John Stafford

Background

About John Stafford

I am a physician-scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. I am an internist and endocrinologist. The goal of my research career is to define and target the pathways by which obesity and diabetes increase risk of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular disease. One productive approach my lab has taken is to define the pathways that confer sex differences in dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis with obesity and exercise. We study VLDL production and HDL function and how these change with obesity. We do pre-clinical, translational and clinical research. I am an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. I am also an investigator and clinician at the Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. I completed my MD/PhD training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where my graduate studies defined how metabolic signals are coordinated at the level of gene transcription. My medical residency, and fellowship in Endocrinology were also performed at Vanderbilt. Since my appointment to the Vanderbilt faculty in 2008, I direct an active research program in obesity and lipid metabolism that has been funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, NIH, American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association. My other career goal is to aid in the training and recruitment of physician-scientist. I am director of the NIDDK Medical Student Research Program (NIDDK-MSRP) and Student Research Training Program (SRTP). I am associate director of the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) I am Chief of Endocrinology and run the lipid clinic at the Tennessee Valley Veterans Administration hospital where I see patients with genetic dyslipidemia, diabetic dyslipidemia, and high cardiovascular risk.