Dr. Virend Somers is a consultant cardiologist in the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Clinic, with joint appointments in the Division of Nephrology and Internal Medicine and the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering. Somers also directs the Cardiovascular Facility and the Sleep Facility within the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. He holds the Alice Sheets Marriott Professorship at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Somers earned his medical degrees at the University of Natal in South Africa. He served as registrar in anesthesiology in South Africa and completed a residency in general, neurosurgical, obstetric, pediatric and cardiac anesthesia at King Edward Hospital. He received his doctor of philosophy degree from Oxford University. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Somers actively serves in professional organizations, including the American Physiological Society and the American Heart Association. In addition, he is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and American College of Cardiology, and he serves on the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board of the National Institutes of Health. He has been elected to membership of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the AAP and the Association of University Cardiologists.