At the University of Pittsburgh, we have been performing carotid ultrasound in epidemiological studies since 1985, beginning with the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Since that time, we have established the Department of Epidemiology Ultrasound Research Laboratory (URL) with the goal of providing a high volume of quality non-invasive measures of subclinical vascular disease tests for research purposes.
Ultrasound Research Laboratory Mission
To support prevention-focused and population-based research by providing advanced, non-invasive vascular imaging for the assessment of subclinical cardiovascular risk in healthy and at-risk individuals.
The URL collaborates with investigators world-wide, provides consulting for research methodologies and projects, teaches graduate and doctoral students cardiovascular research, trains research protocols to sonographers, and is a Beta-site for new noninvasive technologies.
The laboratory offers research protocols for carotid ultrasound, flow-mediated brachial artery reactivity, multiple different methodologies of vascular stiffness, reading peri-aortic vascular adipose tissue (PVAT), and ankle/arm blood pressures.
More than a dozen ongoing studies are active in the lab with an average of 1200 participants and 2000 tests performed yearly. We also serve as a reading center for several multisite national and international studies. Projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and other funding agencies.
Recent Papers
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, with African American women facing markedly higher rates of CVD-related morbidity and mortality than women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. read more ›
Men who experience childhood economic disadvantage may be at elevated risk for subclinical cardiovascular disease in adulthood, showing signs of disease 10 years before women. read more ›
At the University of Pittsburgh, we have been performing carotid ultrasound in epidemiological studies since 1985, beginning with the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Since that time, we have established the Department of Epidemiology Ultrasound Research Laboratory (URL) with the goal of providing a high volume of quality non-invasive measures of subclinical vascular disease tests for research purposes.
The URL collaborates with investigators world-wide, provides consulting for research methodologies and projects, teaches graduate and doctoral students cardiovascular research, trains research protocols to sonographers, and is a Beta-site for new noninvasive technologies.
The laboratory offers research protocols for carotid ultrasound, flow-mediated brachial artery reactivity, multiple different methodologies of vascular stiffness, reading peri-aortic vascular adipose tissue (PVAT), and ankle/arm blood pressures. More than a dozen ongoing studies are active in the lab with an average of 1200 participants and 2000 tests performed yearly. We also serve as a reading center for several multisite national and international studies. Projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and other funding agencies.
Ultrasound Research Laboratory Mission
To improve public health by providing quality non-invasive vascular studies to advance cardiovascular disease (CVD) research.
At the University of Pittsburgh, we have been performing carotid ultrasound in epidemiological studies since 1985, beginning with the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Since that time, we have established the Department of Epidemiology Ultrasound Research Laboratory (URL) with the goal of providing a high volume of quality non-invasive measures of subclinical vascular disease tests for research purposes.
The URL collaborates with investigators world-wide, provides consulting for research methodologies and projects, teaches graduate and doctoral students cardiovascular research, trains research protocols to sonographers, and is a Beta-site for new noninvasive technologies.
The laboratory offers research protocols for carotid ultrasound, flow-mediated brachial artery reactivity, multiple different methodologies of vascular stiffness, reading peri-aortic vascular adipose tissue (PVAT), and ankle/arm blood pressures. More than a dozen ongoing studies are active in the lab with an average of 1200 participants and 2000 tests performed yearly. We also serve as a reading center for several multisite national and international studies. Projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and other funding agencies.
Ultrasound Research Laboratory Mission
To improve public health by providing quality non-invasive vascular studies to advance cardiovascular disease (CVD) research.