Walter Willett, MD, DrPH., (born in 1945 in Hart, Michigan

Hart, Michigan

Hart is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,950. It is the county seat of Oceana County. The city is located within Hart Township, but is politically independent....

) is an American physician and nutrition researcher. Currently, Willett is the Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health

Harvard School of Public Health

The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...

. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....

.

Willett is the principal investigator

Principal investigator

A principal investigator is the lead scientist or engineer for a particular well-defined science project, such as a laboratory study or clinical trial....

 of the second Nurses' Health Study

Nurses' Health Study

The Nurses Health Study, established in 1976 by Dr. Frank Speizer, and the Nurses' Health Study II, established in 1989 by Dr. Walter Willett, are the most definitive long-term epidemiological studies conducted to date on older women's health. The study has followed 121,700 female registered...

, a compilation of studies regarding older women's health and risk factors for major chronic diseases. He has published over 1,000 scientific articles regarding various aspects of diet and disease and is the second most cited author in clinical medicine. In the public eye, Willett is perhaps best known for his 2001 book Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, which presents nutritional information and recommendations based on the currently available body of nutrition science. The book is also critical of many popular misconceptions about diet and nutrition, including ideas presented by guidelines from American organizations such as the USDA. Dr. Willett is frequently quoted by the media in articles regarding nutrition.

Education

• B.S. 1966, Michigan State University
  Michigan State University
  Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
  
  
• M.D. 1970, University of Michigan
  University of Michigan
  The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
  
   Medical School
  University of Michigan Health System
  The University of Michigan Health System is the wholly owned academic medical center of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. UMHS includes the U-M Medical School, with its Faculty Group Practice and many research laboratories; the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, which includes University...
  
  
• M.P.H. 1973, Harvard School of Public Health
• Dr.P.H. 1980, Harvard School of Public Health, Epidemiology.
• Chair, 1991, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health

Influence on Harvard meal plans and cafeterias

Willett has been actively involved in helping Harvard University food services to update their offerings along current nutritional guidelines. While his work has influenced the menu choices, students and Willett himself have noted that the menus still have a long way to go to reflect the currently available nutrition science.

List of published works

• Nutritional Epidemiology 1998 ISBN 0-19-512297-6
• Eat, Drink and be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide To Healthy Eating 2005 ISBN 0-684-86337-5
• Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less 2007 ISBN 1401308929
• The Fertility Diet 2008 ISBN 0071494790
• Over 1,000 scientific articles

External links

• VIDEO - The Search for Optimal Diets: A Progress Report Walter Willett, MD, MPH, speaks at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health] (The first few minutes are missing from the video.)
• Transcript - The search for Optimal Diets: A Progress Report This time at the Honda Foundation.
• A PBS interview with Walter Willett
• Willett's page at Harvard
• Information on Eat, Drink and be Healthy.
• Article on Dr. Willett and his findings on macronutrients.
• http://www.sciencewatch.com/interviews/walter_c_willett.htmArticle on Willett's views on epidemiology
  Epidemiology
  Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
  
  .]
• "EATING WELL; At a Harvard Cafe, Health for Lunch ", New York Times, November 19, 2003.
• "At Harvard, Whole-Grain Concerns", The Washington Post
  The Washington Post
  The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
  
  , March 8, 2006.
• Scientific American podcast: an interview of Prof. Willett on 10-15-2008 on the subject of diet and fertility, Oct 15, 2008.