Pulmonary vascular disease is a relatively neglected area of vascular medicine despite the fact that pulmonary thromboembolic disease alone affects over 500,000 people a year in the United States and accounts for over 50,000 deaths. Pulmonary hypertension secondary to common problems such as COPD and interstitial fibrosis also affects large numbers of patients, yet little is known about its causes or appropriate management. The large number of specialties dealing with these diseases has, in part, led to a lack of focus on the overall problem of pulmonary vascular disease. Thus, a need exists to highlight these diverse diseases in order to improve education at multiple levels, to foster improved patient care, and to encourage research. This proposal addresses this need through a multidisciplinary approach to education, clinical care, and research. State of the art tools will be used to develop sophisticated education programs targeted at medical students, trainees, practicing physicians and patients. A major regional referral center will be established using the extensive resources in faculty and facilities at Washington University School of Medicine and the BJC Health System to offer state of the art patient care. Finally, collaborative research efforts will be established among the outstanding faculty at Washington University School of Medicine who are currently engaged in related areas of research in vascular medicine.
The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) To develop a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of pulmonary vascular disease and thrombosis so that the applicant, Washington University, and the BJC Health System will serve as a regional referral center for patients with these problems. 2) To develop programs in pulmonary vascular medicine to meet the educational needs of students, trainees, practicing physicians, and patients. 3) To encourage clinical and basic research in pulmonary vascular medicine and biology with an emphasis on collaboration to enhance the relevance of both areas of research. 4) To expand the research, clinical activities, and teaching skills of the applicant through interactions and collaboration with colleagues participating in this program.
