Dr. Meir Stampfer stands as a preeminent figure in the field of epidemiology with an illustrious career spanning more than three decades at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He currently holds the position of Research Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, building upon his extensive training that includes medical education at New York University followed by master's and doctoral degrees at Harvard. Dr. Stampfer served as the Chair of the Department of Epidemiology from 2000 to 2007, providing strategic leadership during a critical period of growth for the field. His journey into epidemiology began during medical school when work with the Environmental Protection Agency's carcinogen assessment group ignited his passion for understanding disease prevention through rigorous scientific inquiry.
Dr. Stampfer's research program has fundamentally shaped our understanding of the etiology of chronic diseases, with particular emphasis on the relationship between nutrition and cancer. He serves as Co-Principal Investigator of the Nurses' Health Study, which has followed 121,700 participants since 1976, and as a founding co-investigator of three other landmark prospective cohort studies including Nurses' Health Study II, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, and the Physicians' Health Studies. These meticulously maintained cohorts, collectively tracking more than 300,000 health professionals, have generated invaluable longitudinal data on diet, lifestyle factors, and disease outcomes through biennial questionnaires and biological sample collection. Remarkably, for over twenty consecutive years, Dr. Stampfer has been consistently identified among the five most highly cited scientists in clinical medicine, a testament to the profound impact of his methodical research approach on public health knowledge.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Stampfer plays a vital role in shaping the future of epidemiology through his dedication to education and mentorship. He teaches the influential "Practice of Epidemiology" course at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, training the next generation of researchers in rigorous study design and analysis. As Principal Investigator of multiple NIH-funded projects and co-Principal Investigator of a T32 NIH training program, he continues to advance methodological approaches in nutritional epidemiology while nurturing emerging scholars. Dr. Stampfer remains actively engaged in expanding the scope of prevention research through ongoing analyses of the cohort studies he has helped cultivate for decades. His work continues to inform evidence-based public health recommendations worldwide, cementing his legacy as a foundational figure in understanding how dietary and lifestyle factors influence human health across the lifespan.
