Professor Walter C. Willett, MD, Dr.PH

Dr. Walter Willett is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health,and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and attended Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Medical School, before obtaining a Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Willett is a Co-Investigator of the Nurses' Health Study I and Principal Investigator of the Nurses' Health Study II, studies designed to examine the association between lifestyle and nutritional factors and the occurrence of breast cancer and other major illnesses. In 1986, he initiated a parallel prospective study of diet in relation to cancer and cardiovascular disease among 52,000 men. His research findings show a positive association between animal fat and red meat consumption and risk of colon cancer.

He has written over 700 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer, as well as the textbook Nutritional Epidemiology, 2nd edition, published by Oxford University Press. His recent book for the general public, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, has appeared on most major best seller lists.