Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller

Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D.

  • Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health (Epidemiology)
  • Dorothy and William Manealoff Foundation and Molly Rosen Chair in Social Medicine Emerita
  • Site PI, Women's Health Initiative

Email

Phone

Location

  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus 1300 Morris Park Avenue Belfer Building 1312A Bronx, NY 10461


Professional Interests

My primary research focuses on cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors, particularly hypertension. Our Women's Health Initiative (WHI) of which I am a Principal Investigator,  is a set of clinical trials and observational studies of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, cognition, nutrition and other health issues facing older women. Extensive in scope, the WHI includes 39 clinical centers in the U.S. involving 161,000 women ages 50-79, with long-term follow-up. We also examine biomarkers predicting stroke, brain imaging studies, influence of hormones on dementia, and effect of depression and medications on cardiovascular outcomes. As the WHI conducts extended follow-up and new ancillary studies, the focus is on aging, cognition, obesity, long-term effects of hormones , sleep, depression, and associated genetic studies.

We are also a part of an international consortium looking at genetics of ischemic stroke: the NINDS Stroke Gnetics Networds (SiGN). 

I am the author of the book Biostatistics and Epidemiology, a Primer for Health and Biomedical Professionals, published by Springer, now in its fourth edition. I am also an author of a historical, World War II novel, entitled Chance and Consequence. In addition to my own research, I enjoy mentoring students and junior faculty and supervise some of their research projects.

 

You may also visit my personal page at www.sylviasmoller.com