Researcher Spotlight: Mete Civelek, PhD, Traces the Genetic Culprits Behind Heart Disease Risk

Mete Civelek, PhD, a researcher and associate professor in UVA's department of biomedical engineering and a resident faculty member at the department of genome sciences, works on revealing the genetic mechanisms underpinning the risks for developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

At Civelek's lab, he and his team use systems genetics to document how environmental factors, like diet, interact with genes and gene networks to affect health. By taking a holistic approach to studying various human populations, Civelek's team has connected many dots between genes and heart disease.

See Civelek's selected publications. Below, Civelek discusses his work and answers our Researcher Spotlight questions.