The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging Webinar Series:
Jeffery Robbins, Ph.D. Lectureship
Title: Evolving concepts in fibroblast function in the heart with Injury

Rare is the cardiovascular scientist whose trailblazing academic career is studded with numerous discoveries as Dr. Molkentin’s. From the outset, Jeffery D. Molkentin, Ph.D., established himself as an innovative scientist whose discoveries ushered in new eras of cardiovascular science. Among his numerous scientific accomplishments, his discoveries in the fields of signal transduction pathways, mitochondrial function, cardiac transcription factors, and myocardial fibrosis are unparalleled and supersede the work of those who have a career-long dedication to each field.

Dr. Molkentin a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He received his doctoral degree (Ph.D., Summa cum laude) from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1994 under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce Markham, which set the stage for his foray into the transcriptional regulation of myogenesis. Dr. Eric N. Olson, noting the rising star, recruited him to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he made his seminal discovery on the role of the calcineurin pathway in cardiac hypertrophy (Cell 1998), which has received over 3,000 citations.

The breadth and depth of Dr. Molkentin's research programs are inspiring. He and his colleagues have delineated basic signaling mechanisms involved in cardiovascular and skeletal muscle differentiation, replication, and hypertrophy. These studies have led to the elucidation of the roles of several signaling pathways and paracrine mechanisms involved in cross-talk among different cellular constituents of the myocardium. Likewise, Dr. Molkentin and his colleagues have made seminal contributions to the molecular mechanisms that govern cell death, including mitochondrial-dependent mechanisms. Moreover, Dr. Molkentin and his colleagues have made several fundamental discoveries about the role of cardiac and skeletal muscle fibroblast in the pathogenesis of muscle disorders, remodeling, and extracellular matrix deposition. Furthermore, Dr. Molkentin and his colleagues are focused on delineating the role of the immune system and the cellular mechanisms that underly cardiac repair and healing.

Dr. Molkentin has disseminated his discoveries through the publication of over 440 original research articles in major peer-reviewed journals, including Cell, Nature, and Science. His publications have received over 90,000 citations and have garnered him an H-index of 158 in Google Scholar. Dr. Molkentin's research has been funded by multiple R01 awards, Program Projects, and T32 awards from NIH and the MERIT award from the American Heart Association. Dr. Molkentin was a full Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator from 2008 to 2021.

Dr. Molkentin has been recognized for his outstanding scientific contributions through numerous prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Scientist Award and the MERIT award from the American Heart Association, the NIH MERIT award, the Lucian Award in Cardiovascular Biology from, McGill University. He has delivered numerous endowed lectureships at prestigious institutions globally. Dr. Molkentin serves on the leadership positions and advisory boards of several national and international organizations and the pharmaceutical industry. Likewise, he serves on the editorial boards of major journals and is the reviewing editor of Science.

Dr. Molkentin has an impeccable record of mentoring young investigators who have emerged as leading scientists in national and international institutions.

We are grateful to Dr. Molkentin for delivering the Jeffrey Robbins, Ph.D. lectureship in commemoration of his contributions to cardiovascular science at The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging Webinar series.