Area of research
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health · Oncology
Research interest
Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Willett studied food science at Michigan State University, and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School before obtaining a Masters and Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Willett has focused much of his work over the last 40 years on the development and evaluation of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. He has applied these methods starting in 1980 in the Nurses' Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Together, these cohorts that include nearly 300,000 men and women with repeated dietary assessments, are providing the most detailed information on the long-term health consequences of food choices.
Concerns over conclusions in an ultra-processed food trial
Epidemiological and Multi-Omics Investigation of Phytosterol Intake and Type 2 Diabetes Risk
The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems
Long-Term Intake of Red Meat in Relation to Dementia Risk and Cognitive Function in US Adults
Alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer risk: An analysis from 30 prospective studies across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America
Energy expenditure and obesity across the economic spectrum
Alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer risk: An analysis from 30 prospective studies across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America
Total and specific potato intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three US cohort studies and a substitution meta-analysis of prospective cohorts
Development and Validation of the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) for Children 24 to 59 Months of Age
Sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in US adults
Association of a Healthy Plant-Based Diet with Reduced Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality and Development of a Novel Heart-Protective Diet Index
Assessing diet in epidemiologic studies
Association of Healthy Predominantly Plant-Based Diet with Reduced Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality and Development of Novel Heart-Protective Diet Index
Pre-diagnostic circulating bile acid concentrations and liver cancer risk: a nested case-control analysis of 12 cohorts
Dietary Cholesterol and Myocardial Infarction in the Million Veteran Program
Development and validation of a risk prediction model for premenopausal breast cancer in 19 cohorts
Long‐Term Adherence to Modifiable Factors and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Among Women With a History of Gestational Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study
Supplementary Figure 1 from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Plasma plasmalogen levels and risk of lymph node positive breast cancer
Supplementary Table 3 from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Climate Change and Cancer Risk: Connections with Physical Activity, Diet, and Adiposity
Data from Loss of PTEN Expression, <i>PIK3CA</i> Mutations, and Breast Cancer Survival in the Nurses’ Health Studies
Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Supplementary Table 2 from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Supplementary Data from Loss of PTEN Expression, <i>PIK3CA</i> Mutations, and Breast Cancer Survival in the Nurses’ Health Studies
Supplementary Methods from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Supplementary Table 1 from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Data from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies
Data from A Multi-State Survival Model for Time to Breast Cancer Mortality among a Cohort of Initially Disease-Free Women
Supplementary Figure 2 from Comparing the Metagenomic Performance of Stools Collected from Custom Cards and 95% Ethanol in Epidemiologic Studies