Nutrition epidemiology provides evidence for improving human and planetary health through healthy dietary patterns
Dr. Willett has focused much of his work over the last 40 years on the development and evaluation of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. He has applied these methods starting in 1980 in the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Together, these cohorts, which include nearly 300,000 men and women with repeated dietary assessments, provide the most detailed information on the long-term health consequences of food choices. Dr. Willett’s research has shaped the methods in nutrition epidemiology and public health nutrition policies over the last decades.