About

Joseph Young is the Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Artistic Director of Ensembles, Assistant Professor, and Chair of Conducting Ensembles at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. He is an American conductor celebrated for his expansive and ingenious style of conducting, vivid interpretations, and ability to forge powerful connections through music. Young has made notable debuts with major orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, Seattle Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Louisville Orchestra. Internationally, he has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE in Madrid, and the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra on tour throughout South Africa. His operatic work includes leading acclaimed productions at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, and Cincinnati Opera. He has been involved in various performances and recordings, including the upcoming release of Joel Puckett’s Short Stories with the London Symphony Orchestra, and performances at Lincoln Center and Omaha Symphony. From 2017 to 2023, Young held a leadership role with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute and National Youth Orchestra programs, culminating in his Carnegie Hall debut and an NYO2 tour of the Dominican Republic. He currently serves on the board of New Music USA and is recognized for his contributions to the field of conducting and orchestral leadership.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Biology
• Genetics
• Cardiology

Selected publications

• A Rapidly Progressing Infectious Nephropathology: What to Do?

  Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical Cases · 2024-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  We encountered a previously healthy 32-year-old woman who developed generalized malaise and was found to have rapidly worsening infectious symptoms, which progressed to septic shock and metabolic encephalopathy. Her diagnosis was initially made with computed tomography of the abdomen and confirmed by renal biopsy, revealing a case of renal malakoplakia. We discuss current knowledge in the epidemiology and pathophysiology of this rare condition and offer a case-based diagnostic and management strategy that led to a successful clinical outcome.

  PublisherDOI

• Association of blood lactate with type 2 diabetes: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI Study

  UNC Libraries · 2020-11-03

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Background Accumulating evidence implicates insufficient oxidative capacity in the development of type 2 diabetes. This notion has not been well tested in large, population-based studies.Methods To test this hypothesis, we assessed the cross-sectional association of plasma lactate, an indicator of the gap between oxidative capacity and energy expenditure, with type 2 diabetes in 1709 older adults not taking metformin, who were participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Carotid MRI Study.Results The prevalence of type 2 diabetes rose across lactate quartiles (11, 14, 20 and 30%; P for trend <0.0001). Following adjustment for demographic factors, physical activity, body mass index and waist circumference, the relative odds of type 2 diabetes across lactate quartiles were 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59–1.64], 1.64 (95% CI 1.03–2.64) and 2.23 (95% CI 1.38–3.59), respectively. Furthermore, lactate was associated with higher fasting glucose among non-diabetic adults.Conclusions Plasma lactate was strongly associated with type 2 diabetes in older adults. Plasma lactate deserves greater attention in studies of oxidative capacity and diabetes risk.

  PublisherDOI

• Single-trait and multi-trait genome-wide association analyses identify novel loci for blood pressure in African-ancestry populations

  UNC Libraries · 2020-04-21 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Hypertension is a leading cause of global disease, mortality, and disability. While individuals of African descent suffer a disproportionate burden of hypertension and its complications, they have been underrepresented in genetic studies. To identify novel susceptibility loci for blood pressure and hypertension in people of African ancestry, we performed both single and multiple-trait genome-wide association analyses. We analyzed 21 genome-wide association studies comprised of 31,968 individuals of African ancestry, and validated our results with additional 54,395 individuals from multi-ethnic studies. These analyses identified nine loci with eleven independent variants which reached genome-wide significance (P < 1.25×10−8) for either systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, or for combined traits. Single-trait analyses identified two loci (TARID/TCF21 and LLPH/TMBIM4) and multiple-trait analyses identified one novel locus (FRMD3) for blood pressure. At these three loci, as well as at GRP20/CDH17, associated variants had alleles common only in African-ancestry populations. Functional annotation showed enrichment for genes expressed in immune and kidney cells, as well as in heart and vascular cells/tissues. Experiments driven by these findings and using angiotensin-II induced hypertension in mice showed altered kidney mRNA expression of six genes, suggesting their potential role in hypertension. Our study provides new evidence for genes related to hypertension susceptibility, and the need to study African-ancestry populations in order to identify biologic factors contributing to hypertension.

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of carbohydrate quality and amount on plasma lactate: results from the OmniCarb trial

  BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care · 2020-08-01 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Plasma lactate is a marker of non-oxidative glucose metabolism associated with progression to diabetes. We examined the effect of carbohydrate quality (glycemic index (GI)) and amount (%kcal) on plasma lactate. We hypothesized that low GI (≤45 (g)) versus high (≥65 (G)) and low %kcal from carbohydrate (40% kcal (c)) versus high (58% kcal (C)) each would reduce lactate levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We measured lactate in OmniCarb, a randomized, cross-over trial of four diets in overweight/obese adults without diabetes or cardiovascular disease (N=163). The four diets were high carbohydrate+high GI (CG, reference), high carbohydrate+low GI (Cg), low carbohydrate+high GI (cG), and low carbohydrate+low GI (cg). Participants (N=163) consumed each of the four diets over a 5-week period, separated by 2-week washout periods. Plasma lactate levels were measured at baseline, during which the participants consumed their own diets, and after each 5-week period. RESULTS: Baseline plasma lactate was 1.2 mmol/L. In the setting of high carbohydrate amount, reducing GI lowered plasma lactate non-significantly by 0.08 mmol/L (Cg vs CG: 95% CI -0.16 to 0.00; p=0.06). In the setting of high GI, reducing carbohydrate amount lowered plasma lactate by 0.10 mmol/L (cG vs CG: 95% CI -0.19 to -0.02; p=0.02). The combined effect of reducing GI and carbohydrate proportion in the diet (cg vs CG) was similar (cg vs CG: -0.08; 95% CI -0.16 to 0.00; p=0.04). All four diets reduced plasma lactate compared with baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with a diet with high GI and high carbohydrate amount, diets with low GI and/or low carbohydrate amount reduced plasma lactate. Whether this change in lactate leads to long-term change in glucose metabolism needs to be examined. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00608049.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Diabetes Medication Use and Blood Lactate Level among Participants with Type 2 Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI Study

  UNC Libraries · 2020-11-07

  articleOpen access

  BackgroundThe objective of this study is to compare lactate levels between users and non-users of diabetes medications under the hypothesis that the level of lactate is a marker of oxidative capacity.MethodsThe cross-sectional data of 493 participants aged 61–84 with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI study were analyzed using survey weighted linear regression.ResultsMedian plasma lactate level was 8.58 (95% CI: 8.23, 8.87) mg/dl. Comparing users of diabetic medications with non-users, thiazolidinedione use was significantly associated with lower lactate level (7.57 (6.95–8.25) mg/dL vs. 8.78 (8.43–9.14) mg/dL), metformin use with a slightly higher lactate level (9.02 (8.51–9.58) mg/dL vs. 8.36 (7.96–8.77) mg/dL), and sulfonylurea and insulin use were not associated with lactate level. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, the plasma lactate level for thiazolidinedione users was 15.78% lower than that for non-users (p<0.001). Considering use of each medication separately and in combination did not change the results.ConclusionIn conclusion, thiazolidinedione use was associated with lower plasma lactate level compared to non-use and metformin use was only marginally associated with a slightly higher lactate level. These results are consistent with the previously demonstrated effects of diabetes medications on oxidative metabolism. Further investigation of the role that diabetes medications play in improvement of oxidative metabolism is warranted.

  PublisherDOI

• Mitochondrial DNA copy number and diabetes: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study

  BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care · 2020-08-01 · 29 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  INTRODUCTION: Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) is a measure of mitochondrial dysfunction and is associated with diabetes in experimental models. To explore the temporality of mitochondrial dysfunction and diabetes, we estimated the prevalent and incident association of mtDNA-CN and diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We assessed the associations of mtDNA-CN measured from buffy coat with prevalent and incident diabetes, stratified by race, in 8954 white and 2444 black participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, an observational cohort study. Follow-up for incident analyses was complete through visit 6, 2016. RESULTS: Mean age at mtDNA-CN measurement was 57 years and 59% were female. Prevalence of diabetes at time of mtDNA-CN measurement was higher in blacks (563/2444, 23%) than whites (855/8954, 10%). The fully adjusted odds of prevalent diabetes for the 10th vs 90th percentile of mtDNA-CN was 1.05 (95% CI 0.74 to 1.49) among black and 1.49 (95% CI 1.20 to 1.85) among white participants. Over a median follow-up time of 19 years (Q1, Q3: 11, 24 years), we observed 617 incident diabetes cases among 1744 black and 2121 cases among 7713 white participants free of diabetes at baseline. The fully adjusted hazard of incident diabetes for the 10th vs 90th percentile of mtDNA-CN was 1.07 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.38) among black and 0.97 (95% CI 0.86 to 1.10) among white participants. CONCLUSIONS: Lower mtDNA-CN in buffy coat was associated with prevalent diabetes in white but not black ARIC participants. Lower mtDNA-CN was not associated with incident diabetes over 20 years of follow-up in whites or blacks.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Overweight/obesity among social network members has an inverse relationship with Baltimore public housing residents' BMI

  Preventive Medicine Reports · 2019-01-27 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  The American Heart Association has encouraged networks research focused on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, such as obesity. However, little network research has focused on minorities or low-income populations. Our objective was to characterize the relationship between body mass index (BMI) with social network overweight/obesity among public housing residents in Baltimore, MD - a predominantly black, low-income group. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected public housing residences (8/2014–8/2015). Adults had their height and weight measured and reported their network members' weight statuses using pictograms. Our dependent variable was respondents' BMI, and independent variable was perceived exposure to overweight/obesity in the social network. We also explored network exposure to overweight/obesity among 1) family members and 2) friends. We used multivariable linear regression adjusted for significant covariates. Our sample included 255 adults with mean age of 44.4 years, 85.5% women, 95.7% black, and mean BMI of 33.2 kg/m2. Most network members were overweight/obese (56.1%). For every 1% increase in network exposure to overweight/obesity, individuals' BMI decreased by 0.05 kg/m2 (p = 0.06). As network exposure to overweight/obesity among friends increased, individuals' BMI significantly decreased by 0.06 kg/m2 (p = 0.04). There was no significant relationship between BMI and network exposure to overweight/obesity among family members. In conclusion, among Baltimore public housing residents, a statistically significant, inverse association existed between individuals' BMI and overweight/obesity among friends in their social networks. Our results differ from relationships seen in prior studies of other populations, which may be due to racial and/or contextual differences between studies.

  PublisherDOI

• Perceived Diet and Exercise Behaviors Among Social Network Members With Personal Lifestyle Habits of Public Housing Residents

  Health Education & Behavior · 2018-02-19 · 23 citations

  article

  Our objective was to characterize the relationship between public housing residents' diet/exercise habits with similar behaviors among their social network. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected households in Baltimore, Maryland, from August 2014 to August 2015. Adult heads of household completed questions on diet, exercise, and perceived habits among network members. Our dependent variables were high added sugar intake (≥39.9 teaspoons/day), high fruit/vegetable intake (≥6.1 servings/day), and being physically active (≥moderately activity). Our network exposures were proportion of members perceived to daily consume (1) sugar-sweetened beverages, (2) sweets, (3) fruits, and (4) vegetables, as well as to weekly exercise (1) vigorously or (2) moderately. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine associations between habits with relevant network exposures. Our sample included 266 adults with mean age of 44.5 years, 86.1% women and 95.5% African American. We found a statistically significant association between study participants' high daily intake of added sugar with perceived network exposure to daily sugar-sweetened beverages (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.02, 1.20]) and daily sweets (OR = 1.10, 95% CI [1.02, 1.20]). Greater network exposure to weekly vigorous exercise was significantly associated with personally being physically active (OR = 1.15, 95% CI [1.04, 1.28]), but not network exposure to weekly moderate exercise. Among public housing residents, associations exist between individuals' and perceived networks' lifestyle habits of high added sugar foods consumption and vigorous exercise, which may hold promise for future social network interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• Single-trait and multi-trait genome-wide association analyses identify novel loci for blood pressure in African-ancestry populations

  PLoS Genetics · 2017-05-12 · 130 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Hypertension is a leading cause of global disease, mortality, and disability. While individuals of African descent suffer a disproportionate burden of hypertension and its complications, they have been underrepresented in genetic studies. To identify novel susceptibility loci for blood pressure and hypertension in people of African ancestry, we performed both single and multiple-trait genome-wide association analyses. We analyzed 21 genome-wide association studies comprised of 31,968 individuals of African ancestry, and validated our results with additional 54,395 individuals from multi-ethnic studies. These analyses identified nine loci with eleven independent variants which reached genome-wide significance (P < 1.25×10-8) for either systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, or for combined traits. Single-trait analyses identified two loci (TARID/TCF21 and LLPH/TMBIM4) and multiple-trait analyses identified one novel locus (FRMD3) for blood pressure. At these three loci, as well as at GRP20/CDH17, associated variants had alleles common only in African-ancestry populations. Functional annotation showed enrichment for genes expressed in immune and kidney cells, as well as in heart and vascular cells/tissues. Experiments driven by these findings and using angiotensin-II induced hypertension in mice showed altered kidney mRNA expression of six genes, suggesting their potential role in hypertension. Our study provides new evidence for genes related to hypertension susceptibility, and the need to study African-ancestry populations in order to identify biologic factors contributing to hypertension.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Urinary metabolites along with common and rare genetic variations are associated with incident chronic kidney disease

  Kidney International · 2017-03-14 · 61 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01DK085458

  NIH · $1.4M · 2014

• NIH Grant K23RR016056

  NIH · $705k · 2007

Frequent coauthors

• Christie M. Ballantyne

  Baylor College of Medicine

  35 shared

• Ron C. Hoogeveen

  Baylor College of Medicine

  34 shared

• Frederick L. Brancati

  30 shared

• María Inês Schmidt

  Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

  27 shared

• Daniel Levy

  National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

  25 shared

• Josef Coresh

  Bloomberg (United States)

  21 shared

• Susan Redline

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  20 shared

• Winfried März

  University Medical Centre Mannheim

  20 shared