Division Faculty

Contact Information:
Email:  william.cushman@va.gov
Office:  (901) 577-7357

Clinical/Research Interests:
Pharmacologic and lifestyle therapy for prevention and treatment of hypertension and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in large outcome clinical trials.   Specific areas of research have included exercise, alcohol, potassium, weight and sodium interventions for prevention or treatment of hypertension; hypertension in the elderly, African-Americans, and people with diabetes mellitus; blood pressure measurement and treatment goals; blood pressure control in populations and in trials; comparative antihypertensive efficacy of, predictors of, response to, and effects on morbidity and mortality of antihypertensive agents and other interventions.

MD Degree:  University of Mississippi
Residency:  University of Mississippi
Joined UT:  1988

Biographical Information:
Dr. Cushman is Professor of Preventive Medicine and Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis.  He is also Chief of the Preventive Medicine Section at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Memphis, Lead Hypertension Consultant to Medical Service in Central Office of the VA, on the Executive Committee that wrote the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored Seventh (2003) Joint National Committee Report on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hypertension (JNC 7) and has been selected to serve on JNC 8.  He has been an investigator in many clinical studies relating to hypertension and cardiovascular disease prevention.  He was Chairman for PATHS (Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension Study), a VA Cooperative Study (multicenter clinical trial) examining the effects of reducing alcohol intake on blood pressure in heavy drinkers, is on the Executive and Steering Committees for the NHLBI-sponsored Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), and is Principal Investigator for the VA Clinical Center Network and Chair of the Blood Pressure Working Group of the NHLBI-sponsored Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial (2000-2010).

Recent Publications:

Journal Articles

1. Gerstein HC, Miller ME, Byington RP, Goff DC, Jr, Bigger JT, Buse JB, Cushman WC, Genuth S, Ismail-Beigi F, Grimm RH, Jr, Probstfield JL, Simons-Morton DG, Friedewald WT for the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Study Group. Effects of intensive glucose lowering in type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2008;358:2545-2559.
2. Carter BL, Einhorn PT, Brands M, He J, Cutler JA, Whelton PK, Bakris GL, Brancati FL, Cushman WC, Oparil S, Wright JT, Jr. Thiazide-induced dysglycemia: call for research from a Working Group from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Hypertension. 2008;52:30-36.
3. Calhoun DA, Jones D, Textor S, Goff DC, Murphy TP, Toto RD, White A, Cushman WC, White W, Sica D, Ferdinand K, Giles TD, Falkner B, Carey RM. Resistant hypertension: diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Professional Education Committee of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research. Circulation. 2008;117:e510-e526.
4. Moser M, Cushman WC, Ziegler MG. The treatment of hypertension in the elderly. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2008;10:58-68.
5. Cushman WC, Neutel JM, Saunders E, Bakris GL, Ferdinand KC, Ofili EO, Sowers JR, Madder R, Weber MA. Efficacy and safety of fixed combinations of irbesartan/hydrochlorothiazide in older vs younger patients with hypertension uncontrolled with monotherapy. Am J Geriatr Cardiol. 2008;17:27-36.
6. Moser M, Cushman WC, Kaplan NM. Control of blood pressure: does it matter which agent you use? J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007;9:964-973.
7. Cushman WC. What should our blood pressure goal be in diabetes? J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007;9:823-826.
8. Cushman WC. JNC-7 guidelines: are they still relevant? Curr Hypertens Rep. 2007;9:380-386.
9. Margolis KL, Piller LB, Ford CE, Henriquez MA, Cushman WC, Einhorn PT, Colon PJ, Vidt DG, Christian R, Wong ND, Wright JT, Goff DC, for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Blood pressure control in Hispanic participants in the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Hypertension. 2007;50:854-861.
10. Barzilay J, Grimm R, Cushman W, Bertoni AG, Basile J. Getting to goal blood pressure: why reserpine deserves a second look. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007;9:591-594.
11. Jamerson K, Bakris GL, Dahlof B, Pitt B, Velazquez E, Gupte J, Lefkowitz M, Hester A, Shi V, Kjeldsen SE, Cushman W, Papademetriou V, Weber M. Exceptional early blood pressure control rates: The ACCOMPLISH trial. Blood Press. 2007;16:80-86.
12. Cushman WC, Grimm RH, Cutler JA, Evans GW, Capes S, Corson MA, Sadler LS, Alderman MH, Peterson K, Bertoni A, Basile JN, for the ACCORD Study Group. Rationale and design for the blood pressure intervention of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial. Am J Cardiol. 2007;99(Suppl I):44i-55i.
13. Buse JB, Bigger JT, Byington RP, Cooper LS, Cushman WC, Friedewald WT, Genuth S, Gerstein HC, Ginsberg HN, Goff DC, Grimm RH, Jr, Margolis KL, Probstfield JL, Simons-Morton DG, Sullivan MD for the ACCORD Study Group. Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Trial: design and methods. Am J Cardiol. 2007;99(Suppl I):21i-33i.
14. Goff DC, Gerstein HC, Ginsberg HN, Cushman WC, Margolis KL, Byington RP, Buse JB, Genuth S, Probstfield JL, Simons-Morton DG for the ACCORD Study Group. Prevention of cardiovascular disease in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Current knowledge and rationale for the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial. Am J Cardiol. 2007;99(Suppl I):4i-20i.
15. Moser M, Oparil S, Cushman W, Papademetriou V. The ALLHAT study revisited: Do newer data from this trial and others indicate changes in treatment guidelines? J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2007;9:372-380.
16. Einhorn PT, Davis BR, Massie BM, Cushman WC, Piller LB, Simpson LM, Levy D, Nwachuku CE, Black HR, for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. The Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) Heart Failure Validation Study: diagnosis and prognosis. Am Heart J. 2007:153:42-53.
17. Cushman WC, Basile J. Achieving blood pressure goals: why aren’t we? J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2006;8:865-872.
18. Cushman WC. Presentation of the SSCI Founders' Medal for 2006 to Kent A. Kirchner, MD, FACP, FAHA. Am J Med Sci. 2006;332:228-229.
19. The DREAM (Diabetes REduction Assessment with ramipril and rosiglitazone Medication) Trial Investigators. Effect of rosiglitazone on the frequency of diabetes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose: a randomized controlled trial. Lancet. 2006;368:1096-1105.
20. DREAM Trial Investigators. Effect of ramipril on the incidence of diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:1551-1562.
21. Leenen FHH, Nwachuku CE, Black HR, Cushman WC, Davis BR, Simpson LM, Alderman MH, Atlas SA, Basile JN, Cuyjet AB, Dart R, Felicetta JV, Haywood LJ, Jafri SZA, Proschan MA, Thadani U, Whelton PK, Wright JT, for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Clinical events in high-risk hypertensive patients randomized to calcium channel blocker vs. ACE-inhibitor in ALLHAT. Hypertension. 2006;48:374-384.
22. Sowers JR, Neutel JM, Saunders E, Bakris GL, Cushman WC, Ferdinand KC, Ofili EO, Weber MA, on behalf of the INCLUSIVE Investigators. Antihypertensive efficacy of irbesartan/HCTZ in men and women with the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2006;8:470–480.
23. Moser M, Cushman W, Handler J. Resistant or difficult-to-treat hypertension. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2006;8:434-440.
24. Ofili EO, Ferdinand KC, Saunders E, Neutel JM, Bakris GL, Cushman WC, Sowers JR, Weber MA. Irbesartan/HCTZ fixed combinations in patients of different racial/ethnic groups with uncontrolled systolic blood pressure on monotherapy. J Natl Med Assoc. 2006;98:618-626.
25. Berlowitz DR, Cushman WC, Glassman P. Hypertension in adults across age groups. JAMA. 2005;294:2970-2971 (letter).
26. Neutel JM, Saunders E, Bakris GL, Cushman WC, Ferdinand KC, Ofili EO, Sowers JR, Weber MA; on behalf of the INCLUSIVE Investigators. The efficacy and safety of low- and high-dose fixed combinations of irbesartan/HCTZ in patients with uncontrolled systolic blood pressure on monotherapy: the INCLUSIVE trial. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2005;7:578–586.
27. Moser M, Basile J, Cushman W. Hypertension, renal disease, and cardiovascular outcomes. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2005;7:479-484.
28. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on Future Directions in Hypertension Treatment Trials. Major clinical trials of hypertension: what should be done next? Hypertension. 2005;46:1-6.
29. Moser M, Pickering TG, Cushman WC. Roundtable discussion: the role of Beta blockers in the management of hypertension. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2005;7:295-299.
30. Whelton PK, Barzilay J, Cushman WC, Davis BR, Ilamathi E, Kostis JB, Leenen FHH, Louis GT, Margolis K, Mathis DE, Moloo J, Nwachuku C, Panebianco D, Parish DC, Pressel S, Simmons DL, Thadani U, for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Clinical outcomes in antihypertensive treatment of type 2 diabetes, impaired fasting glucose concentration, and normoglycemia: Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1401-1409.
31. Wright, JT, Jr, Dunn K, Cutler JA, Davis BR, Cushman WC, Ford CE, Haywood J, Leenen FHH, Margolis K, Papademetriou V, Probstfield JL, Whelton PK, Habib GB for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Outcomes in hypertensive black and nonblack patients treated with chlorthalidone, amlodipine, and lisinopril. JAMA. 2005;293:1595-1608.
32. Moser M, Schocken DD, Basile JN, Cushman WC. Hypertension and heart failure. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2004;6:326-332.
33. Davis BR, Furberg CD, Wright JT Jr, Cutler JA, Whelton P; ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. ALLHAT: setting the record straight. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:39-46.
34. Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL Jr, Jones DW, Materson BJ, Oparil S, Wright JT Jr, Roccella EJ; and the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee. Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2003;42:1206–1252.
35. Cushman WC. Are there benefits to specific antihypertensive drug therapy? Am J Hypertens. 2003;16(11, Pt 2):31-35.
36. ALLHAT Officers and Coordinators for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Diuretic versus alpha-blocker as first-step antihypertensive therapy. Final results from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Hypertension. 2003;42:239-246.
37. Cushman WC. The burden of uncontrolled hypertension: morbidity and mortality associated with disease progression. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) . 2003;5(3 suppl 2):14–22.
38. Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL, Jr., Jones DW, Materson BJ, Oparil S, Wright JT, Jr., Roccella EJ. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure: the JNC 7 report. JAMA. 2003;289:2560-2572.
39. Materson BJ, Williams DW, Reda DJ, Cushman WC. Response to six classes of antihypertensive medications by body mass index in a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2003;5:197-201.
40. The ALLHAT Officers and Coordinators for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Major outcomes in moderately hypercholesterolemic, hypertensive patients randomized to pravastatin vs usual care: The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT-LLT). JAMA. 2002;288:2998-3007.
41. The ALLHAT Officers and Coordinators for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group. Major outcomes in high-risk hypertensive patients randomized to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or calcium channel blocker vs diuretic: The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). JAMA. 2002;288:2981-2997.
42. Piller LB, Davis BR, Cutler JA, Cushman WC, Wright JT, Jr., Williamson JD, Leenen FH, Einhorn PT, Randall OS, Golden JS, Haywood LJ. Validation of heart failure events in the Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) participants assigned to doxazosin and chlorthalidone. Curr Control Trials Cardiovasc Med. 2002;3:10.
43. Cushman WC, Ford CE, Cutler JA, Margolis KL, Davis BR, Grimm RH, Black HR, Hamilton BP, Holland J, Nwachuku C, Papademetriou V, Probstfield J, Wright JT, Jr., Alderman MH, Weiss RJ, Piller L, Bettencourt J, Walsh SM. Success and predictors of blood pressure control in diverse North American settings: the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2002;4:393-404.