Miguel Cruz

Miguel Cruz, Ph.D., is a Professor and Division Chief of the Division of Thrombosis Research in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He also serves as Co-Director of the Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CTRID) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and holds a Research Health Scientist appointment there. His primary affiliation is with the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Cruz completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (1989), followed by postdoctoral training in Protein Biochemistry at Harvard Medical School (1994). He also holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico and advanced training in hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

His research focuses on thrombosis mechanisms, particularly the interplay between von Willebrand factor (vWF), platelet adhesion, and inflammation. Key interests include hemolytic thrombosis, extracellular hemoglobin effects, vimentin’s role in vascular injury, and translational applications of thromboinflammation research. He has pioneered studies on vWF-Vimentin interactions under high shear stress and their implications in stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Cruz leads NIH-funded grants totaling over $5 million, including studies on microvascular thrombosis in systemic inflammation (R01GM112806), molecular mechanisms of hemolytic thrombosis (R01HL154688), and collaborative thrombosis/inflammation training programs (R01HL154688). His work bridges basic science and clinical translation, with particular emphasis on inflammatory disease pathophysiology.

His laboratory is located at the CTRID facility in Houston, Texas, and collaborates extensively with VA Medical Center resources. Dr. Cruz contributes to academic leadership through his divisional role and membership in the International Society of Hemostasis and Thrombosis.