David S. Krantz, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-295-3273
E mail: dskrantz@usuhs.mil
Professor and Chair, Medical & Clinical Psychology
Education: B.S. (1971) in Psychology, City College of New York; Ph.D. (1975) in Psychology, University of Texas at Austin
Curriculum Vitae
Research and Teaching
Recent Publications
Professional Activities
Research and Teaching
Research Topics: Dr. Krantz studies the role of behavior in cardiovascular disorders and on various aspects of psychosocial stress and health. The focus of Dr. Krantz's research is on behavioral factors in coronary heart disease, using both laboratory and field approaches to study the role of mental stress as a trigger of cardiac ischemia (the inadequate supply of blood flow) in coronary patients. This work, in collaboration with researchers at several other institutions, has been funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the MacArthur Foundation. His most recent project examines the role of acute stress as a trigger of life-threatening heart failure.
Methods and Approach: clinic-based and laboratory-based human experiments with cardiovascular patients and healthy volunteers; ambulatory monitoring
Current Grant Support: NHLBI, NIH
Medical Student Teaching: lectures on Medical Psychology and Cardiovascular Diseases
Graduate Student Teaching: graduate courses on Research Methods, Personality, Behavioral Factors in Chronic Disease.
Mentoring: Dr. Krantz has supervised eight doctoral dissertations in Medical Psychology and has trained six post-doctoral fellows. He currently is training four Ph.D. students in his laboratory. Dr. Krantz also mentors junior faculty.
- Behavioral cardiology graduate student biographies
- Krantz Health Opinion Survey scale and validation article in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Selected Recent Publications
Kop WJ, PhD, Weissman NJ Zhu J, Bonsall RW, Doyle M, Stretch MR, Glaes SB, Krantz DS, Gottdiener JS, Tracy RP. Effects of Acute Mental Stress and Exercise on Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Healthy Controls. American Journal of Cardiology, 2008, 15;101(6):767-73.
Rutledge T, Vaccarino V, Johnson BD, Bittner V, Olson MB, Linke SE, Cornell CE, Eteiba W, Sheps DS, Francis J, Krantz DS, Merz CNB, Parashar S, Shaw LJ. Depression and Cardiovascular Healthcare Costs among Women with Suspected Myocardial Ischemia: Prospective Results from the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE). Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2009, 53(2):176-83.
Linke SE, Rutledge T, Johnson BD, Vaccarino V, Bittner V, Cornell CE, Olson MB, Eteiba W, Sheps DS, Krantz DS, Parashar S, Merz CNB. Depressive Symptom Dimensions Predict Cardiovascular Prognosis among Women with Suspected Myocardial Ischemia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2009, 66(5):499-507.
Francis JL, Weinstein AA, Krantz DS, Haigney MC, Stein PK, Stone PH, Gottdiener JS, Kop WJ. Association between Depression and Anxiety with Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators. Psychosomatic Medicine, 2009, 71:821-827.
Krantz DS, Whittaker KW, Francis JL, Rutledge T, Johnson D, Barrow G, McClure S; Sheps DS, York K, Cornell C, Bittner V, Vaccarino V, Eteiba W, Parashar S, MD, Vido DA, Merz CNB. Psychotropic Medication Use and Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Women with Suspected Coronary Artery Disease: Outcomes from the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) Study. Heart, 2009,;95(23):1901-6.
Rutledge T. Linke SE., Krantz DS, Johnson D., Bittner V., Eastwood J., Eteiba W., Pepine CJ., Vaccarino V., Francis J., Vido DA., Bairey Merz, CN. Comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms as predictors of cardiovascular events: Results from the NHLBI-Sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 2009,71(9):958-64.
Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS. Psychosocial risk factors for Coronary Artery Disease: Pathophysiologic Mechanisms. In R. Allan (Ed.), Heart and Mind: Evolution of Cardiac Psychology. Washington DC, APA Press, in press.
Rutledge T, Linke SE, Johnson BD, Bittner V, Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Eastwood JA, Eteiba W, Cornell CE, Pepine CJ, Vido DA, Olson MB, Shaw LJ, Vaccarino V, Bairey Merz CNB. Self-rated versus Objective Health Indicators as Predictors of Cardiovascular-Related Death and Events: the NHLBI-Sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 2010, in press.
Professional Activities
Selected Professional Activities: Dr. Krantz is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. He also is a member of the American Psychosomatic Society. He has served as president of the Health Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, president of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, Editor-in-Chief of Health Psychology, as a Council Member of the American Psychosomatic Society, and as a member of many scientific review panels.
Selected Awards and Honors: American Psychological Association's Early Career Scientific Award (1982), American Psychological Association’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology (1981, 2000).
Contact Information
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799
- MPS Home
- Our mission
- History of the department
- Faculty
- Department Activities
- Graduate Programs
Medical Psychology
-How to Apply
Clin Psychology -How to Apply
Med Psychology -How to Apply - Diversity
- Facilities and Resources
- Grad Student Achievements
- Alumni Achievements
- About the Area
- Contact Us
Center for Deployment Psychology
Center for Health Disparities

