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

Revision de los datos de incidencia de enfermedad invasiva y de meningitis por haemophilus influenzae en ninos menores de 5 anos en Espana

Guallar, E., Guallar-Castillón, P., Jiménez, F. J., Rubio Terrés, C., & Guallar, E. (n.d.).

Publication year

1997

Journal title

Anales Espanoles de Pediatria

Volume

47

Issue

3

Page(s)

263-268

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: The object of this study was to summarize the available information on the incidence of invasive disease and meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae in Spain from 1985 to 1995, evaluating potential geographic differences. Methods: Systematic and exhaustive literature searches of computerized databases, manual review of obtained references, revision of relevant Spanish journals and proceedings of congresses and direct consultation with experts were carried out. Yearly incidence rates were estimated per 100,000 children less than 5 years of age, by year and geographical region. Results: We encountered 16 studies, one coveting the entire Spanish population and the rest limited to Catalonia, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, Andalucia, Navarra or the Community of Madrid. In 1994, the incidence of invasive H, influenzae disease varied from 8.4 cases per 100,000 children under 5 years of age in Navarra to 26.3 cases per 100,000 children under 5 years of age in the Basque Country. Conclusions: Available data do not permit the nationwide estimation of the incidence rate, although it is possible to appreciate thai important geographic differences exist. It is remarkable the lack of specific information for the majority of Spanish regions, as well as the lack of data to assess temporal trends.

Age-period-cohort analysis of suicide mortality rates in Spain, 1959-1991

Granizo, J. J., Guallar, E., & Rodríguez-Artalejo, F. (n.d.).

Publication year

1996

Journal title

International Journal of Epidemiology

Volume

25

Issue

4

Page(s)

814-820

10.1093/ije/25.4.814

Abstract

Abstract

Background. Although there is evidence that suicide rates may be increasing in Spain, formal epidemiological studies have been limited to specific cities or counties. The objective of this study was to investigate nationwide trends in suicide mortality from 1959 to 1991 in Spain, with emphasis on age, period, and cohort effects. Methods. Age- and sex-specific suicide mortality rates from 1959 until 1991 were obtained from official vital statistics tables from the Institute Nacional de Estadistica, the official registry of vital statistics in Spain. Poisson regression and graphical methods were used to model and estimate age, period and cohort effects. Results. Suicide mortality rates increased with age, with a proportional increment for each decade of life of 45% (95% confidence interval: 45-46%). In both males and females, age-adjusted suicide mortality rates decreased from 1959 until the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1982, trends started to increase, returning to the levels of 1959 in less than 6 years. Cohort effects were small for cohorts born prior to 1940. For cohorts born after 1950, suicide rates increased markedly. Conclusions. The increase in suicide mortality in younger cohorts and the high rates of suicide in the elderly demand further investigation to establish causal mechanisms and preventive strategies.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of pneumococcal vaccination in the elderly Spanish population

Guallar, E., Jimenez, F. J., Guallar, P., Rubio, C., Villasante, P., & Guallar, E. (n.d.).

Publication year

1996

Journal title

British Journal of Medical Economics

Volume

10

Issue

3

Page(s)

193-202

Abstract

Abstract

The high morbidity and mortality associated with pneumococcal pneumonia in subjects over 60 years old, the emergence of bacterial strains resistant to standard antimicrobial therapy and the availability of an anti-pneumococcal vaccine suggest the need to perform an economic study to evaluate the suitability of vaccination as a preventive strategy in those aged 60 years and over in Spain. The introduction of the Vaccination programme would cost US$ 97,593,663. Over the subsequent five years - with a basal rate of three pneumococcal pneumonias per 1000 person-years and a 66% vaccine efficacy - the programme would result in a net benefit of US$ 127,142,481, a benefit/cost ratio of 2.30 and a benefit per case prevented of US$ 2,656. Benefit/cost ratios above 1 would be obtained for incidences above 1.5 cases per 1000 person-years. Introduction of a universal vaccination programme in those over 60 years of age in Spain would be cost-effective over a wide range of incidence rates of pneumococcal pneumonia.

A prospective study of plasma fish oil levels and incidence of myocardial infarction in U.S. male physicians

Guallar, E., Hennekens, C. H., Sacks, F. M., Willett, W. C., & Stampfer, M. J. (n.d.).

Publication year

1995

Journal title

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Volume

25

Issue

2

Page(s)

387-394

10.1016/0735-1097(94)00370-6

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives. This study evaluated whether increased intake of fish oils (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids) might reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Background. Observational and clinical studies have suggested that increased intake of fish oils, as reflected in plasma levels of fish oils, may reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. Methods. A nested case-control study was conducted among the 14,916 participants in the Physicians' Health Study with a sample of plasma before randomization. Each participant with myocardial infarction occurring during the first 5 years of follow-up was matched by smoking status and age with a randomly chosen control participant who had not developed coronary heart disease. Results. Mean levels of fish oils (with 95% confidence interval [CI] for paired differences and p values) in case and control participants, expressed as present of total fatty acids, were, for eicosapentaenoic acid, 0.26 versus 0.25 (95% CI - 0.03 to 0.05, p = 0.70) in cholesterol esters and 0.56 versus 0.54 (95% CI -0.04 to 0.09, p = 0.44) in phospholipids, and for docosahexaenoic acid, 0.23 versus 0.24 (95% CI -0.07 to 0.04, p = 0.64) in cholesterol esters and 2.22 versus 2.14 (95% CI -0.10 to 0.27, p = 0.36) in phospholipids. Results adjusted for major cardiovascular risk factors showed a very similar lack of association between fish oil levels and the incidence of myocardial infarction. Conclusions. These results indicate no beneficial effect of increased fish oil consumption on the incidence of a first myocardial infarction. However, the effect of very high levels of fish oils could not be evaluated.

METAANALISIS : SU IMPORTANCIA EN LA TOMA DE DECISIONES CLINICAS EN CARDIOLOGIA

Guallar, E., Guallar, E., Banegas, J. R., Martin-Moreno, J. M., & Del Rio, A. (n.d.).

Publication year

1994

Journal title

Revista Espanola de Cardiologia

Volume

47

Issue

8

Page(s)

509-517

Abstract

Abstract

Clinical decision-making in cardiology requires accurate estimates of the efficacy of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Defined as the quantitative integration of results from different studies on the same scientific question, meta-analyses are well-suited to summarize the evidence on the efficacy of clinical interventions. Meta-analyses aim at obtaining combined estimates of effect using all relevant information in a systematic fashion, complementing narrative reviews and expert committee reports. In this paper, the advantages and limitations of meta-analyses and their usefulness in clinical decision making in cardiology are illustrated using three recent examples in the literature - i.e. use of β-blockers in secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease, intravenous streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction and fish intake in primary prevention of cardiovascular mortality. The steps to follow when conducting a meta-analysis are also discussed. Finally, a list of the most important meta-analyses in cardiology published to date is included for easy reference.

Consumo de pescado y mortalidad coronaria en la población general : meta-análisis de estudios de cohorte

Guallar, E., Guallar Castillón, E., Javier Jiménez Jiménez, F., Tafalla García, M., & Martín-Moreno, J. M. (n.d.).

Publication year

1993

Journal title

Gaceta Sanitaria

Volume

7

Issue

38

Page(s)

228-236

10.1016/S0213-9111(93)71155-3

Abstract

Abstract

Con objeto de estimar el efecto del consumo de pescado sobre la mortalidad por cardiopatía isquémica en la población general, se ha realizado un meta-análisis de los estudios epidemiológicos publicados sobre el tema que incluían individuos inicialmente as intomáticos. De los siete estudios publicados hasta la fecha, todos ellos de cohorte, sólo cinco presentaban los resultados con el detalle suficiente como para poder ser utilizados en un meta-análisis formal. En éstos, participaron un total de 27.656 personas, con un seguimiento medio que varió de 7,5 a 25 años, y un número total de muertes por cardiopatía isquémica de 1.731. El estimador combinado del riesgo relativo para un consumo de 30 g/día de pescado frente al no consumo fue de 0,96 (IC al 95%: 0,93–1,00; P=0,058). Dada la presencia de heterogeneidad significativa entre los estudios, no explicada por factores a priori, se procedió a combinar los estudios utilizando un modelo de efectos aleatorios, obteniendo un estimador combinado de riesgo relativo de 0,92 (IC al 95%: 0,84–1,01; P=0,090). Estos resultados, considerados junto con los del único ensayo clínico realizado de consumo de pescado en pacientes que se habían recuperado de un infarto de miocardio, en el que el consumo de 200 a 400 g/semana de pescado graso redujo la mortalidad subsiguiente en un 29% (riesgo relativo del consumo frente al no consumo de 0,71; IC al 95%; 0,54–0,93), sugieren un moderado efecto protector del consumo de pescado en relación a la cardiopatía isquémica.

Utilización de los años potenciales de vida perdidos entre las edades de 1 y 64 años como un indicador de mortalidad prematura ocurrida en Aragón.

Guallar, E., Guallar, E., Rué, M., & Borrell, C. (n.d.).

Publication year

1993

Journal title

Medicina Clinica

Volume

100

Issue

3

Page(s)

115

Abstract

Abstract

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