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28 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 2018 2018 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 28 Handling the Pressure Dr. William White has spent decades researching the cardiovascular safety of hypertension medications By Cara Rosner For Dr. William White, one of the foremost hypertension experts in the country, the biggest career rewards come when cutting-edge research reaps real-world benefits. Dr. White is professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and chief of the Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology Division at UConn Health Center's Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center. He also is editor-in-chief of the journal Blood Pressure Monitoring and a past president of the American Society of Hypertension. But amid a long list of professional accolades, Dr. White says he's most proud of the decades he has spent researching the cardiovascular safety of various medications. "It's been the most rewarding thing that I've done career-wise," he said, noting that research plays a crucial role in determining how drugs affect patients' blood pressure and other cardiovascular aspects. "It's really interesting." His specialty in this field dates back to about 20 years ago, when he completed a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-mandated study looking at a new family of arthritis medications. He examined how the drugs, which were touted as being gentler on patients' stomachs, interacted with medications that treat cardiovascular problems. "We found there were interactions; some of those drugs were worse than others," he said. "It kind of cascaded into a huge part of what I started to do." He then became a regular presenter of research to the FDA, consulted for the FDA, and studied how other medications – for diabetes, gout and pain disorders – interacted with cardiovascular drugs. Throughout his career, he has authored 300 publications, writing book chapters and in peer-reviewed journals. He also has written three medical textbooks about hypertension, pharmacology and vascular diseases. Today, Dr. White splits his time between clinical work treating patients and continuing his research, something he feels compelled – and grateful – to do. "You're sitting there at the cutting edge, where everything is happening," he says of his research. "Then [in the clinical setting], you have this group of patients who are sent to you by doctors from all around the state of Connecticut." Along the way, Dr. White launched a fellowship program in hypertension and clinical pharmacology in the early 1990s. He proudly boasts that the first person to complete that fellowship is now a long-time attending physician in the field. Teaching the next generation of doctors is a priority of his. "I'm proud of the ability to mentor young physicians and guide them in their own careers," he said. PROFILE Dr. William White " " "I'm proud of the ability to mentor young physicians and guide them in their own careers." - Dr. William White