Dr. Edward G. Lakatta serves as Senior Investigator and Chief of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science at the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. He earned his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1970 and completed postdoctoral training including an internship and residency at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, followed by cardiology fellowships at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins University Hospitals. His advanced research training encompassed work at NIH and the Department of Physiology at University College London, establishing a foundation for his pioneering career in cardiovascular aging research. Dr. Lakatta served as section chief of the Cardiovascular Section within the Clinical Physiology Branch from 1976 to 1985 before founding the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science in 1985, where he has led groundbreaking research for nearly four decades.
Dr. Lakatta's research program has fundamentally transformed our understanding of age-related cardiovascular changes through an integrated approach spanning human studies to molecular mechanisms. His laboratory pioneered the systematic investigation of how aging affects myocardial structure and function, revealing critical insights into excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac myocytes and automaticity in pacemaker cells across the lifespan. His work has established the essential framework for understanding how age interacts with chronic disease states to enhance cardiovascular disease risk in older adults, bridging previously disconnected research domains. This comprehensive approach has illuminated mechanisms governing cardiac and vascular cell survival, neuro-hormonal aspects of hypertension in aging, and potential therapeutic interventions ranging from lifestyle modifications to novel pharmacological approaches.
As a visionary leader in geriatric cardiology, Dr. Lakatta has established the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science as a premier research center that successfully integrates human observational studies with molecular investigations to develop testable mechanistic hypotheses. His work has provided the scientific foundation for recognizing cardiovascular aging as a distinct field of study, moving beyond previous assumptions that cardiovascular decline was merely a consequence of disease rather than an intrinsic aging process. Dr. Lakatta's research continues to shape national and international approaches to healthy aging, influencing both scientific understanding and clinical practice for older adults with cardiovascular conditions. His ongoing investigations maintain the laboratory's leadership position in identifying interventions that may delay or ameliorate age-related cardiovascular changes while extending the healthy, active years of life.
