Cyndya A. Shibao, M.D., MSCI, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  Dr. Shibao completed an Internal Medicine Residency, a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology, and a Masters of Science and Clinical Investigation degree at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  As a faculty member of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Dr. Shibao has played a pivotal role in discovering new treatment strategies for patients with rare diseases that affect the autonomic nervous system.  She discovered that blocking the norepinephrine transporter receptor with the selective inhibitor, atomoxetine, enhanced sympathetic activity, increased upright blood pressure, and improved symptoms in neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. This is a novel therapy for this orphan disease; she was funded by the FDA, Office for Orphan Drug Development and is currently leading the national effort to repurpose atomoxetine to treat neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. Dr. Shibao, in collaboration with the Undiagnosed Disease Program, discovered a new genetic disease that affects the autonomic nervous system causing significant orthostatic hypotension.

Dr. Shibao had multiple leadership roles in the American Autonomic Society. She is a Fellow of the American Autonomic Society and Fellow of the American Heart Association.  She is an internationally recognized expert in the diagnosis and management of autonomic disorders.