David M. Cohen, M.D.

  • Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, School of Medicine
  • Professor of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine
  • Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development at VA Portland Health Care System
  • Director, Genetics of Water Balance Consortium
  • Local Site Investigator, VA Million Veteran Program
  • Local Site Investigator, All of Us (Formerly the NIH Precision Medicine Initiative)
  • Cancer Biology Graduate Program, School of Medicine
  • Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Cohen’s research interests center around the genetics and physiology of osmoregulation (water balance). His group conducts studies at the cellular level, in animal models, and in human cohorts. Dr. Cohen directs the Genetics of Water Balance Consortium, a global network of major cohorts investigating genetic associations in water balance-relevant phenotypes. He also serves as local site investigator for the Portland site of the VA’s Million Veteran Program – a national voluntary research program to study how genes affect veterans’ health. Local recruitment for this effort recently topped 11,000 enrolled veterans.

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • B.S., 1984, Pennsylvania State University
    • M.D., 1986, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University

  • Internship

    • Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Boston University Medical Center, 1986-1987

  • Residency

    • Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Boston University Medical Center, 1987-1989

  • Fellowship

    • Research Fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1993-1995
    • Clinical Fellow in Nephrology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1992-1993
    • Research Fellow in Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1989-1992

  • Certifications

    • American Board of Internal Medicine, Diplomate
    • American Board of Internal Medicine (Nephrology), Diplomate
    • Oregon License Registration

Areas of interest

  • Genetic factors in systemic water balance
  • Clinical disorders of water and electrolyte balance
  • Pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy

Publications

Elsevier pure profile