Center seeks to curtail cardiovascular disease in Central Appalachia East Tennessee State Universityâs College of Public Health on Monday launched a new cardiovascular risk research center that aims to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease on the region, while addressing health disparities in Central Appalachia. âFrom a public health perspective, if you look at the populations in Central Appalachia, in terms of cardiovascular health outcomes and cardiovascular risk, and you compare it to the rest of the nation you see major disparities, in terms of the outcomes and risks,âÂ...