David M. Cohen

Dr. David M. Cohen is a physician-scientist specializing in the genetics and physiology of osmoregulation (water balance) at the VA Portland Health Care System. He directs the global Genetics of Water Balance Consortium, which investigates genetic associations in water balance phenotypes across major international cohorts, and serves as local site investigator for the Portland arm of the VA's Million Veteran Program where enrollment recently surpassed 11,000 veterans.

His academic training includes:

• B.S. from Pennsylvania State University (1984)
• M.D. from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (1986)
• Internal Medicine Internship/Residency at Boston University Medical Center (1986-1989)
• Research Fellowship at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Laboratory of Molecular Genetics (1993-1995)
• Clinical Fellowship in Nephrology at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School (1992-1993)
• Research Fellowship in Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School (1989-1992)

Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology with an Oregon medical license, Dr. Cohen's research spans cellular physiology, animal models, and human cohort studies. His work focuses on genetic determinants of systemic water balance, clinical electrolyte disorders, and diabetic kidney disease mechanisms, utilizing large-scale genomic approaches through the Million Veteran Program.

As director of the Genetics of Water Balance Consortium, he coordinates international research efforts across multiple veteran cohorts. His leadership in the Portland MVP site has established one of the program's most successful enrollment centers, facilitating groundbreaking research on genetic influences in veteran health outcomes related to fluid homeostasis.