Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD

Brigham And Women's Hospital

Academic Titles

Professor, Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health

Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Research Program Affiliation

Member, Cancer Risk, Prevention, and Early Detection

Research Abstract

Dr. Hu’s research has focused on diet/lifestyle, metabolic, and genetic determinants of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). His group has conducted detailed analyses of many dietary and lifestyle factors and risk of diabetes and CVD, including sugar-sweetened beverages, coffee, red meat, saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, iron, and dietary patterns. These findings have contributed to current public health recommendations and policies for prevention of chronic diseases. Dr. Hu’s group has also identified novel biomarkers (e.g., adipokines and nutrient metabolites) and gene-environment interactions in relation to risk of obesity and diabetes by integrating cutting-edge omics technologies into epidemiological studies (Systems Epidemiology approach). In addition, Dr. Hu has been collaborating with researchers from China to study nutrition transition, metabolic phenotypes, and cardiovascular disease in Chinese populations.

Dr. Hu served on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, USDA/HHS. He is currently on the editorial/advisory board of Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Diabetes Care, and Clinical Chemistry. Dr. Hu was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the IOM) in 2015.