Dr. Walter Willett, MD, DrPH., (born in 1945 in Hart, Michigan [1]) is an American physician and nutrition researcher. Currently, Dr. Willett is the Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition in the Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, and is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.^[1]

Dr. Willett is the principal investigator^[2] of the second Nurses' Health Study. He has published over 1,000 scientific articles regarding various aspects of diet and disease[2] and is the second most cited author in clinical medicine.[3] In the public eye, Dr. 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.^[3] Dr. Willett is frequently quoted by the media in articles regarding nutrition.

Contents 1 Education 2 Influence on Harvard meal plans and cafeterias 3 List of published works 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] Education

• B.S. 1966, Michigan State University
• M.D. 1970, University of Michigan Medical School
• 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^[4]

[edit] Influence on Harvard meal plans and cafeterias

Dr. 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 Dr. Willett himself have noted that the menus still have a long way to go to reflect the currently available nutrition science.^[5][6]

[edit] 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[4]

[edit] Notes

[edit] 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.
• Article on Willett's views on epidemiology.
• "EATING WELL; At a Harvard Cafe, Health for Lunch ", New York Times, November 19, 2003.
• "At Harvard, Whole-Grain Concerns", The Washington Post, 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.