Dr. Whelton is the Show Chwan Endowed Chair in Global Public Health at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and Immediate Past President, World Hypertension League. A University College Cork/National University of Ireland medical graduate (MB, BCh, BAO), he trained in medicine & nephrology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, clinical epidemiology at the University of London (MSc), clinical trials conduct at the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit in London, and prevention research at University College Cork/National University of Ireland (MD).

His research includes blood pressure-related cardiovascular and kidney disease epidemiology, prevention, clinical trials, and global health. He has chaired many US National Institutes of Health funded multicenter studies, including the Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP), Trial of Nonpharmacologic Interventions in the Elderly (TONE), Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), and Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). He has also chaired many US clinical practice guidelines, including the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (AHA) BP Guideline, and contributed to the 2021 WHO BP Treatment Guideline, the 2024 AHA/ASA Stroke Prevention Guideline, and 2025 AHA/ACC BP Guideline. A recipient of two honorary doctoral degrees, he was awarded the AHA Population Research Prize, AHA Excellence in Hypertension Research Award, AHA Distinguished Scientist Award, and National Kidney Foundation David M. Hume Memorial Award. He has published close to 630 peer reviewed manuscripts and 100 books, chapters, supplements, or monographs, including the current hypertension chapters for the Harrisons (Internal Medicine), Fuster and Hurst (Cardiology), and Brenner and Rector (Nephrology) textbooks. With an H Inex of 156, i10 index of 522, and >176, 000 citations, he is one of the most referenced hypertension authors in the world.