Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi MD

During the last decade my research has focused on the study of basic mechanisms of glucose regulation, hypertension and atherosclerosis in human and animal models. Over the past 5 years, my research interests have focused on the study of the effects of vitamin D deficiency on the development of cardiovascular disease in diabetes. Recent work from our laboratory has identified potential mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates macrophage cholesterol metabolism and monocyte function in patients with diabetes and has developed multiple genetically modified animal models evaluating the mechanism by which vitamin D influences the development of cardiovascular disease. Our findings in mice and in human innate immune cells have laid the groundwork for our active randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure in type 2 diabetics and on subclinical markers of cardiovascular disease.