Citation of Merit recipient Greg Flaker, MD '76, describes his stroke prevention research to alumni during homecoming.
Citation of Merit
GREG C. FLAKER, MD '76
Greg C. Flaker, MD, a 1976 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Medicine, is the recipient of the University of Missouri School of Medicine's highest honor, the Citation of Merit.
A St. Louis native, Dr. Flaker earned his undergraduate degree at MU while serving as a co-captain of the University's basketball team during his senior year. After completing his residency in internal medicine at MU, Dr. Flaker pursued advanced training in cardiology at The Ohio State University. He is now the Wes and Simone Sorenson Chair in Cardiovascular Research and a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the MU School of Medicine.
Since returning to MU in 1981, Dr. Flaker has served as director of the university's Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Electrophysiology Laboratory, Cardiology Fellowship Program and cardiology research program. He also directed MU's Division of Cardiology from 1997 to 2004.
Dr. Flaker is widely recognized as a clinical investigator, particularly for his studies dealing with anticoagulant therapy. He has served on more than 15 national committees for clinical trials and studies, including steering committees for such landmark trials as the Prevention of Events with Ace inhibition (PEACE) Study, the Prevention of Stroke and Systemic Embolic Events in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (SPORTIF) Trial and the Apixaban VErsus ASA to Reduce the Rate of Embolic Stroke (AVERROES) Trial. He served as a national coordinator of the Study of Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation (RE-LY) Trial, a landmark study published in 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating that an oral inhibitor of thrombin is effective in reducing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Dr. Flaker has delivered hundreds of invited presentations around the globe, including plenary presentations at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions, the top clinical meeting in the world for cardiologists. His research has appeared in more than 145 peer-reviewed publications, having achieved his fifth appearance as an author in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002. Other articles of Dr. Flaker's have appeared in The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Consistently listed as one of the best doctors in America, Dr. Flaker is regarded as a role model by many students, residents and fellows. In 2002, he was appointed to the Order of Socrates for his contributions to education at MU's medical school. MU's Medical Alumni Organization presented him with the Outstanding Young Physician Award in 1994 and Distinguished Service Award in 2003. He also received MU's Distinguished Faculty Award in 2003. In 2007, he received the University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics Service Hero Award. He also has received the Hugh Stephenson Award for research from the Missouri affiliate of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Flaker has held countless other leadership and service positions at MU, including his role as chair of the medical school's Data Safety and Monitoring Board. He also has served many years on the MU School of Medicine Foundation Board, and he is a governor for the Missouri Affiliate of the American College of Cardiology.
