Departmental Affiliations
Contact Info
Research Interests
Cardiovascular disease; Kidney disease; Hypertension; Blood pressure; Nutrition; Obesity; Lifestyle modification; Behavioral interventions; Fall prevention; Clinical trials; Global prevention and control of non-communicable diseases
Additional Links
Experiences & Accomplishments
I am currently Director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, a large interdisciplinary research unit that bridges the Schools of Medicine and Public Health at Hopkins. The mission of the Welch Center is to conduct epidemiologic, clinical and translational research of the highest quality and to train the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers.
As for my own research, I have conducted clinical research with a particular focus on preventing and controlling elevated blood pressure, and its consequences, primarily cardiovascular and kidney diseases. I have four active lines of research: (1) controlled feeding studies, (2) behavioral intervention trials, that test novel strategies to accomplish lifestyle changes, often related to obesity, (3) cohort studies and trials related to chronic kidney disease and its consequences, and (4) global implementation initiatives to prevent and control hypertension. A notable feature of my research is the focus on conditions and diseases that disproportionately afflict minorities and on interventions that have the potential to substantially reduce racial disparities.
Over the course of my career, I have mentored numerous students, fellows and faculty (and continue to do so). In addition, I serve as Associate Director of the Renal Disease Epidemiology T32 training grant and am a core faculty member of several other T32 grants at Hopkins. Training a diverse cadre of individuals is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my career. As a reflection of my commitment to education, I have received numerous teaching and mentoring awards.
Honors & Awards
2018 Distinguished Scientist, American Heart Association
2016-21 Most Influential Scientists (top 1% of highly cited papers), awarded by Clarivate (Web of Science)
2016 Marvin Moser Clinical Hypertension Award from the American Society of Hypertension
2016 Women Faculty Sponsorship Award, from the Task Force on Women’s Academic Careers in Medicine, JHUSOM
2015 Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA), nominated by JHSPH student body
2015 Elected Member, Association of American Physicians (AAP)
2015-21 Citations for Outstanding Teaching at JHSPH
2012 Elected Member, National Academy of Medicine (previously, Institute of Medicine, IOM)
2010 Director, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research
2010 Conner Award Lecturer, American Heart Association
2008 David M. Levine Excellence in Mentoring Award
2005, 2010 USDA/HHS Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Select Publications
Selected publications from > 600
Appel LJ, Moore TL, Obarzanek E et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med. 1997 Apr 17;336(16):1117-24. PMID: 9099655.
Appel LJ, Sacks FM, Carey V et al for the OmniHeart Collaborative Research Group. Effects of protein, monounsaturated fat, and carbohydrate intake on blood pressure and serum lipids: results of the OmniHeart randomized trial. JAMA. 2005 Nov 16;294(19):2455-64. PMID: 16287956.
Appel LJ, Wright JT, Greene T, et al. Intensive blood-pressure control in hypertensive chronic kidney disease. N Engl J Med 2010:363(10):918-929. PMID: 20818902
Appel LJ, Clark JM, Yeh HC et al. Comparative Effectiveness of Weight-Loss Interventions in Clinical Practice. N Eng J Med. 2011 Nov 24:365(21):1959-68. PMID 22085317.
Appel LJ, Michos ED, Mitchell CM, et al. The Effects of Four Doses of Vitamin D Supplements on Falls in Older Adults : A Response-Adaptive, Randomized Clinical Trial. Ann Intern Med 2020 Dec 8. doi: 10.7326/M20-3812. PMID: 33284677