When someone is diagnosed with a chronic disease, it’s not just their life that changes. Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Professor Misook Lee Chung, PhD, FAAN, FAHA, FESC, studies the
impact of chronic disease on patients and their family caregivers—and develops interventions that support both.
An internationally recognized expert in dyadic research, Chung’s work focuses on the dynamic, interdependent relationship between patients and their family caregivers in cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke or dementia.
In March, she received the endowed Valere Potter Menefee Chair in Nursing at Vanderbilt University, one of the highest honors given to faculty members in recognition of peerless achievement in their discipline.
Her interest in researching cardiovascular health kickstarted at her first job working as a cardiac nurse in an intensive care unit. There, she watched patients and family members interact. While patients with cardiovascular disease typically stayed at the hospital for a week or less, the rest of their complex care was frequently managed by family members at home.
“One in every four adults in America are caring for someone with health issues outside of the hospital setting, and most people who are family caregivers don’t think they are caregivers,” she says. “Caregiving today involves using advanced technology to manage the complicated and complex health care that cardiovascular patients often need at home. As a society, we overlook the toll this takes on family caregivers and ignore their stress, depression and physical impact of providing care.”
Chung also watched her own father have a stroke at 52. Her mother was his dedicated caregiver for 30 years. While she and her siblings believed that her mother was holding up well, they discovered that both her mental and physical health was deteriorating after her father passed. “My parents’ experience is an example of how important it is to improve both patient and caregiver’s lives,” she says.
Among the interventions Chung has developed is the Sodium Watchers Program, which helps patients with heart failure gradually cut back on dietary salt, where patients and caregivers work as a team and go step-by-step. She has also expanded this strategy to adults with high blood pressure.
Since joining the School of Nursing in 2025, Chung has received a VUSN Health Equity Scholar grant to study how Black caregivers approach their own self-care and whether they recognize their risk for cardiovascular disease.
“Caregiving touches everyone during their life,” she says. “We will all encounter it in some way. I believe caregivers who practice healthy self-care are better able to provide high quality support to their ill family members.”
Going forward, Chung’s next cardiovascular research goal is to develop efficient, inclusive ways to deliver self-care education to family caregivers and people living with chronic disease, using innovative modern technology to reach more individuals and communities. She also plans to launch a high blood pressure awareness project and is developing new collaborative research ideas with VUSN PhD and DNP faculty.