Jonathan H. Jaggar, PhD, professor of Physiology at UTHSC, has been named to the Maury W. Bronstein Chair of Excellence in Cardiovascular Physiology in the UTHSC College of Medicine.
Jonathan H. Jaggar, PhD, professor of Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has been named to the Maury W. Bronstein Chair of Excellence in Cardiovascular Physiology in the UTHSC College of Medicine. A faculty member with UTHSC for 12 years, Dr. Jaggar has published more than 60 original, peer-reviewed research papers and is funded as principal investigator by three significant research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Jaggar is a standing member of the Hypertension and Microcirculation study section at the NIH and is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology.
“The University of Tennessee is internationally recognized for strength in cardiovascular research, a reputation that is both current and historic,” said Dr. Jaggar. “It is an honor to be named the Maury W. Bronstein Chair of Excellence in Cardiovascular Physiology.”
Dr. Jaggar’s research focuses on understanding mechanisms that regulate the diameter of small arteries and arterioles that modulate systemic blood pressure and organ blood flow. A major focus of his research is on smooth muscle cell ion channels and their control of blood flow in the brain. The brain requires a constant supply of blood to function properly. Blood vessels in the brain, termed “cerebral arteries,” relax and contract to modify brain blood flow. Within the walls of cerebral arteries are muscle cells, called smooth muscle cells, which control the cerebral artery contractility. Vascular diseases, including high blood pressure, lead to changes in vascular smooth muscle cells that may contribute to other brain disorders, such as stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Small proteins in vascular smooth muscle cells called “ion channels” regulate artery relaxation and contraction, thereby, allowing arteries to modify brain blood flow.
David Stern, MD executive dean of the College of Medicine, noted, “Dr Jaggar is an outstanding scientist, and I have the utmost confidence that as the Bronstein Chair he will lead campus efforts in the area of cardiovascular basic research.”
As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit: www.uthsc.edu.