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

Systematic Review for the 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines

Reboussin, D. M., Allen, N. B., Griswold, M. E., Guallar, E., Hong, Y., Lackland, D. T., Miller, E. (Pete) R., Polonsky, T., Thompson-Paul, A. M., & Vupputuri, S. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Volume

71

Issue

19

Page(s)

2176-2198

10.1016/j.jacc.2017.11.004

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: To review the literature systematically and perform meta-analyses to address these questions: 1) Is there evidence that self-measured blood pressure (BP) without other augmentation is superior to office-based measurement of BP for achieving better BP control or for preventing adverse clinical outcomes that are related to elevated BP? 2) What is the optimal target for BP lowering during antihypertensive therapy in adults? 3) In adults with hypertension, how do various antihypertensive drug classes differ in their benefits and harms compared with each other as first-line therapy? Methods: Electronic literature searches were performed by Doctor Evidence, a global medical evidence software and services company, across PubMed and EMBASE from 1966 to 2015 using key words and relevant subject headings for randomized controlled trials that met eligibility criteria defined for each question. We performed analyses using traditional frequentist statistical and Bayesian approaches, including random-effects Bayesian network meta-analyses. Results: Our results suggest that: 1) There is a modest but significant improvement in systolic BP in randomized controlled trials of self-measured BP versus usual care at 6 but not 12 months, and for selected patients and their providers self-measured BP may be a helpful adjunct to routine office care. 2) systolic BP lowering to a target of <130 mm Hg may reduce the risk of several important outcomes including risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and major cardiovascular events. No class of medications (i.e., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, or beta blockers) was significantly better than thiazides and thiazide-like diuretics as a first-line therapy for any outcome.

Usefulness of Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A 2 Activity and C-Reactive Protein in Identifying High-Risk Smokers for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communiti

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with inferior survival of patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma

A dose-response meta-analysis of chronic arsenic exposure and incident cardiovascular disease

A gene-environment interaction analysis of plasma selenium with prevalent and incident diabetes: The Hortega study

Aflatoxin and viral hepatitis exposures in Guatemala: Molecular biomarkers reveal a unique profile of risk factors in a region of high liver cancer incidence

Airflow limitation severity and post-operative pulmonary complications following extra-pulmonary surgery in COPD patients

Aortic Arch Pulse Wave Velocity Assessed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Predictor of Incident Cardiovascular Events: The MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis)

Association between mitochondrial DNA copy number and sudden cardiac death: Findings from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (ARIC)

Association of low-moderate arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with incident diabetes and insulin resistance in the strong heart family study

Association of mitochondrial DNA copy number with cardiovascular disease

Association of parathyroid hormone with 20-year cognitive decline

Associations of Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine Intake with Coronary Artery Calcification and Cardiovascular Events

Associations of Lipoprotein(a) levels with incident atrial fibrillation and Ischemic Stroke: The ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study

Attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients in an Urban Iranian population

Baseline and change in uric acid concentration over time are associated with incident hypertension in large Korean cohort

Cardiovascular Event Prediction by Machine Learning: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Chronic arsenic exposure and risk of carotid artery disease: The Strong Heart Study

Clinical decision tool for CRT-P vs. CRT-D implantation: Findings from PROSE-ICD

Declining exposures to lead and cadmium contribute to explaining the reduction of cardiovascular mortality in the US population, 1988-2004

Development of chronic kidney disease in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A cohort study

Diabetes mellitus and the incidence of hearing loss: A cohort study

Exposure to ambient air pollution and calcification of the mitral annulus and aortic valve: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Frailty and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis: The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)

Frequency of arrhythmia symptoms and acceptability of implantable cardiac monitors in Hemodialysis patients