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 6/26/2026

    Choi Y, Jacobs DR, Kramer HJ, Coresh J, Cushman M, Reiner AP, Demmer RT, Tracy RP, Sun Y, Balte PP, Raffield LM, Min YI, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V, Regan EA, Kanaya AM, Lash JP, Umans JG, Oelsner EC. Associations of Pre-Pandemic CKD With Acute and Post-Acute COVID-19: The C4R Study. Am J Kidney Dis. 2026 Jun 26. PMID: 42362101.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/27/2026

    Plante TB, Sun Y, Balte PP, Lloyd-Jones D, Ning H, Allen N, Mongraw-Chaffin M, Pettee Gabriel K, Xanthakis V, Norwood AF, Gonzalez S, Sotres-Alvarez D, Talavera GA, Daviglus ML, Talegawkar SA, Kandula N, Elkind MSV, Rundek T, Gutierrez J, Levitan EB, Cushman M, Judd SE, Wang HE, Zakai NA, Howard VJ, Pamir N, Safford MM, Kamin Mukaz D, Fretts AM, Juraschek SP, Oelsner EC. Life's Essential 8 and Risk of Severe COVID-19 Among Adults Without Clinical Cardiovascular Disease: The C4R Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026 Jun 02; 15(11):e048256. PMID: 42037457.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/23/2026

    Qian F, Gajjar P, Prescott B, Mitchell GF, Xanthakis V, Rade JJ, Nayor M. Modifiable Correlates With Systemic Thromboxane Generation and Association With Cardiovascular Outcomes: Results From the Framingham Heart Study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2026 Jun; 46(6):e324561. PMID: 42021731.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/17/2026

    Alexandrou M, Parikh NI, Brilakis ES, Lloyd-Jones DM, Xanthakis V. Insights Into Cardiovascular Disease in Women From the Framingham Heart Study. JACC Adv. 2026 Jun; 5(6 Pt 1):102722. PMID: 41999366.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/17/2026

    Campos A, Liu T, Prescott B, Ma J, Haff MG, Walker ME, Mohanty A, Xanthakis V. Association of Life's Essential 8 with Hepatic Fibrosis, MASLD, and MetALD in the Framingham Heart Study. Nutrients. 2026 Apr 17; 18(8). PMID: 42075086.

    Read at: PubMed

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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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