Curt D. Sigmund, PhD, FAPS

Curt D. Sigmund, PhD, FAPS

Biography

Curt Sigmund, PhD, FAPS, is the James J. Smith & Catherine Welsch Smith Chair of Physiology and chair of the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. His major areas of research focus on the central nervous system and vascular mechanisms of blood pressure regulation utilizing a combination of molecular biological, genetic, pharmacological and physiological approaches. He was an associate editor of Physiological Genomics and was the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Sigmund served as chair of the Joint Program and Publications committees and an elected Councilor of APS. He recently completed a two-year term as chair of the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension. He received the Arthur C. Corcoran Memorial Lecture (2007) and Excellence in Hypertension Research (2009) awards from the Council on Hypertension of the American Heart Association. Sigmund has been recognized with awards from APS, including the Henry Pickering Bowditch Award (2000), Ernest H. Starling Distinguished Lecturer (2011), Distinguished Lecturer in Physiological Genomics (2016), Carl J. Wiggers Award from the Cardiovascular Section (2018), Walter B. Cannon Distinguished Lecture Award (2023) and the APS President’s Service Award (2024).

Statement

The American Physiological Society is my academic home. APS provided me with my first opportunities to present and publish our science and to be part of a community of like-minded individuals interested in physiological research. APS subsequently provided some of the most valuable early opportunities for leadership that promoted my advancement as a scientist and institutional leader. I was honored to serve three terms on the APS Council: two ex officio as chair of the Joint Program (JPC) and Publications Committees (PC), and one as an elected member during which I participated in the development of strategic plans. As the spokesperson for the JPC and PC, I felt that we made important contributions to the Society and profession through long-term planning. These appointments, and others in the American Heart Association and my academic institutions, have provided me the leadership and character-building experiences necessary to be an effective APS president and to help guide the Society during a time of challenge. I think of myself as an “institutionalist,” meaning that I intend to work to benefit the Society and its partner members. I have learned firsthand the importance of consensus building through listening and fostering open and transparent dialog, working with others to build and champion a shared “cause,” and addressing, embracing, and adapting to change through identifying, articulating and developing innovative approaches to problems both at the bench and as a professional leader. My role as APS president will be to faithfully represent the many diverse constituencies of the society, maintain the high standards for science and education and to partner with sections, interest groups and committees to work toward the betterment of the APS. I look forward to guiding the Society through its current and next strategic plans. Serving as APS president would be greatest honor of my career.