Dr. Jorge Kizer's research applies cardiac imaging and assessment of biochemical markers in clinical and epidemiologic settings to advance understanding of risk factors for heart disease and stroke, with the ultimate goal of improving diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment for these disorders. Key areas of interest are obesity and the aging process, and how bioactive factors secreted by adipocytes, skeletal myocytes, and cardiomyocytes, among other cell types, lead to dysregulation of homeostatic mechanisms and promote the development of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. A major focus of investigation is HIV infection, and the roles of chronic immune activation and inflammation, and associated perturbations in metabolism and adipose tissue distribution, in accelerated heart and vascular dysfunction.
After receiving a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kizer completed his residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He subsequently earned a master of science in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, and went on to complete a cardiovascular fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. He came to Einstein-Montefiore from Weill Cornell Medical College, where he was Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health.
Dr. Kizer is an investigator in several NIH-funded population-based studies, including the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Women's Interagency HIV Study, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and the Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos. His work has been funded by research awards from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and the American Heart Association.