Sanjay Rajagopalan, PhD

Director, Cardiovascular Research Institute, School of Medicine
Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine

Research Interests
Dr. Rajagopalan completed clinical and research fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and vascular biology at the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Rajagopalan is among an elite group of physician investigators whose work has help transform perceptions and facilitate understanding of the global impact of chronic diseases including diabetes. He has additionally made seminal contributions towards the development of next generation therapeutic modalities for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and is a leading authority in advancing newer and innovative non-invasive approaches for the diagnosis of complex cardiovascular disorders.

Dr. Rajagopalan’s laboratory has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Rajagopalan is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the Association of University Cardiologists (AUC) and the Association of Professors of Cardiology (APC). Additional honors include the William Keating Award from the American College of Cardiology, the Charles Dana Award and being voted amongst the Best Doctors in America.

Dr. Rajagopalan has published over than 250 original peer reviewed research publications in journals such as JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation, Journal of Clinical Investigation and Circulation Research, in addition to more than 300 reviews, book chapters and abstracts. He has served as an editor for at least two textbooks and several monographs on vascular disease and atherosclerosis.

External Appointments
Division Chief, Cardiovascular Medicine University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Publications
The NIEHS TaRGET II Consortium and environmental epigenomics. Wang T, Pehrsson EC, Purushotham D, Li D, Zhuo X, Zhang B, Lawson HA, Province MA, Krapp C, Lan Y, Coarfa C, Katz TA, Tang WY, Wang Z, Biswal S, Rajagopalan S, Colacino JA, Tsai ZT, Sartor MA, Neier K, Dolinoy DC, Pinto J, Hamanaka RB, Mutlu GM, Patisaul HB, Aylor DL, Crawford GE, Wiltshire T, Chadwick LH, Duncan CG, Garton AE, McAllister KA; TaRGET II Consortium, Bartolomei MS, Walker CL, Tyson FL. Nat Biotechnol. 2018 Mar 6;36(3):225-227. doi: 10.1038/nbt.4099.
Short-Term Blood Pressure Responses to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Exposures at the Extremes of Global Air Pollution Concentrations. Huang W, Wang L, Li J, Liu M, Xu H, Liu S, Chen J, Zhang Y, Morishita M, Bard RL, Harkema JR, Rajagopalan S, Brook RD. Am J Hypertens. 2018 Feb 2. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpx216. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29409056
2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Brook RD, Rajagopalan S.J Am Soc Hypertens. 2018 Mar;12(3) PMID: 29396104
Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: Translating Pathophysiological Concepts Into Clinical Practice. Naeije R, Saggar R, Badesch D, Rajagopalan S, Gargani L, Rischard F, Ferrara F, Marra AM, D' Alto M, Bull TM, Saggar R, Grünig E, Bossone E.Chest. 2018 Jan 31. pii: S0012-3692(18)30161-2. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2018.01.022. PMID: 29382472
CITED2 restrains pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and response. Kim GD, Das R, Rao X, Zhong J, Deiuliis JA, Ramirez-Bergeron DL, Rajagopalan S, Mahabeleshwar GH. Mol Cell Biol. 2017 Dec 4. pii: MCB.00452-17. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00452-17. PMID: 29203644
Noncoding RNAs in Cardiovascular Disease: Pathological Relevance and Emerging Role as Biomarkers and Therapeutics. Gangwar RS, Rajagopalan S, Natarajan R, Deiuliis JA. Am J Hypertens. 2018 Jan 12;31 PMID: 29186297
Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Type 2 Diabetes. Rajagopalan S, Brook R. N Engl J Med. 2017 Nov 23;377(21):2098-9.No abstract available.  PMID: 29182250
Inhalation Exposure to PM2.5 Counteracts Hepatic Steatosis in Mice Fed High-fat Diet by Stimulating Hepatic Autophagy. Qiu Y, Zheng Z, Kim H, Yang Z, Zhang G, Shi X, Sun F, Peng C, Ding Y, Wang A, Chen LC, Rajagopalan S, Sun Q, Zhang K. Sci Rep. 2017 Nov 24;7(1):16286. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-16490-3. PMID: 29176715 Free PMC Article
Monocyte DPP4 Expression in Human Atherosclerosis Is Associated With Obesity and Dyslipidemia. Rao X, Deiuliis JA, Mihai G, Varghese J, Xia C, Frieman MB, Sztalryd C, Sun XJ, Quon MJ, Taylor SI, Rajagopalan S, Zhong J.Diabetes Care. 2018 Jan;41(1)Epub 2017 Nov 10. PMID: 29127241
Effect of Particulate Matter Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Oxidative Stress Pathways. Rao X, Zhong J, Brook RD, Rajagopalan S. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2018 Mar 20;28(9):797-818. Epub 2017 Dec 12. PMID: 29084451
Extreme levels of ambient air pollution adversely impact cardiac and central aortic hemodynamics: the AIRCMD-China study. Liu S, Brook RD, Huang W, Fan Z, Xu H, Wu R, Sun Z, Zhao X, Ruan Y, Yan J, Sun L, Liang R, Lian H, Gu D, Rajagopalan S. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2017 Nov;11(11):754-761.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jash.2017.09.009. Epub 2017 Sep 28. PMID: 29031802
The Role of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Inflammation: Focus on Kidney and Vasculature. Belden Z, Deiuliis JA, Dobre M, Rajagopalan S. Am J Nephrol. 2017;46(4):298-314.  Epub 2017 Oct 10. PMID: 29017166
Personal-level exposure to environmental temperature is a superior predictor of endothelial-dependent vasodilatation than outdoor-ambient level. Ejike C, Wang L, Liu M, Wang W, Morishita M, Bard RL, Huang W, Harkema J, Rajagopalan S, Brook RD. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2017 Nov;11(11):746-753.e1.  Epub 2017 Sep 28. PMID: 28989070
Cardiovascular evaluation and management of iron overload cardiomyopathy in sickle cell disease. Ginwalla M, AlMasoud A, Tofovic D, Alin T, Al-Kindi S, Oliveira G, Rajagopalan S, Schilz R, Little J. Am J Hematol. 2018 Jan;93(1)Epub 2017 Oct 23.  PMID: 28971490
Design of the exercise MRI evaluation of HIV-pulmonary arterial hypertension longitudinal determinants (EXALTED) trial. Alaiti MA, Goud A, Ramani G, Bagchi S, Al-Kindi S, Sawicki S, Longenecker C, Jenkins T, Pauza D, Park M, McComsey G, Simonetti O, Hoit B, Rajagopalan S. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2017 Nov;18(11):888-896. PMID: 28937582
Stressed About Air Pollution: Time for Personal Action. Brook RD, Rajagopalan S. Circulation. 2017 Aug 15;136(7):628-631.   PMID: 28808145
Cancer risks of anti-hyperglycemic drugs for type 2 diabetes treatment - a clinical appraisal. Vora J, Ray K, Kosiborod M, Poulter NR, Rajagopalan S, Leiter LA. J Diabetes Complications. 2017 Sep;31(9):1451-1457. Epub 2017 Jun 15. Review. PMID: 28655490
Air Pollution and Cardiometabolic Disease: An Update and Call for Clinical Trials. Brook RD, Newby DE, Rajagopalan S. Am J Hypertens. 2017 Dec 8;31(1):1-10. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpx109. PMID: 28655143
The regulatory role of DPP4 in atherosclerotic disease. Duan L, Rao X, Xia C, Rajagopalan S, Zhong J. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2017 Jun 15;16(1):76. Review. PMID: 28619058 Free PMC Article
Design of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonism in Diabetic Atherosclerosis (MAGMA) Trial. Rajagopalan S, Alaiti MA, Broadwater K, Goud A, Gaztanaga J, Connelly K, Fares A, Shirazian S, Kreatsoulas C, Farkouh M, Dobre M, Fink JC, Weir MR. Clin Cardiol. 2017 Sep;40(9) Epub 2017 May 26.
Education
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) University of Madras, India 1988
Residencies, Internships and Fellowships
Residency in Internal Medicine Erie County Medical Center 1994
Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease Emory University Hospital 1998
Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine Cornell University 2002
Fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine Duke University Medical Center 2004
Additional Information
1990-1994: Assistant Instructor, Department of Internal Medicine, SUNY at Buffalo
1994: Chief Medical Resident, VA Medical Center, SUNY at Buffalo.
1994-1998: Instructor, Department of Internal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
1998-2003: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2001-2003:  Co-Director, Vascular Medicine Training Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2003-2006: Director Cardiovascular MR and CT Imaging, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
2006-2013:Professor of Medicine (With Tenure), the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
2006-2013: Director of Vascular Medicine, Co-Director CT and MR Imaging Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
2006-2013: Associate Director, Davis Heart Lung Research Institute, Columbus, OH
2013-2015:Head, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
2013-2016: Melvin Sharoky Endowed Professorship, University of Maryland School of Medicine
2016: Asst. Chair, Translational Research, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine