Michael John Klag, MD, MPH
Highlights
Languages
- English
Gender
MaleJohns Hopkins Affiliations:
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Michael John Klag
Professional Titles
- Former Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Primary Academic Title
Professor of Medicine
Background
Dr. Michael J. Klag is a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He holds joint appointments in epidemiology and in health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His areas of clinical expertise include general internal medicine.
Dr. Klag served as the dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 2005 to 2017.
He is an internist and epidemiologist who earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania and his master’s in public health degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. For eight years, he was director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and was the first vice dean for clinical investigation at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he instituted new policies and procedures for oversight of human subject research.
Dr. Klag is a world-renowned kidney disease epidemiologist whose scientific contributions have been in the prevention and epidemiology of kidney disease, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. He was one of the earliest investigators to apply epidemiologic methods to the study of kidney disease. In doing so, he and his collaborators were able to first determine that the U.S. was in the midst of an epidemic of end-stage kidney disease, determine the incidence of kidney disease, and publish the risk of developing kidney disease associated with blood pressure, diabetes, race, socioeconomic status and other factors. These findings are considered landmark contributions.
He directs one of the longest running longitudinal studies in existence, the Precursors Study, which began in 1946. Results of that study demonstrated that serum cholesterol measured at age 22 years predicts cardiovascular disease in midlife. This work had a profound impact on the policy related to cholesterol screening in young people. He has also shown that health behaviors and other factors lead to the development of hypertension, and that differences in risk of hypertension in urban and non-urban societies can be explained by differences in health behaviors.
Dr. Klag is the author of more than 200 publications and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Johns Hopkins Family Health Book.
Centers and Institutes
Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests
Cardiovascular, Epidemiology, Genetic markers, Health policy and management, Hypertension, Kidney disease, Precursors Study, Renal failure
Lab Website
Michael Klag Lab
- The Michael Klag Lab focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Our research determined that the U.S. was experiencing an epidemic of end-stage kidney disease, pinpointed the incidence of kidney disease and published scholarship on risk factors for kidney disease such as race, diabetes and socioeconomic status. Our Precursors Study has shown that serum cholesterol measured at age 22 years is a predictor for midlife cardiovascular disease, a finding that has influenced policy about cholesterol screening in young adults. We also research health behaviors that lead to hypertension and study how differences in these behaviors affect urban and non-urban populations.
Selected Publications
Astor BC, Eustace JA, Klag MJ, Powe NR, Longenecker JC, Fink NE, Marcovina SM, Coresh J. “Race-specific association of lipoprotein(a) with vascular access interventions in hemodialysis patients: The CHOICE Study.” Kidn Internatl. 2002;61(3):1115-1123
Berenholtz SM, Pronovost PJ, Mullany D, Garrett E, Ness PM, Dorman T, Klag MJ. “Predictors of transfusion for spinal surgery in Maryland, 1997-2000.” Transfusion. 2002;42:183-9
Chang PP, Ford DE, Meoni LA, Wang N-Y, Klag MJ. “Anger in young men and subsequent premature cardiovascular disease: The Precursors Study.” Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:901-906.
Houston TK, Meoni LA, Ford DE, Brancati FL, Cooper LA, Levine DM, Liang K-Y, Klag MJ. “Sports ability in young men and incidence of cardiovascular disease.” Am J Medicine. 2002;112:689-695.
Klag MJ, Wang NY, Meoni LA, Brancati FL, Cooper L, Liang KY, Young JH, Ford DE. Coffee Intake and Risk of Hypertension: The Johns Hopkins Precursors Study. Arch Intern Med 2002;162:657-662.
Honors
- James D. Bruce Memorial Award, American College of Physicians, 1/1/13
- Champion of Public Health Award, 1/1/04
- David M. Levine Excellence in Mentoring Award, 1/1/03
- Raine Visiting Professor, The University of Western Australia, 1/1/99
- Fellow, American College of Physicians, 1/1/97
- Delta Omega National Public Health Honorary Society, Alpha Chapter, 1/1/93
- Established Investigator, American Heart Association, 1/1/91
Professional Activities
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Associate Director for General Medicine, 1/1/96 - 1/1/01
- Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Interim Director, 1/1/00 - 1/1/01
- Johns Hopkins Hospital, Interim Physician-in-Chief, 1/1/00 - 1/1/01
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Vice Dean for Clinical Investigation, 1/1/01 - 1/1/05
- The Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Interim Director, 1/1/96 - 1/1/97