Mark Pletcher, MD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and general internal medicine physician whose research is designed to inform clinical decision making and policy relevant to primary care and prevention. He focuses on prevention of cardiovascular disease and has particular interests in early life causes of atherosclerosis, blood pressure control, clinical decision making regarding use of preventive medications and use of technology to improve health. He directs the informatics core for the University of California, San Francisco (USCF) Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, teaches clinical research methods, and is interim chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UCSF.