Howard D. Sesso, ScD, MPH, FAHA

Dr. Howard D. Sesso is an associate epidemiologist in the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He designs and conducts randomized clinical trials and epidemiologic studies, focusing on dietary supplements, nutrition, and lifestyle factors to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, and other aging-related outcomes. Dr. Sesso is the associate director of the division of preventive medicine and director of nutrition and supplement research at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.

Dr. Sesso helps lead the Physicians’ Health Study, consisting of two trials testing aspirin, beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and a multivitamin on aging-related outcomes in 29,000 men. Dr. Sesso is also examining vitamin D and fish oil supplements on blood pressure, hypertension, and other outcomes in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL). Finally, Dr. Sesso is co-principal investigator of the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a recently completed trial testing cocoa extract and multivitamin supplements in the prevention of CVD and cancer in 21,442 older women and men.

He has published more than 350 papers, teaches courses on clinical trials and epidemiology, and enjoys mentoring students and junior faculty.