Professor John Danesh is a world-renowned epidemiologist and leading authority in cardiovascular genetics at the University of Cambridge. He currently serves as Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine and Head of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, one of Europe's leading academic population health departments with approximately 450 members. After completing his medical training at the University of Otago and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, he pursued epidemiology studies as a Rhodes Scholar, earning an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a DPhil from the University of Oxford. Since 2001, he has led the Department of Public Health and Primary Care while also serving as the British Heart Foundation Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology since 2012, establishing himself as a preeminent figure in population health science.
Professor Danesh's groundbreaking research in genetic epidemiology of cardiovascular disease has transformed our understanding of heart disease risk factors across diverse populations. His large-scale genetic studies, involving millions of participants from multiple countries, have provided seminal insights that have directly influenced clinical practice guidelines worldwide. Among his most influential contributions is the pivotal research demonstrating that C-reactive protein is only moderately predictive of coronary heart disease, challenging previous assumptions about its causal role. With over 300 publications attracting nearly 200,000 citations (h-index > 150), his work has opened multiple new avenues for discovering risk factors and developing innovative prevention strategies for cardiovascular and other major diseases. His research has been widely recognized for its methodological rigor and real-world impact on public health approaches to cardiovascular disease.
Beyond his research achievements, Professor Danesh has been instrumental in building global research capacity through his leadership of major international collaborations including the 2.5 million-participant Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration and the 520,000-participant pan-European EPIC-CVD consortium. As Director of Health Data Research UK-Cambridge and joint Director for the Molecules to Health Records Research Driver Programme, he continues to pioneer innovative approaches to understanding disease causes and developing targeted treatments. His advocacy for team science in international health research has established new models for collaborative investigation across borders and disciplines. Professor Danesh also serves as a senior adviser to major public initiatives like UK Biobank and makes significant contributions to institution-building in Cambridge, having chaired the university's population health science committee through multiple research excellence framework exercises. His ongoing work focuses on discovery genomics, therapeutic target prioritisation, and creating more effective strategies for cardiovascular disease prevention that are being adopted globally.
