David Mendelowitz is Vice-Chair of Pharmacology and Physiology and a professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine (secondary) at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He earned his BSE at the University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. at the University of Washington in 1981 and 1989, respectively. He is an expert in the field of brainstem control of cardiorespiratory function, having published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in this area. His research career is focused on how the autonomic nervous system and, particularly, specific populations of neurons in the brainstem control heart rate, airway resistance, and other essential cardiorespiratory functions. In addition to understanding the role of these neurons in normal physiology, he also seeks to determine how these neurons and networks are altered to initiate and/or sustain cardiorespiratory diseases, particularly the prevalent cardiovascular diseases of obstructive sleep apnea and heart failure.