Research is one of the fundamental missions of the UC Davis Health System. UC Davis Vascular Center researchers have a track record of scientific accomplishment and have earned national and international recognition.

The UC Davis Vascular Center has a commitment to vascular research and a track record of scientific achievement, from F. William Blaisdell's classic papers on the techniques of axillo-femoral bypass, revascularization of the acutely ischemic limb, and other important works, to current investigative work in areas related to peripheral arterial disease and vascular biology.

Many of the Vascular Center faculty have special interest and expertise in research. The medical director of the Vascular Center, John R. Laird, Jr., is internationally recognized as a pioneer in peripheral interventional techniques and he has been a lead investigator and organizer of several major multi-center clinical trials. Dr. Laird's research interests are broad, but focus primarily on endovascular therapies, including aortic endografts, peripheral arterial laser treatments, stent use and angioplasty techiques.

David L. Dawson, prior to joining the UC Davis faculty, was extensively involved in clinical trials and research management. During his 10-year military tenure, he served as director of surgical research at Wilford Hall Medical Center, the principal referral and teaching medical center for the Air Force. In 1999, he went to NASA to serve as chief of the Medical Sciences Division at the Johnson Space Center, where he had management responsibility for much of the human space program's intramural life science research. At the UC Davis Medical Center, he is now a principal investigator for several multi-center trials of new vascular therapeutics.

Clinical vascular specialists interact with UC Davis's basic science researchers. For example, Eugene Lee, with his doctorate in experimental surgery, has an ongoing collaboration with other UC Davis researchers in multidisciplinary program supported by the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the role of inflammation in the formation of atherosclerosis. This collaborative effort involves faculty from the departments of endocrinology, pathology, pediatrics, cardiology, as well as investigators from other prestigious universities.

Clinical trials evaluating new therapies for peripheral vascular disease are ongoing at UC Davis Medical Center. The medical center offers all the needed resources to support these studies, including imaging capabilities, clinical laboratory services, and a research pharmacy.

Information about current research studies in the UC Davis Vascular Center can be obtained by contacting Christy A. Pifer, the division's clinical research coordinator, at (916) 734-4156. General information about UC Davis Health System clinical trials is available from the Clinical Trials Office.