Bress Lab
Bress Lab
ABOUT THE BRESS LAB
LAB MISSION
The Bress Lab is dedicated to improving how medications are used, evaluated, and optimized for the prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. We integrate pharmacoepidemiology, health economics, causal inference, and predictive modeling to study hypertension treatment, lipid management, and cardiovascular–brain health. Our work spans target trial emulations, population simulations, and economic evaluations — translating evidence into clinical practice, health policy, and improved patient outcomes. We are equally committed to mentoring and developing the next generation of population health scientists through hands-on collaboration, evidence-based mentorship, and team science.
RESEARCH AREAS
- Hypertension Treatment, Lipid Management, and Cardiovascular–Brain Health
- Antihypertensive Medication Effects on Cognitive Outcomes and Dementia Risk
- Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease Pathology and Intensive Blood Pressure Control
- Target Trial Emulation, Causal Inference, and Population Simulation for Drug Safety and Effectiveness
- Pharmacoepidemiology and Health Economics of Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Disease Prevention
- Mentorship and Leadership Development for Early-Stage Investigators
DATA SOURCES
- Electronic Health Records and Administrative Claims Data: Veterans Health Administration, Medicare
- National Surveys: National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES)
- Observational Cohort Studies: Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study (REGARDS), Jackson Heart Study (JHS), Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA)
- Clinical Trials: Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), Women's Health Initiative (WHI), Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD)
- Biomarker Platforms: NULISA multiplex proteomics for plasma Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration biomarkers
ABOUT ADAM BRESS, PHARMD, MS
I am a tenured Professor of Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, where I hold the Intermountain Health Faculty Scholars Presidential Endowed Chair in Population Health. I am the Founding Director of the IMPACT Health Services Research Program and an Investigator at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System.
I lead a continuously NIH-funded research program spanning more than a decade, with over $30 million secured as Principal Investigator — including four R01s, a K24 mentoring award, and a $21 million grant generating the first longitudinal biomarker data on the cognitive effects of intensive blood pressure control by baseline Alzheimer's disease pathology. I have authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, including first-author research in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Circulation. My research has shaped national hypertension treatment guidelines, informed NIH strategic priorities, and influenced health system policy.
In 2020, I was named the National Academy of Medicine Fellow in Pharmacy — an honor given to one pharmaceutical scientist every two years. I served on the 2025 U.S. Hypertension Guideline Writing Committee, chaired an American Heart Association scientific statement on inpatient hypertension management, and hold longstanding leadership roles in the SPRINT Research Group and multiple NIH-funded research networks.
I am a dedicated mentor and leadership developer. As a Hudson Institute–certified and ICF-credentialed leadership coach with an NIA K24 Mentoring Award, I have trained more than 30 early-stage investigators whose mentees have secured NIH career development awards, published first-author papers in JAMA Cardiology and Hypertension, and earned faculty positions at leading institutions. I also co-lead a T32 training program in pediatric clinical pharmacology with Dr. Kevin Watt.