Dr George L. Bakris, MD, is a distinguished member of the National Kidney Foundation's Board of Directors. As the Professor of Medicine and Director of the Comprehensive Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medicine, he brings a wealth of expertise to the forefront of medical education.
Previously serving as the Vice-Chairman of Preventive Medicine and Director of the Rush University Hypertension Center in Chicago, Dr Bakris has made significant contributions to the understanding of hypertension, diabetic kidney disease, and nephropathy progression. With a prolific publication record boasting over 700 articles and book chapters, his work has significantly impacted the landscape of cardiovascular research.
Dr Bakris has played a pivotal role in shaping national guidelines, serving on committees such as the Joint National Committee (JNC) Writing Groups VI & 7, the JNC 7 executive committee, the American Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guideline Committee, the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K-DOQI) Blood Pressure Guideline committee, and the NKF-KDOQI Diabetes Guideline committee. His leadership extends to chairing the first National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Consensus report on blood pressure and its impact on kidney disease progression.
An esteemed expert in the field, Dr Bakris has served as a member of the Cardio-renal Advisory Board of the FDA and currently holds the position of a special government expert to the FDA and CMS. His commitment to advancing clinical pharmacology and hypertension is further reflected in his past presidency of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology and the American Society of Hypertension (ASH).
Dr Bakris earned his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, where he also undertook a research fellowship in Physiology and Biophysics. His academic journey continued with fellowships in Nephrology and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Chicago, solidifying his expertise in cardiovascular medicine.
