Cardiovascular Epidemiology/MESA

The programs’s research in the area of cardiovascular disease epidemiology largely focuses on the Multi-Center of Atherosclerosis (MESA). MESA is a major national effort to add to existing knowledge about how race and ethnicity interact with cardiovascular disease risk and incidence. Initially funded by NHLBI for a 10-year period (1999-2009) and now extended through 2020, MESA is a longitudinal study of sub-clinical atherosclerosis and its progression to clinical events being conducted at six field centers nationally. This multi-ethnic cohort includes 6,841 subjects. Steven Shea, MD is the principal investigator for the Columbia University Field Center. 

 

Leadership

  • Steven J Shea, MD, MS

    • Principal Investigator
    • Hamilton Southworth Professor of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology (in Biomedical Informatics)
    Profile Headshot

Our Faculty

Our Team

  • Vijayakumar Nayudupalli

    • Project Director

  • Gabriela Phoenix

    • Clinical Research Coordinator I

Related Studies

MESA has also been an important cohort for developing ancillary studies. These include:

MESA Family Study

The MESA Family Study, led by Principal Investigator Steven Shea, collected phenotypic and genotypic data in families in order to identify genetic loci associated with sub-clinical atherosclerosis

MESA Sleep

MESA Sleep is obtaining home sleep studies

MESA Stress

MESA Stress is combining physiological measures and biomarkers of stress with measures of neighborhood social and socioeconomic status and participants’ perceptions of stressful dimensions of their physical and social living environments

MESA-Lung

MESA-Lung, led by Principal Investigator R. Graham Barr, is examining the relationships between biomarkers and related gene variants, with lung function and CT-based measures of lung density

MESA-Air

MESA-Air is evaluating the association of ambient particulate matter exposure and atherosclerosis.

Other Resources

  • MESA: This has produced more than 700 publications, more than 20 funded ancillary studies including a number of K awards, and has been an exceptional resource for fellows and junior faculty.