Institute for Cardiovascular Disease Research

Chronic, unpredictable stress—the kind we experience in modern everyday life—impacts various areas of the body, causing inflammation and high blood pressure that leads to cardiovascular disease. We seek to better understand those connections for new treatments and health care applications that reduce the number of heart and vascular disease cases nationwide, and right here at home.

Interdisciplinary Research into Inflammation and Impacts for Cardiovascular Disease

Our research team focuses on multiple areas of the body that are connected to high blood pressure to understand how each responds to stress factors that are known to cause inflammation and lead to cardiovascular disease. All the while, our researchers also study the body systems holistically, as a collaborative team, to better understand how those systems interact and connect in the elevation of blood pressure related to stress and inflammation.

Meet Faculty Researchers & Team »

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a prominent health concern in South Carolina. The Institute on Cardiovascular Disease Research at the University of South Carolina has been established to promote integrated research into the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease with a special emphasis on chronic stress as a risk factor.

Clinton Webb, Ph.D., Institute Director

Institute News and Stories

New Paper Published in the American Journal of Hypertension

Institute director Clinton Webb, Ph.D. has published a cross-institutional paper in the American Journal of Hypertension: "Cytomegalovirus and Cardiovascular Disease: AHypothetical Role for Viral G-Protein-Coupled Receptorsin Hypertension"

Institute Researcher's Lab Named Lab of the Month by NAVBO

The North American Vascular Biology Organization recognized Cam McCarthy's lab as the organization's Lab of the Month.

AHA's Hypertension Scientific Sessions Presentations

Members of the Institute for Cardiovascular Disease Research presented on high blood pressure causes, symptoms and treatments at the American Heart Association's 2023 Hypertension Scientific Sessions, one of the most important medical meetings about hypertension in the world.

Research Institutes Funding Program

Sponsored by the offices of the USC President and Vice President for Research, the Research Institutes Funding Program invested an unprecedented $10 million in internal funding for new research institutes, including the Institute for Cardiovascular Disease Research.

Postpartum Depression Study

Faculty researchers Clinton Webb and Fiona Hollis published findings on their study of the effects of chronic unpredictable stress on brain mitochondrial function in postpartum subjects in the September 2023 issue of Neurobiology of Stress.

The Institute's Mission

The mission of our research is to uncover important triggers and potential treatments for stress-induced cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, across a range of patient groups and environments.

Research Projects

By taking an interdisciplinary approach to cardiovascular health, we will advance our understanding of how stress leading to high blood pressure impacts the brain, kidneys, blood vessels and heart causes disease that ends with cardiac failure.

SC Impact

This research will improve the lives of anyone who has cardiovascular disease or knows someone with cardiovascular disease in South Carolina. However, certain groups will greatly benefit from our focus area and the institute's work at large.

Groups Especially Benefited by the Research

Women and the Female population
Black and African American Communities
Veterans and Those Suffering from PTSD or Trauma

A Priority for the University of South Carolina

This institute is part of the university's Research Institutes Funding Program, an undertaking for top researchers in their fields across disciplines and focus areas to consciously and intentionally collaborate to uncover new approaches, breakthroughs, and real-world results in their areas of research.

These projects truly represent what a flagship research university does best: bring together experts from multiple disciplines to take on some of the biggest scientific and societal challenges of our time.

USC President Michael Amiridis

Funding Acknowledgement

Funding for this interdisciplinary research institute was generously provided by the USC Office of the President and Office of the Vice President for Research.

More About the Research Institutes Funding Program »

Everyday Stress and Effects on the Body

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.