Blood Pressure-Lowering Mechanisms of the DASH Dietary Pattern.

My research interest lies generally in the area of dietary patterns and chronic diseases including hypertension using controlled feeding study and lifestyle intervention designs.

Two major controlled feeding clinical trials that I was involved in include the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Study and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-Sodium (DASH-Sodium) Study. In addition to being an active member for the diet committee for DASH, I also function as the chair of the diet committee for the DASH-Sodium study.  I am familiar with the development and operation of a controlled feeding study, which means the process of study design, development of questionnaire/forms for data collection/monitoring, development of quality assurance procedure, and data analysis.

I've also helped with the design and implementation of the lifestyle behavioral intervention program for the Hypertension Improvement Project (HIP), PREMIER clinical trial, Weight Loss Maintenance trial (WLM), ENCORE study, and the Cell Phone Intervention for You (CITY) trial.

Key words: Diet, controlled feeding study, mineral, blood pressure, nutrition.

My research interest is in statistical genetics, including statistical method development and its application for understanding the genetic predisposition of human complex diseases. Here is the list of research topics:

• Statistical genetics: development of family-based association methods for quantitative traits with or without censoring and for detecting X-linked genes for disease risk.  With the availability of next generation sequencing data, we have ongoing projects to develop the association methods for testing rare variants for different phenotypic measures.  
• Genetics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD).
• Genetic basis of age-at-onset of Alzheimer disease. 
• Peri-operative genomic studies. Investigate the genetic risk factors for postoperative outcomes of patients underwent non-emergent coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Laura P. Svetkey, MD MHS is Professor of Medicine/Nephrology, Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity in the Department of Medicine. She is also the Director of Duke’s CTSA-sponsored internal career development award program (KL2) and the Associate Director of Duke’s REACH Equity Disparities Research Center, in which she also leads the Investigator Development Core.

Dr. Svetkey has over 30 years of experience in the investigation of hypertension, obesity, and related areas, conducting NIH-sponsored clinical research ranging from behavioral intervention trials to metabolomics and genetics, with a consistent focus on prevention, non-pharmacologic intervention, health disparities and minority health. Her research has affected national guidelines, having served on the 2013 national Hypertension Guideline Panel (JNC) and the Lifestyle Guideline Working Group. She is an American Society of Hypertension certified hypertension specialist, and a member of the Association of American Physicians (AAP). She is the Associate Director, Core Director and Project PI of Duke’s NIH-sponsored REACH Equity Disparities Research Center (PI: Kimberly Johnson).

As Department of Medicine Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Diversity, she implements a wide range of programs to enhance the experience and advancement of faculty and trainees, with particular emphasis on those from racial and ethnic groups under-represented in medicine, and women.