DOM Announcement: Center for Cross Organ Vascular Pathology (COVP)

The Department of Medicine and Section of Nephrology are delighted to announce the creation of the Center for Cross Organ Vascular Pathology (COVP), directed by Dr. Vipul Chitalia. The COVP will focus on unlocking the underpinnings of vascular pathophysiology in different organs (peripheral vasculature, heart, kidneys, lungs, brain, and eye, and others) in patients suffering from systemic diseases such as chronic kidney disease and cancer. Vascular disease can originate from and cause injury to a wide range of organs and conditions, including uremia- or malignancy-associated peripheral and central vascular diseases; hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction; peritoneal dialysis membrane failure; uremic calcemic arteriolopathy (calciphylaxis); and ocular pathologies.

 

Collaborating with a rich network of local, national and international researchers and clinicians including surgeons, radiologists and biomedical engineers from academia and industry, COVP has a tripartite structure: Basic Science, Translational/Clinical science, and Biomedical Engineering/Machine Learning. The COVP will build a unique infrastructure within the Department of Medicine to interrogate pre-clinical models and establish a biorepository that will systematically gather tissue and biosamples relevant for cross-organ pathologies.

 

Dr. Chitalia’s experience in multidisciplinary and highly translational research make him uniquely qualified to create this Center and resource. We expect the COVP to be a major locus of collaborative research throughout Boston University and beyond.

 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Chitalia on this leadership position.

 

 

David Coleman, M.D.

Chair, Department of Medicine