Welcome to Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute

Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute participate in both Clinical Trials and investigator initiated physiology research experiments. Clinical trials may offer a benefit to patients with heart disease such as a new treatment medication or heart assist device. Under the direction of Lawrence Sinoway, M.D. and Marc Kaufman, Ph.D., investigator initiated physiology research experiments seek to understand neurovascular mechanisms of circulatory control. These studies may not benefit patients directly but are necessary to determine cause-and-effect pathways relating to heart disease and how exercise impacts the cardiovascular system. Electrophysiological techniques such as patch clamping and signal fiber techniques as well as microneurography which measures your body's nerve activity and Doppler ultrasound which measures blood flow are used in animal and human models, respectively to investigate how blood pressure and blood flow are regulated across the spectrum of health and disease. Our researchers who have obtained grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association, use of the Clinical Research Center to conduct all human studies. By understanding the physiological mechanisms of blood flow regulation, our goal is to translate research to improved individual heart health and well being.