Our Mission
The mission of the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center is to support interdisciplinary research in basic, translational and clinical cardiovascular sciences, including cardiovascular development, function, pathophysiology, pharmacology, genetics, genomics, and proteomics, and to apply this knowledge to better understand the causes of cardiovascular diseases and to pioneer development of new innovative therapies and approaches to prevent or treat them.
Goals and Objectives
- To support basic, translational, and clinical research that can be translated into therapies and improve patient care
- To provide resources that enhance research in cardiovascular related diseases
- To disseminate knowledge by lectures, seminars and other educational opportunities
- To support training of pre- and postgraduate students, residents and fellows in the cardiovascular sciences and cardiovascular medicine
- To help integrate cardiovascular research across labs, departments, and schools at UVA as well as with outside institutions including facilitating collaborative studies
- To assist CVRC investigators in developing a plan for translating research findings into products or procedures that benefit patients including providing advice on protecting intellectual property, establishing biotech startup companies, and licensing technology to companies

Dr. Hal Dietz Gave a Fascinating Berne Lecture
Thank you to Dr. Hal Dietz for a great Berne Lecture! Title: Leveraging Nature’s Success: Lessons from Modifiers of Marfan Syndrome and Related Aneurysm Conditions Topic: Dysregulation of TGFβ signaling has been implicated in many disease states including Marfan syndrome … Read More

Sonkusare lab discovery of new mechanisms for blood pressure regulation in the news!
School of Medicine researchers have identified a key contributor to high blood pressure that could lead to new treatments for a condition which affects almost half of American adults. The discovery from UVA’s Swapnil Sonkusare, PhD, and colleagues breaks new … Read More

Professor Ken Walsh, Md, PhD, Studies Male Lifespan
Cardiovascular Medicine Professor Kenneth Walsh, MD, PhD, and his team used cutting-edge CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop a special mouse model to better understand the effects of Y chromosome loss in the blood. They found that the loss accelerated age-related … Read More

Dr. Sonkusare Is Awarded the Mid-Career Award In Cardiovascular Pharmacology By The American Society For Pharmacology And Experimental Therapeutics
The ASPET Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology is pleased to award Dr. Swapnil Sonkusare from the University of Virginia the inaugural 2022 Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology Mid-Career Award. This award recognizes and honors mid-career stage, independent investigators working in cardiovascular science. … Read More

Dr. Yen-Lin Chen Wins American Physiological Society Cardiovascular Section Postdoctoral Scientist Award
Dr. Yen-Lin Chen wins American Physiological Society Cardiovascular Section Postdoctoral Scientist Award. Congratulations!!

Dr. Zdravka Daneva Wins American Society for Pharmacology And Experimental Therapeutics Cardiovascular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist Award
Dr. Zdravka Daneva wins American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Cardiovascular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist Award. Congratulations!!
Career Development – Difficult Conversations & conflict Resolution
Dr. Megan McGroddy & Ms. Margaret “Jane” Jackson Senior Scientist, Science Systems and Applications Inc, Lanham MD Software Developer, Welldhealth, Charlottesville VA
Find out more »Elena Goncharova, PhD, ATSF
Hosted by: Swapnil Sonkusare, PhD The two faces of HIPPO: targeting the HIPPO pathway in pulmonary arterial hypertension Growth suppressor HIPPO plays a central role in regulating cell fate and proliferation and controlling organ growth and regeneration. Recent studies from … Read More
Find out more »Career Development – Negotiation & Self Advocacy
Dr. Gloria Sheynkman Assistant Professor Molecular Physiology & Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville Va.
Find out more »Gael Genet, PhD
Endothelial Cell Cycle Control in Vascular Malformations: Therapeutics Implications in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia The hypothesis of our work is that improper cell cycle control in endothelial cells is a key factor leading to vascular malformations and that drugs regulating cell … Read More
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