Eliseo Guallar

Chair and Professor of the Department of Epidemiology

Professional overview

Dr. Guallar is an epidemiologist whose research is focused on the study of cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention, with an emphasis on evaluating the role of environmental and nutritional exposures in the development of cardiovascular disease. This research has made critically important and novel contributions to our understanding of risk factors for chronic disease both in the US and globally. He has published seminal articles and is a leading figure in an emerging field highlighting the risks of exposure to levels of metals previously considered safe for cardiovascular health. In addition to his work in toxic metals, Dr. Guallar has made important contributions to understanding the effects of certain micronutrients and vitamin supplements on cardiovascular disease risk and outcomes. Publications in this area were influential in changing consumer habits and attitudes towards these products. Much of this research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Heart Association, the CDC, and other funders.

Dr. Guallar was the founding director of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology at the Samsung Medical Center and a lead investigator of the Kangbuk Samsung Cohort Study at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital since its inception in 2010. Dr. Guallar has published over 500 research papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is also a Deputy Editor for Methods at the Annals of Internal Medicine and a past member and Chair of the Cancer, Heart, and Sleep Study Section at the National Institutes of Health.

Prior to teaching at NYU, Dr. Guallar was a Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and a core faculty member of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins. In the Department of Epidemiology, Dr. Guallar was the Director of the Environmental and Occupational Area of Concentration and the Co-Director of the PhD Program. Dr. Guallar was also an adjunct Professor at the Department of Clinical Research Design and Evaluation of the Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, in Seoul, Korea.

Education

Diploma of English, Spanish Official School of Languages at Zaragoza (Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, Spain

MD, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

MPH, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

DrPH, Harvard University, Boston, MA

Honors and awards

Six Honor Calls in the MD Program, University of Zaragoza School of Medicine (1981)

Fellow of Spain’s Program of Training of Graduate Research of the Ministry of Education and Science, University of Zaragoza (1988)

Fulbright Scholar, sponsored by Spain’s Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs (1989)

Faculty Innovation Award, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2001)

Scientist Development Award, American Heart Association (2002)

Fellow of the American Heart Association, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (2013)

Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award 2014 – 2015, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2015)

High Impact Research Icon, University of Malaya (2015)

Publications

Publications

Mens sana in corpore sano

Podewils, L. J., & Guallar, E. (n.d.).

Publication year

2006

Journal title

Annals of internal medicine

Volume

144

Issue

2

Page(s)

135-136

10.7326/0003-4819-144-2-200601170-00011

Quality of life after acute respiratory distress syndrome: A meta-analysis

Selenium and coronary heart disease: A meta-analysis

Three authors reply [2]

Navas-Acien, A., Sharrett, A. R., & Guallar, E. (n.d.). In American Journal of Epidemiology (1–).

Publication year

2006

Volume

164

Issue

2

Page(s)

195-196

10.1093/aje/kwj198

Vitamin-mineral supplementation and the progression of atherosclerosis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

An editorial update: Annus horribilis for vitamin E

Arsenic exposure and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review of the epidemiologic evidence

Body mass index and incident ischemic heart disease in South Korean men and women

Direct, progressive association of cardiovascular risk factors with incident proteinuria: Results from the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation (KMIC) study

High-dosage vitamin E supplementation and all-cause mortality [1] (multiple letters)

Blatt, D. H., Pryor, W. A., Krishnan, K., Campbell, S., Stone, W. L., Hemilä, H., Lim, W. S., Liscic, R. M., Xiong, C., Morris, J. C., Marras, C., Lang, A. E., Oakes, D., McDermott, M. P., Kieburtz, K., Shoulson, I., Tanner, C. M., Fahn, S., Meydani, S. N., … Pastor-Barriuso, R. (n.d.). In Annals of internal medicine (1–).

Publication year

2005

Volume

143

Issue

2

Page(s)

150-158

10.7326/0003-4819-143-2-200507190-00018

Low toenail chromium concentration and increased risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction

Meta-analysis: High-dosage vitamin E supplementation may increase all-cause mortality

Metals in urine and peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial disease and metals in urine and blood (multiple letters) [3]

Physical activity, APOE genotype, and dementia risk: Findings from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study

Podewils, L. J., Guallar, E., Kuller, L. H., Fried, L. P., Lopez, O. L., Carlson, M., & Lyketsos, C. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2005

Journal title

American Journal of Epidemiology

Volume

161

Issue

7

Page(s)

639-651

10.1093/aje/kwi092

Abstract

Abstract

Physical activity may help preserve cognitive function and decrease dementia risk, but epidemiologic findings are inconsistent. The authors conducted a prospective study to determine the association between physical activity and risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia. The US study population comprised 3,375 men and women aged 65 years or older, free of dementia at baseline, who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study in 1992-2000. Leisure-time energy expenditure and an activity index reflecting number of different physical activities were calculated. Analyses were based on Cox proportional hazards models. There were 480 incident cases of dementia over an average of 5.4 years of follow-up. After multivariate adjustment, participants in the highest quartile of physical energy expenditure had a relative risk of dementia of 0.85 (95% confidence interval: 0.61, 1.19) compared with those in the lowest quartile, and participants engaging in ≥4 activities had a relative risk of dementia of 0.51 (95% confidence interval: 0.33, 0.79) compared with those engaging in 0-1 activity. These associations were more marked in apolipoprotein E genotype (APOE) ε4 allele noncarriers but were absent in carriers. A similar pattern was observed for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Mechanisms to explain the observed relations deserve further study.

Relationship of monocyte count and peripheral arterial disease: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002

Nasir, K., Guallar, E., Navas-Acien, A., Criqui, M. H., & Lima, J. A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2005

Journal title

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology

Volume

25

Issue

9

Page(s)

1966-1971

10.1161/01.ATV.0000175296.02550.e4

Abstract

Abstract

Background - Although white blood cell (WBC) count has been consistently associated with cardiovascular end points, little information is available on the independent contribution of specific white blood cell types. The objective of this study is to assess the independent association of WBC types and other inflammatory markers with the presence of reduced ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABI), a marker of subclinical peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Methods & Results - Cross-sectional study in 3949 individuals ≥40 years of age without known cardiovascular disease who participated in the 1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). PAD was defined as an ABI <0.9 in at least 1 leg. After adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the odds ratios of PAD comparing the highest to the lowest quartiles were 2.24 (95% confidence interval 1.24 to 4.04) for monocytes, 1.74 (0.87 to 3.45) for neutrophils, 2.53 (1.62 to 3.96) for C-reactive protein, and 2.68 (1.03 to 6.94) for fibrinogen. When WBC types and inflammatory markers were simultaneously included in the full model, the corresponding odds ratios were 1.91 (95% confidence interval 1.06 to 3.42) for monocytes, 1.15 (0.49 to 2.69) for neutrophils, 1.37 (0.75 to 2.49) for C-reactive protein, and 2.21 (0.88 to 5.57) for fibrinogen. Conclusions - Monocytes were the only WBC type significantly and independently associated with PAD in a representative sample of the U.S. population after adjustment for other inflammatory markers. These findings reflect the potential role of circulating monocyte counts as markers of atherosclerosis.

The efficacy of sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Lead, cadmium, smoking, and increased risk of peripheral arterial disease.

Navas-Acien, A., Selvin, E., Sharrett, A. R., Calderon-Aranda, E., Silbergeld, E., & Guallar, E. (n.d.).

Publication year

2004

Journal title

Circulation

Volume

109

Issue

25

Page(s)

3196-3201

10.1161/01.CIR.0000130848.18636.B2

Abstract

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Lead and cadmium exposure may promote atherosclerosis, although the cardiovascular effects of chronic low-dose exposure are largely unknown. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between blood levels of lead and cadmium and peripheral arterial disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed data from 2125 participants who were > or =40 years of age in the 1999 to 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Peripheral arterial disease was defined as an ankle brachial index <0.9 in at least 1 leg. Lead and cadmium levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. After adjustment for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, the ORs of peripheral arterial disease comparing quartiles 2 to 4 of lead with the lowest quartile were 1.63 (95% CI, 0.51 to 5.15), 1.92 (95% CI, 0.62 to 9.47), and 2.88 (95% CI, 0.87 to 9.47), respectively (P for trend=0.02). The corresponding ORs for cadmium were 1.07 (95% CI, 0.44 to 2.60), 1.30 (95% CI, 0.69 to 2.44), and 2.82 (95% CI, 1.36 to 5.85), respectively (P for trend=0.01). The OR of peripheral arterial disease for current smokers compared with never smokers was 4.13. Adjustment for lead reduced this OR to 3.38, and adjustment for cadmium reduced it to 1.84. CONCLUSIONS: Blood lead and cadmium, at levels well below current safety standards, were associated with an increased prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in the general US population. Cadmium may partially mediate the effect of smoking on peripheral arterial disease.

Preoperative acute normovolemic hemodilution: A meta-analysis

Serum ferritin and risk of the metabolic syndrome in U.S. adults

Mercury and the risk of myocardial infarction [3] (multiple letters)

Plante, M., Babo, S., Mutter, J., Naumann, J., Buettner, C., Guallar, E., Riemersma, R. A., Kok, F. J., Yoshizawa, K., Rimm, E. B., Willett, W. C., Bolger, P. M., & Schwetz, B. (n.d.). In New England Journal of Medicine (1–).

Publication year

2003

Volume

348

Issue

21

Page(s)

2151-2154

10.1056/NEJM200305223482119

Meta-Analysis of Randomized Educational and Behavioral Interventions in Type 2 Diabetes

Outpatient prescriptions for atypical antipsychotics for African Americans, Hispanics, and whites in the United States

Systolic Blood Pressure, Diastolic Blood Pressure, and Pulse Pressure: An Evaluation of Their Joint Effect on Mortality

Transition models for change-point estimation in logistic regression