The lipid hypothesis is a medical theory postulating a link between blood cholesterol levels and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. A summary from 1976 described it as: "measures used to lower the plasma lipids in patients with hyperlipidemia will lead to reductions in new events of coronary heart disease". It states, more concisely, that "decreasing blood cholesterol [...] significantly reduces coronary heart disease".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intima–media thickness</span>

Intima–media thickness (IMT), also called intimal medial thickness, is a measurement of the thickness of tunica intima and tunica media, the innermost two layers of the wall of an artery. The measurement is usually made by external ultrasound and occasionally by internal, invasive ultrasound catheters. Measurements of the total wall thickness of blood vessels can also be done using other imaging modalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentín Fuster</span> Spanish cardiologist

Valentín Fuster Carulla, 1st Marquess of Fuster is a Spanish cardiologist and aristocrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myocardial infarction</span> Interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart

A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck or jaw. Often it occurs in the center or left side of the chest and lasts for more than a few minutes. The discomfort may occasionally feel like heartburn. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, nausea, feeling faint, a cold sweat or feeling tired. About 30% of people have atypical symptoms. Women more often present without chest pain and instead have neck pain, arm pain or feel tired. Among those over 75 years old, about 5% have had an MI with little or no history of symptoms. An MI may cause heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George W. Comstock</span>

George Wills Comstock was a public health physician, epidemiologist, and educator. He was known for significant contributions to public health, specifically in the fields of micronutrient deficiencies, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular disease. He served as the editor-in-chief for the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Anne B. Newman M.D., M.P.H, is a scientist who researches Epidemiology and Gerontology. She received her Bachelor's, Master's and M.D. degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Newman's primary focus of study is on atherosclerosis, longevity and what specific factors allow for people to thrive while aging. She is well-versed in the subjects of cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, and the body's physical and mental functions. Born in Pennsylvania, the American research scientist focuses on Geriatrics, Gerontology and Epidemiology. She was the first scholar to be awarded the Katherine M. Detre Endowed Chair of Population Health Science at the University of Pittsburgh. She is widely published and has been listed on the annual ISI Web of Knowledge most highly cited scientists for 2015, as published by Thomson Reuters. Newman is a member of the Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health and the American Epidemiology Society. Dr. Newman's highest qualifications are in geriatric medicine and her certification is through the American Board of Internal Medicine. Newman lives in Point Breeze Pennsylvania with her husband, Frank Kirkwood. She is a mother of three to Dan, Joe, and Bridget.

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis is an ongoing medical study which aims to investigate the characteristics of subclinical atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, and to determine risk factors for its progression to the clinically overt form of these diseases. Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, MESA was begun in July 2000, and it follows a population-based sample of 6,814 American men and women aged 45 to 84, recruited from six field centers. The diverse sample consists of 38% White subjects, 28% African American, 22% Hispanic, and 12% Asian. Over 1,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published based on MESA and its 145 independent ancillary studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Barrett-Connor</span>

Elizabeth Louise Barrett-Connor was Chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego. She investigated the role of hormones in pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin D. Michos</span> American cardiologist and researcher

Erin Kathleen Donnelly Michos is an American cardiologist. She is an associate professor of Medicine and Director of Women's Cardiovascular Health at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Michos is also an Associate Faculty of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins, and has a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Wendy Susan Post is an American cardiologist. She is the Director of Cardiovascular Research for the Division of Cardiology and Director of Research for the Hopkins Cardiovascular Fellowship Training Program.

Ioanna Tzoulaki is a professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London. She investigates prognostic risk factors and models for chronic diseases and meta-epidemiology. In 2019 she received a Greek L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuilin Zhang</span> Chinese epidemiologist and physician-scientist

Cuilin Zhang is a Chinese-American epidemiologist and physician-scientist researching the roles of genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and obesity and health consequences of these complications. Zhang is a senior investigator and acting chief of the epidemiology branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Donna K. Arnett is an American epidemiologist, clinical research nurse, and higher education administrator. After having a stroke at the age of 27, she began focusing her research on epidemiology. In 2019, Arnett was named a World Expert in Hypertension by Expertscape after being in the top 0.8 percent of scholars who publish about hypertension over the previous ten years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Coresh</span> American epidemiologist

Josef Coresh is an American epidemiologist. He is the inaugural George W. Comstock Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. Coresh serves as the director of both the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Training Program and the George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Jackson (epidemiologist)</span> New Zealand scientist (born 1954)

Rodney Thornton Jackson is a New Zealand medically trained epidemiologist who has had lead roles in publicly funded research focussing on systems to effectively identify risk factors in the epidemiology of chronic diseases, in particular cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This involved linking large cohort studies to regional and national electronic health databases and enabling the generation of new risk-prevention equations using web-based tools, such as the PREDICT model, to implement, monitor and improve risk assessment and management guidelines. Research on asthma in which Jackson participated influenced decisions made by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and he has contributed to public debate on dietary risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. Following an evidence-based approach to identification of disparities in medical outcomes for different groups within the New Zealand population, Jackson took a position on racism in the medical sector. In 2020, he became a frequent commentator in the media on the approach of the New Zealand government to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1999, Jackson has been professor of epidemiology at the University of Auckland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shih-Jen Hwang</span> Taiwanese-American biostatistician and epidemiologist

Shih-Jen Hwang is a Taiwanese-American biostatistician and epidemiologist. She is a staff scientist in the Laboratory for Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Genomics at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She is an investigator on the Framingham Heart Study.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "SOPH Associate Dean for DEI, Dr. April Carson, to begin role as Director of the Jackson Heart Study - School of Public Health | UAB". www.uab.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  2. "April Carson, PhD MSPH - School of Medicine - Comprehensive Diabetes Center | UAB". www.uab.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  3. 1 2 Carson, April P.; Rose, Kathryn M.; Catellier, Diane J.; Kaufman, Jay S.; Wyatt, Sharon B.; Diez–Roux, Ana V.; Heiss, Gerardo (April 2007). "Cumulative Socioeconomic Status Across the Life Course and Subclinical Atherosclerosis". Annals of Epidemiology. 17 (4): 296–303. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2006.07.009. PMID   17027292.
  4. Carson, April Perry (2005). Individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status across the life course and subclinical atherosclerosis (Ph.D. thesis). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. OCLC   80721608.
  5. 1 2 "NHLBI announces new director of the Jackson Heart Study". National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. September 16, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-05.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  6. Cooney, Elizabeth (2021-10-05). "New Jackson Heart Study leader commits to putting research into action". STAT. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  7. Churchwell, Keith; Elkind, Mitchell S.V.; Benjamin, Regina M.; Carson, April P.; Chang, Edward K.; Lawrence, Willie; Mills, Andrew; Odom, Tanya M.; Rodriguez, Carlos J.; Rodriguez, Fatima; Sanchez, Eduardo (2020-12-15). "Call to Action: Structural Racism as a Fundamental Driver of Health Disparities: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association". Circulation. 142 (24): e454–e468. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000936 . PMID   33170755. S2CID   226303921.
  8. Muntner, Paul; Lewis, Cora E.; Diaz, Keith M.; Carson, April P.; Kim, Yongin; Calhoun, David; Yano, Yuichiro; Viera, Anthony J.; Shimbo, Daichi (2015-05-01). "Racial Differences in Abnormal Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Measures: Results From the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study". American Journal of Hypertension. 28 (5): 640–648. doi:10.1093/ajh/hpu193. ISSN   0895-7061. PMC   4415060 . PMID   25376639.
  9. Carson, Peter; Tam, S. William; Ghali, Jalal K.; Archambault, W. Tad; Taylor, Anne; Cohn, Jay N.; Braman, Virginia M.; Worcel, Manuel; Anand, Inder S. (2009-12-01). "Relationship of Quality of Life Scores With Baseline Characteristics and Outcomes in the African-American Heart Failure Trial". Journal of Cardiac Failure. 15 (10): 835–842. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2009.05.016. ISSN   1071-9164. PMID   19944359.
PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Institutes of Health.