Vanessa Xanthakis PhD

Associate Professor, Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology

Associate Professor, Biostatistics

72 E. Concord Street | (617) 358-1304
vanessax@bu.edu

Sections

Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology

Centers

Framingham Heart Study

Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research

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.

Websites

BU Profile

Section of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Faculty

Framingham Heart Study

ResearchGate

Education

Biostatistics, PhD, Boston University School of Public Health

Applied Mathematics, MS, University of Athens

Applied Mathematics, BS, University of Athens

Publications

Published on 2/12/2026

Davis DN, Gajjar P, Xanthakis V, Lloyd-Jones D, Nayor M. Refined Heart Failure Stages Incorporating Cardiorespiratory Fitness Are Differentially Associated With Heart Failure Risk in the Community. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026 Feb 17; 15(4):e045791. PMID: 41676947.

PubMed

Published on 2/4/2026

Gauen AM, Petito LC, Zhang Y, Zhou H, Zhou M, Xia M, Fang M, Reynolds K, Xanthakis V, Safford M, Colantonio LD, Rana JS, Bellows BK, Moran AE, Huang X, Shah NS, Allen NB, An J. PREVENT Equations in Young Adults: Fairness, Calibration, and Performance Across Racial and Ethnic Groups. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026 Feb 04. PMID: 41636665.

PubMed

Published on 1/9/2026

Cuellar-Lobo M, Gao M, Ruda MM, Prescott B, Xanthakis V, Benjamin EJ, Cheng S, Vasan RS, Liu CT, Tsao CW. Association of Cardiovascular Health and Genetic Risk for Left Ventricular Mass with Left Ventricular Structure, Function, and Incident Cardiovascular Outcomes. medRxiv. 2026 Jan 09. PMID: 41542664.

PubMed

Published on 12/10/2025

Hamel-Sellman DJ, Prescott BR, Korzinski TJ, Xanthakis V, Cooper LL, Hamburg NM, Tsao CW, Benjamin EJ, Vasan RS, Mitchell GF. Relations of Artificial Intelligence Vascular Age With Cardiometabolic Disease Progression: The Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Dec 16; 14(24):e044872. PMID: 41368833.

PubMed

Published on 10/19/2025

He WJ, Prescott BR, Xanthakis V, Mitchell GF, Cheng S, Vasan RS. Association of obesity subphenotypes with indices of cardiac remodeling in the Framingham heart study. Am Heart J. 2026 Feb; 292:107292. PMID: 41120039.

PubMed

Published on 10/13/2025

Korzinski TJ, Hategeka C, Prescott BR, Hamel-Sellman DJ, Xanthakis V, Cooper LL, Hamburg NM, Tsao CW, Lin H, Vasan RS, Mitchell GF, Benjamin EJ. Relations of AI-Vascular Age Estimated From a Peripheral Pressure Waveform With Incident Atrial Fibrillation: The Framingham Heart Study. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2025 Nov; 18(11):e014383. PMID: 41078115.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

View full list of 167 publications.