Dr. J. Michael Gaziano is an internationally recognized leader in chronic disease epidemiology and preventive medicine whose work has profoundly shaped cardiovascular research. He serves as Chief of the Division of Aging at Brigham and Women's Hospital and holds a professorship at Harvard Medical School, where he has established himself as a preeminent authority on population health. Dr. Gaziano earned his MD from Yale Medical School and completed his MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health, creating the foundation for his expertise in large-scale epidemiological studies and clinical trials. At the VA Boston Healthcare System, he directs the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center and serves as national Principal Investigator for the Million Veteran Program, one of the most ambitious genetic epidemiology initiatives globally.
Dr. Gaziano's principal investigator role in the landmark Physicians' Health Study II has generated seminal insights into chronic disease prevention through the longitudinal tracking of 29,000 physicians followed for up to 28 years. His research has significantly advanced understanding of how lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, and smoking interact with metabolic and genetic markers to influence cardiovascular disease risk and outcomes. Through the Million Veteran Program, he has pioneered one of the largest genetic and health databases in existence, enrolling over a million veterans with associated biospecimens to investigate gene-environment interactions across diverse health conditions. His recent work exploring the systemic nature of atherosclerosis has revealed critical connections between vascular disease and conditions like renal dysfunction, cognitive decline, and osteoporosis-related fractures, demonstrating how small vessel disease affects multiple organ systems.
Dr. Gaziano oversees several fellowship programs and teaches advanced epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, mentoring the next generation of clinical researchers in rigorous methodological approaches. With over 450 publications to his name, he serves as a contributing editor for the Journal of the American Medical Association, influencing medical discourse at the highest levels while maintaining active leadership in major clinical research initiatives including the ARRIVE trial executive committee. His current research expands investigations into how atherosclerotic disease in small vessels contributes to chronic conditions beyond traditional cardiovascular endpoints, integrating genetic, biochemical, and clinical data. This ongoing work promises to further elucidate the complex interrelationships between vascular health and multi-system aging, potentially transforming preventive approaches to age-related diseases through evidence-based interventions grounded in decades of meticulous epidemiological research.
