Vanessa Xanthakis PhD
Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine & Epidemiology
Assistant Professor, Biostatistics
72 E. Concord Street | (617) 358-1304vanessax@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 have 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 Boston University School of Medicine and in the Biostatistics Department at Boston University School of Public Health. At the Framingham Heart Study, she is a junior investigator and serve as the biostatistician on several investigations. For the last 8 years, Dr. Vanessa had 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.
Education
Biostatistics, PhD, Boston University School of Public Health, 2011
Applied Mathematics, MS, University of Athens, 2001
Applied Mathematics, BS, University of Athens, 2001
Publications
Walker ME, O'Donnell AA, Himali JJ, Rajendran I, Melo van Lent D, Ataklte F, Jacques PF, Beiser AS, Seshadri S, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V. Associations of the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay Diet with cardiac remodeling in the community: The Framingham Heart Study. Br J Nutr. 2021 Feb 23; 1-28. PMID: 33618785.
Published on 2/16/2021Yola IM, Oh A, Mitchell GF, O'Connor G, Cheng S, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V. Association of lung diffusion capacity with cardiac remodeling and risk of heart failure: The Framingham heart study. PLoS One. 2021; 16(2):e0246355. PMID: 33592021.
Published on 1/7/2021Castro-Diehl C, Song RJ, Sawyer DB, Wollert KC, Mitchell GF, Cheng S, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V. Circulating growth factors and cardiac remodeling in the community: The Framingham Heart Study. Int J Cardiol. 2021 Jan 07. PMID: 33422565.
Published on 12/10/2020von Jeinsen B, Vasan RS, McManus DD, Mitchell GF, Cheng S, Xanthakis V. Joint influences of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension on indices of ventricular remodeling: Findings from the community-based Framingham Heart Study. PLoS One. 2020; 15(12):e0243199. PMID: 33301464.
Published on 12/8/2020Vasan RS, Zachariah JP, Xanthakis V. Life Course Developmental Approach to Cardiovascular Health and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Opportunities and Unanswered Questions. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 12 08; 76(23):2708-2711. PMID: 33272364.
Published on 11/19/2020Walker ME, Xanthakis V, Peterson LR, Duncan MS, Lee J, Ma J, Bigornia S, Moore LL, Quatromoni PA, Vasan RS, Jacques PF. Dietary Patterns, Ceramide Ratios, and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Framingham Offspring Study. J Nutr. 2020 11 19; 150(11):2994-3004. PMID: 32939554.
Published on 10/26/2020Tun B, Ehrbar R, Short M, Cheng S, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V. Association of Exhaled Carbon Monoxide With Ideal Cardiovascular Health, Circulating Biomarkers, and Incidence of Heart Failure in the Framingham Offspring Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 11 03; 9(21):e016762. PMID: 33100134.
Published on 10/1/2020Khera R, Pandey A, Ayers CR, Carnethon MR, Greenland P, Ndumele CE, Nambi V, Seliger SL, Chaves PHM, Safford MM, Cushman M, Xanthakis V, Vasan RS, Mentz RJ, Correa A, Lloyd-Jones DM, Berry JD, de Lemos JA, Neeland IJ. Performance of the Pooled Cohort Equations to Estimate Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk by Body Mass Index. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 10 01; 3(10):e2023242. PMID: 33119108.
Published on 9/8/2020Lieb W, Song RJ, Vasan RS, Xanthakis V. Premature Parental Cardiovascular Disease and Subclinical Disease Burden in the Offspring. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 09 15; 9(18):e015406. PMID: 32896212.
Published on 7/20/2020Peloso GM, Beiser AS, Satizabal CL, Xanthakis V, Vasan RS, Pase MP, Destefano AL, Seshadri S. Cardiovascular health, genetic risk, and risk of dementia in the Framingham Heart Study. Neurology. 2020 09 08; 95(10):e1341-e1350. PMID: 32690788.
Media Mentions
Published on 3/5/2021
Plant-based diet high in certain foods protects brain and heart
Published on 5/20/2020
Increased Blood Pressure During Exercise Could Predict Risk of CVD, Death
Published on 3/15/2020
Ideal CV Health Over the Long Term Linked With Better Survival, Less Disease
Published on 3/12/2020
The Longer You Follow a Healthier Lifestyle in Middle-Age The Lower Your Risk of Death Later in Life
View full list of 4 media mentions.