Vanessa Xanthakis, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Vanessa Xanthakis is a biostatistician with training in applied mathematics and statistics, and has a strong commitment to clinical epidemiological research. Presently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology in the Department of Medicine at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and in the Biostatistics Department at Boston University School of Public Health. She is an investigator at the Framingham Heart Study and serves as the biostatistician on several investigations. She also serves as the Program Director for the Boston University T32 Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology and the Promotion of Research In MEdical Residency (R38) program. She is the Director of Research Training for the Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology. For the last 12 years, Dr. Xanthakis has focused her research on:

A) the epidemiology of cardiac remodeling and subclinical disease, including identifying cardiovascular disease risk factors;

B) population-based vascular testing and echocardiography, including identifying biological, environmental, and genetic determinants (correlates) of cardiac structure and function;

C) epidemiology of novel biomarkers including but not limited to natriuretic peptides, adipokines, and vascular growth factors;

D) cardiovascular risk prediction using biomarkers and assessing their incremental prognostic utility (focus of her PhD thesis);

E) epidemiology of heart failure and its precursors; and

F) ideal cardiovascular health and its impact on cardiovascular disease and its precursors.

Publications

  • Published 9/5/2025

    Zhang Y, Xia M, Zhou H, Zhou M, Fang M, Reynolds K, Allen NB, Gauen A, Petito LC, Xanthakis V, Safford M, Colantonio LD, Rana JS, Bellows BK, Moran AE, An J. Comparison of Short- and Long-Term Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment Tools in US Young Adults. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Sep 16; 14(18):e042392. PMID: 40913264.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/23/2025

    Jha M, Dong Z, Ruda MM, Prescott B, Xanthakis V, Nayor M, Gajjar P, Larson MG, Benjamin EJ, Vasan RS, Mitchell GF, Tsao CW. Associations of cardiovascular health with arterial health in adults free of cardiovascular disease. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2025 Sep; 23:101083. PMID: 40918934.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/21/2025

    Nessen EJ, Xanthakis V, Gopal DM, Fetterman JL, Roberts LM, Moreira-Bouchard JD. Depression, anxiety, stress, and resting blood pressure between cisgender queer and heterosexual emerging adults. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2025 Sep 01; 329(3):H724-H729. PMID: 40839380.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/14/2025

    Carbonneau M, Li Y, Qu Y, Zheng Y, Wood AC, Wang M, Liu C, Huan T, Joehanes R, Guo X, Yao J, Taylor KD, Tracy RP, Durda P, Liu Y, Johnson WC, Post WS, Blackwell T, Rotter JI, Rich SS, Redline S, Fornage M, Wang J, Ning H, Hou L, Lloyd-Jones D, Ferrier K, Min YI, Carson AP, Raffield LM, Teumer A, Grabe HJ, Völzke H, Nauck M, Dörr M, Domingo-Relloso A, Fretts A, Tellez-Plaza M, Cole SA, Navas-Acien A, Wang M, Murabito JM, Heard-Costa NL, Prescott B, Xanthakis V, Mozaffarian D, Levy D, Ma J. DNA Methylation Signatures of Cardiovascular Health Provide Insights Into Diseases. Circulation. 2025 Aug 19; 152(7):436-449. PMID: 40654086.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/14/2025

    An J, Fischer H, Ni L, Xia M, Choi SK, Morrissette KL, Wei R, Reynolds K, Muntner P, Colantonio LD, Moran AE, Bellows BK, Safford MM, Allen NB, Xanthakis V, Isasi CR, Gallo LC, Perreira KM, Zhang Y. Development and Validation of an Incident Hypertension Risk Prediction Model for Young Adults. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Jul 15; 14(14):e040769. PMID: 40654225.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 161 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Biostatistics
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Investigator
    Framingham Heart Study
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Boston University School of Public Health, PhD
  • University of Athens, MS
  • University of Athens, BS

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