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

Google Scholar

Education

Biostatistics, PhD, Boston University School of Public Health

Applied Mathematics, MS, University of Athens

Applied Mathematics, BS, University of Athens

Publications

Published on 11/1/2026

Bakhshi B, Lin H, Sultana N, Healey E, Queen H, Gao G, Claudel SE, Minetti ET, Mitchell GF, Murabito JM, Lloyd-Jones DM, Cheney MC, Steenkamp DW, Nayor M, Xanthakis V, Walker ME, Spartano NL. Beyond Traditional Glycemic Measures: CGM Glycemic Profiles Reveal Associations With Cardiometabolic Risk in Individuals Without Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2026 Nov 01; 49(11):2040-2049. PMID: 42752803.

PubMed

Published on 9/14/2026

Habib AY, Okazaki RA, Prescott BR, Xanthakis V, Cooper LL, Tsao CW, Benjamin EJ, Vasan RS, Hamburg NM, Mitchell GF. Relations of Menopause Timing With Pressure Pulsatility in the Framingham Study. Hypertension. 2026 Sep 14. PMID: 42734062.

PubMed

Published on 9/1/2026

Oelsner EC, Sun Y, Balte PP, Allen NB, Andrews H, Carson AP, Choi Y, Cole SA, Cornelius T, Couper D, Cushman M, Daviglus M, Elkind MSV, Gallo LC, Gutierrez JD, Howard VJ, Isasi CR, Jin Y, Judd SE, Kanaya AM, Kandula NR, Kaplan RC, Kinney GL, Kucharska-Newton AM, Lackland DT, Lee JS, Make BJ, Min YI, Murabito JM, Norwood AF, Ortega VE, Gabriel KP, Psaty BM, Regan EA, Sotres-Alvarez D, Schwartz D, Shikany JM, Thyagarajan B, Umans JG, Ramachandran VS, Wang T, Wenzel SE, Woodruff PG, Wu C, Xanthakis V, Zhang Y, Post WS, Demmer RT. Associations of Depressive Symptoms With COVID-19 Hospitalization or Death: The C4R Study. Biopsychosoc Sci Med. 2026 Oct 01; 88(8):666-676. PMID: 42678769.

PubMed

Published on 8/13/2026

Walker ME, Prescott B, Stockero S, Xanthakis V, Lin H, Gerszten RE, Mckeown NM, Jacques PF, Vasan RS. Proteomic signature of healthy dietary patterns and risk of cardiovascular disease in the framingham heart study. Clin Nutr. 2026 Oct; 65:106758. PMID: 42617399.

PubMed

Published on 7/1/2026

Cooper LL, Prescott BR, Xanthakis V, Rong J, Larson MG, Benjamin EJ, Hamburg NM, Vasan RS, Mitchell GF. Interrelations of aortic spring function, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and left ventricular diastolic function: The Framingham Heart Study. Physiol Rep. 2026 Jul; 14(13):e70985. PMID: 42374884.

PubMed

Published on 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 Oct; 88(4):531-544.e1. PMID: 42362101.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

Published on 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.

PubMed

View full list of 181 publications.