William H. Pearce, MD

William H. Pearce, MD, Violet R. and Charles A. Baldwin Professor of Vascular Surgery, is a nationally prominent vascular surgeon and is Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery.  Dr. Pearce has been actively involved in basic science research, studying endothelial seeding and the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).  In 1992, he received the NIH Academic Award in Systemic and Pulmonary Vascular Disease as one of a few surgeons recognized for their contributions to a better understanding of vascular diseases and was Co-investigator with Rex Chisholm, PhD, on the pathogenesis of AAA grant.  He served as a member of the Surgery and Bioengineering (SBE) NIH Study Section (1998-2001).  Dr. Pearce has wide-ranging investigative interests and currently is co-investigator on several grants establishing a center for vascular research as well as co-PI on an R-12 Vascular Medicine Training Grant.

Mark K. Eskandari, MD

Mark K. Eskandari, MD, is an Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery with adjunct appointments in Radiology and Cardiology. As a vascular and endovascular surgeon, his primary research interests are in the application of minimally invasive endoluminal technology for the treatment of vascular disease. The focus of his clinical research has included therapies for carotid artery disease, aortic aneurysms, and aortic dissections. Dr. Eskandari has been actively involved in numerous clinical research trials assessing the results of carotid artery stenting as compared to traditional carotid artery surgery (endarterectomy) for stroke prevention. His work in this endeavor has been extensively published in the medical literature and he is considered a national expert in this area. Similarly, his experience in endovascular treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm as well as thoracic aortic dissections is exemplified by several national and international presentations, papers, and training courses given under his guidance.

Melina R. Kibbe, MD

Melina R. Kibbe, MD, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Vascular Surgery, as well as Staff Physician and Director of the Vascular Laboratory at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.  Dr. Kibbe’s research interests focus on nitric oxide vascular biology.  Specifically, she is studying how nitric oxide inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by focusing on the role of nitric oxide in regulating the cell cycle, the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and apoptosis.  She is also developing and evaluating nitric oxide-based pharmacological and bioengineering approaches to inhibit neointimal hyperplasia following vascular interventions, including bypass grafting and peripheral angioplasty/stenting.  Her hope is to have a positive effect on patency rates of these procedures, thereby effecting millions of patients that undergo coronary artery or peripheral artery revascularization procedures.

Jon S. Matsumura, MD

Jon S. Matsumura, MD, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. His research interests are centered on medical, surgical, and endovascular treatment of all aspects of peripheral vascular disease, including carotid stenosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, thoracic aortic problems such as aneurysm, dissection, and narrowing, and lower extremity ischemia. He is currently leading multicenter trials comparing standard treatment to new therapies for patients with carotid stenosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, claudication, and thoracic aortic problems. These trials are funded by the National Institutes of Health, VA CSP, and industry sponsors.

Mark D. Morasch, MD

Mark D. Morasch, MD, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Vascular Surgery, as well as Staff at Children’s Memorial Hospital.  Dr. Morasch has extensive experience with endovascular therapy and his research interests include minimally invasive endoluminal technology for the treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms, traumatic injury, and dissection. He has participated in research involving these minimally invasive alternatives to open surgery. He is considered a leader in aortic therapy and, in addition to involvement in several aortic endograft trials, is currently the national principal investigator for a thoracic endograft research trial.  Dr. Morasch conducts research into the use of arterial allografts for complex vascular reconstruction and is participating in several studies evaluating carotid artery stenting as an option to the carotid endarterectomy procedure. His research interests also include imaging technology involving the use of MRI in predicting disease acuity in the carotid territory.