At SIU School of Medicine, the story of hypertension research doesn’t begin in a distant lab. It begins in the clinic, often with a patient who has run out of options. A provider reviews the numbers. Despite multiple medications, lifestyle changes and follow-up visits, blood pressure remains stubbornly high. In that moment, a different path forward is offered: enrollment in a clinical trial conducted by SIU’s Hypertension Clinic. These trials are not theoretical with no practical outcome. They are active, evidence-based and available right here in central and southern Illinois. One of SIU’s