Raymond R. Townsend, MD - Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Raymond R. Townsend, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Hypertension Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He does clinical care of hypertension patients and research into the mechanisms of how blood pressure contributes to the worsening of kidney disease in patients with already impaired kidney function. Dr. Townsend also studies the development and progression of heart disease and stroke in patients with chronic kidney disease, efforts funded through the National Institutes of Health. He has board certifi cations in Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Clinical Pharmacology, is a certified Hypertension Specialist by the American Society of Hypertension, a Fellow in the American Heart Association and a Fellow of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research. Dr. Townsend publishes in internal medicine, kidney, hypertension, and heart journals. He has a wonderful wife and four kids, two currently in college and two that are beyond college. And he makes a really tasty lasagna.

Debbie Cohen-Stein, MD - Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Debbie L. Cohen, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is Director of the Clinical Hypertension Program, where she takes care of patients with hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and patients who are on dialysis. Dr. Cohen is also involved in clinical research in the areas of hypertension and chronic kidney disease with special clinical and research interest in pheochromocytoma. She has board certifications in both internal medicine and nephrology. Dr. Cohen publishes in internal medicine, kidney, and hypertension journals. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Dr. Cohen has lived in the United States for 14 years. Her husband is also a physician and they have four wonderful sons.