Research led by a scientist at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health has identified genes linked to high blood pressure in individuals of African ancestry. The study, “Genome-wide association analysis of blood-pressure traits in African-ancestry individuals reveals common associated genes in African and non-African populations,” was published online August 22 in The American Journal of Human Genetics. Dr. Nora Franceschini, research assistant professor of epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Dr. Xiaofeng Zhu, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and more than 100 international investigators co-led the study, which included nearly 30,000 Americans of African descent.