For over 40 years at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Vercellotti has focused on studies of inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular biology, atherosclerosis, and sickle cell disease (SCD). His laboratory pioneered investigations of how the vasculature can adapt to oxidative stress and hemoglobin/heme by inducing cellular cytoprotectants including heme oxygenase-1, carbon monoxide, and ferritin.