NHLBI Director Calls for Bold Research Ideas to Address Challenging Conditions and Health Inequities

From population health to genetics to molecular studies, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers can help the nation address challenging health conditions and overcome health inequities, according to Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health.

“We need bold new ideas at every level,” said Dr. Gibbons, who delivered a talk on “Seizing Unprecedented Opportunities in Discovery Science” on December 12 as part of Dean Henri R. Ford’s Distinguished Lecture Series. More than 100 Miller school faculty, fellows, residents and students packed the Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education to hear Dr. Gibbons discuss the NHLBI’s scientific research and academic career development programs.

“Dr. Gibbons has been recognized for his pioneering work in cardiovascular disease, and has received many honors for his research and leadership,” said Dr. Ford, dean and chief academic officer, in welcoming him to the Miller School. “In addition to overseeing a research portfolio of more than $3 billion, Dr. Gibbons serves as a mentor and sponsor, creating career paths for others, and is a source of inspiration for me.”

Creating career opportunities

Dr. Gibbons presented an overview of the NHLBI’s varied research programs, and emphasized the opportunities for early-career and junior faculty. He noted that NHLBI gives first-time grant applicants an advantage in their proposals. “We want you to come with your bold ideas,” he said. “Our door is open for you.”

Dr. Gibbons also encouraged women and minority researchers to apply for federal grants. “We want to expand the sense of inclusion and create more opportunities for diversity at an early stage in careers,” he said. “We want you to be part of the biomedical workforce of the future.”

Overall, the NHLBI has 16 programs to support academic career development from residency through fellowship and junior faculty to senior leadership. “Our mission is discovery science that enhances human health,” he said. “We want to nurture the next generation of researchers, support implementation science, enable our partners and eliminate health inequities.”

Addressing cardiovascular, lung and blood diseases

As a longtime cardiovascular researcher, Dr. Gibbons said he is concerned about geographic disparities in heart disease. After a long decline, cardiovascular-related deaths have begun to increase in many parts of the country, particularly among Native Americans, African-Americans and women in rural communities.

Noting that a healthy diet can lower blood pressure with clear clinical benefits, Dr. Gibbons said research is needed on the digestive microbiome, which affects immune system activation and the potential for vascular disease. “We see a potential convergence of research at the social and the micro levels,” he added.

Other NHLBI initiatives support research into lung and blood diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “We need to gain a deep molecular understanding, so we can identify biomarkers, determine inflammatory profiles and find drugs that go after those targets,” Dr. Gibbons said.

Another priority is finding a cure for sickle cell disease, he said. “We hope to be able to reprogram the genetic code in the next five years. That could save the lives of millions of children born with sickle cell disease around the world.”

Investing in data infrastructure

 Dr. Gibbons noted that the NHLBI is making an investment in its cloud-based data collection infrastructure, creating opportunities for population, organ, cell and molecular studies. He added that the institute wants to take advantage of the flood of health information captured by today’s smartphones. “Instead of an annual visit to your primary physician, why not harness that information coming in on a 24/7 basis?”

When combined with genetic information from large-scale national studies, individual health data could help physicians monitor and treat cardiovascular disease. “Your phone could pick up an arrhythmia, upload the information to an AI solution, which could determine the severity, and place a call to the doctor, if necessary,” Dr. Gibbons said. “It’s much better than rushing a patient to the ER with a stroke.”

Before joining the NHLBI, Dr. Gibbons served as the founding director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute, chair of the Department of Physiology, and professor of physiology and medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Dr. Gibbons has received numerous honors, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences; a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Minority Faculty Development Awardee; a Pew Foundation Biomedical Scholar; and recognition as an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association.

Tags: Dean Henri Ford, Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series, Dr. Gary Gibbons, NHLBI