Biography
Dr. David P. Hajjar received his B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry. When he left the University of New Hampshire in 1978, he pursued postdoctoral training at Cornell University, and at Rockefeller University, where he trained in the laboratory of Christian de Duve. He joined the Cornell Faculty at the Medical College in 1981, and was appointed a full, tenured professor in 1989 - one of the youngest in the history of the Medical College. In 1997, he became Dean of the Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Rhodes Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Genetics. At that time, he became a member of Cornell Medical College's Board of Overseers. In 2000, he was appointed Vice Provost of the Faculty, and in 2003, Executive Vice Dean at the Medical College.
He is a distinguished, highly-funded investigator by the NIH who has contributed over 150 scientific publications, which has earned him international recognition as a leader in the field of vascular biology, particularly in the regulation of cholesterol trafficking and metabolism. His major research accomplishments include the following:
1. Discovered the neutral cholesteryl esterase in the vessel wall
2. Identified the regulatory elements in the cholesteryl esterase enzyme that control cholesterol efflux
3. Discovered the role of herpesvirus infection in atherogenesis
4. Identified a major role of eicosanoids and nitrogen oxides in the control of cholesterol metabolism
5. Identified CD36 as a major scavenger receptor in oxidized lipoprotein trafficking
