Dr. Mozaffarian is a distinguished cardiologist and public health scientist who currently serves as Distinguished Professor, Dean Emeritus, and Jean Mayer Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. He also holds appointments as Professor of Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine and attending physician in the Division of Cardiology at Tufts Medical Center, where he integrates clinical practice with nutritional science. After earning his BS in biological sciences from Stanford University with Phi Beta Kappa honors, MD from Columbia University with Alpha Omega Alpha distinction, and DrPH from Harvard, he established himself as a leading authority in nutrition and cardiovascular health. Prior to becoming Dean at Tufts in 2014, he spent a decade at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health while maintaining clinical cardiology practice at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Dr. Mozaffarian has authored nearly 600 scientific publications that have positioned him among the most cited researchers in medicine globally, with his work fundamentally reshaping understanding of dietary priorities for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. As founder and Director of the Tufts Food is Medicine Institute, he pioneered translational research frameworks that integrate food-based nutritional interventions into healthcare systems to treat disease and advance health equity. His investigations into circulating fatty acid biomarkers and healthy diet patterns have provided critical evidence for evidence-based policy approaches that reduce diet-related disease burdens across diverse populations. This work has established foundational knowledge for how nutrition security can improve well-being, reduce health disparities, and create cost-effective or cost-saving healthcare interventions.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Mozaffarian has served in influential advisory roles for the U.S. and Canadian governments, World Health Organization, United Nations, American Heart Association, and served on President Biden's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition since 2023. His leadership was recently recognized with Columbia University's Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievements in Medical Research in 2025, honoring his transformative impact on medical science. Currently, his work continues to focus on creating the evidence base for a food system that is nutritious, equitable, and sustainable through the Food is Medicine movement. His ongoing efforts aim to translate scientific findings into practical healthcare applications that address systemic health disparities while amplifying the role of nutrition security in advancing population health.
