The Collaborators

The Collaborators

I have been very fortunate to work with and be mentored by many wonderful people in a variety of projects but it would be impossible to list them all. The collaborators shown below (in alphabetical order) are defined based on one or more of the following criteria: (1) we have successfully collaborated on two or more projects and/or manuscripts; (2) we are actively collaborating in an ongoing project, (3) there is a high likelihood of collaboration in the future (4) they have approved their photo and text.  Please note that the list is always in evolution. Because “once a collaborator, always a collaborator,” I do not expect this list to shorten over time. 🙂

D2d Collaborators -

D2d Collaborators

There are too many D2d collaborators to list here. Please visit d2dstudy.org to learn about my D2d colleagues.

    Ethan M. Balk, MD MPH - Systematic reviews, meta-analysesSystematic reviews, meta-analyses

    Ethan M. Balk, MD MPH

    Dr. Balk is Associate Professor (Research) in the Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health at Brown University School of Public Health. His research has focused on systematic review, clinical practice guideline development, meta-analysis, study quality assessment, and evaluation of literature. He has led numerous systematic reviews for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence-based Practice Center program, for other federal and international agencies, and professional and guideline development organizations. Over the last decade, Ethan and AG have collaborated in many systematic reviews and meta-analyses in a variety of topics related to diabetes and nutrition.

      Lisa Ceglia, MD MS - Vitamin D, bone, diabetesVitamin D, bone, diabetes

      Lisa Ceglia, MD MS

      Dr. Ceglia received her MD from NYU and completed her Internal Medicine residency at NYU Medical Center-Bellevue. She completed fellowship in Endocrinology at Tufts Medical Center followed by a fellowship in Clinical Nutrition at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University. She also obtained a M.S. degree in Clinical and Translational Research at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University. Dr. Ceglia is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts University and Scientist II at HNRCA. Her research focuses on vitamin D and other nutritional interventions on intermediate indices of musculoskeletal health. She serves as an investigator in the D2d study. Lisa and AG have collaborated extensively. Their most memorable work was a meta-analysis led by Lisa and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The external reviewers ONLY comment was that a "." was missing in the Discussion.

        David D’Alessio, MD - Translational, DiabetesTranslational, Diabetes

        David D’Alessio, MD

        Dr. D'Alessio is Professor of Medicine at Duke University, Director of the Division of Endocrinology, and a staff physician at the Durham VA Medical Center. Dr. D'Alessio has a primary research interest in the regulation of glucose tolerance and abnormalities that lead to type 2 diabetes. Work in his lab is directed at the interplay of circulating glucose, GI hormones and neural signals to control insulin secretion. The focus is the gut peptide GLP-1 and its role in normal physiology, type 2 diabetes and bariatric surgery. Dave and AG worked together to design and conduct a 2-site clinical trial on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on beta cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes, and have collaborated on studying the clinical utility of assessing free 25OHD concentration. 

          Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD - Vitamin DVitamin D

          Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD

          Dr. Dawson-Hughes is an endocrinologist with interest in bone metabolism. Her research focuses on nutritional interventions to reduce bone and muscle losses that occur with aging. Her work has been presented in over 370 peer reviewed publications and chapters. In 2014, Bess was cited in the Thomson Reuters report on ‘Highly Cited Researchers’, which includes scientists who had published the greatest number of highly cited papers (in the top 1% of citations) in clinical research during the past decade. Bess has served as president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation and Vice President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation. Bess and AG met during his Fellowship in Endocrinology at Tufts Medical Center. Over the next 15 years, Bess and AG have established an enormously productive collaboration and have worked together in many past and ongoing projects, which have led to many important publications.

            Andrew Greenberg, MD - Basic research, diabetesBasic research, diabetes

            Andrew Greenberg, MD

            Dr. Greenberg’s research centers on understanding the molecular, cellular, and systemic basis of obesity and its complications. His laboratory has focused on understanding the proteins that regulate the cellular trafficking, storage and metabolism of fatty acids and lipid metabolism. An important goal of the laboratory is to provide mechanistic insights into pathways that will ameliorate obesity and/or its metabolic and inflammatory complications. Andy served as a co-mentor of AG during his K23 career development award and the two of them have worked on several projects, including co-authoring of a handbook (Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes), currently rated #9,413,395 in the Amazon Best Sellers Rank.

              Frank Hu, MD MPH PhD - CollaboratorCollaborator

              Frank Hu, MD MPH PhD

              Dr. Hu is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Chair of the School's Department of Nutrition. Dr. Hu’s research has focused on diet/lifestyle, metabolic, and genetic determinants of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). He is the Principal Investigator of the diabetes component of the Nurses’ Health Study. He also leads two NIH-funded projects to study Mediterranean dietary interventions, plasma metabolites, and risk of diabetes and CVD in the PREDIMED trial. Findings from research led by Dr. Hu have contributed to current public health recommendations and policies for prevention of chronic diseases. Dr. Hu was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the IOM) in 2015.

                David Kent, MD CM MS - Predictive analyticsPredictive analytics

                David Kent, MD CM MS

                Dr. Kent is a Professor of Medicine, Neurology and Clinical and Translational Science, Director of the Predictive Analytics and Comparative Effectiveness (PACE) Center, ICRHPS; Director of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Clinical and Translational Science Program. Dr. Kent is a clinician-methodologist most interested in the challenge of making inferences to individual patients based on effects measured in groups. Dr. Kent has a broad background in clinical epidemiology with a focus on predictive modeling in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, as well as experience in meta-analytic approaches, particularly individual patient data meta-analysis as the basis for risk modeling. David and AG have established a collaboration in studies that provide clinicians and patients with evidence-based evidence on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

                  Sai Krupa Das, PhD - Nutrition, energy metabolismNutrition, energy metabolism

                  Sai Krupa Das, PhD

                  Sai Krupa Das is a Scientist at the Energy Metabolism Laboratory of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) and an Assistant Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University (Boston, MA). Dr. Das obtained her Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Tufts University. Her research focuses on energy metabolism and body composition in obesity, body weight regulation in humans caloric restriction. Her publications include the effects of dietary energy restriction and metabolic aging in humans, the effect of diet and lifestyle interventions in worksites on weight control, dietary determinants of body weight regulation in the young vs the elderly, metabolic changes in extreme weight loss conditions (e.g., gastric bypass) and examining the role of energy expenditure in obesity and during weight loss. For over a decade, Sai and AG have collaborated happily and fruitfully on dietary energy restriction and metabolic aging studies.

                    Joseph Lau, MD - CollaboratorCollaborator

                    Joseph Lau, MD

                    Dr. Lau is Professor in the Center for Evidence-based Medicine within the School of Public Health and co-director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) designated Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at Brown. Prior to his current position Dr. Lau directed the Tufts Evidence Practce Center from 1997 until 2012 and led the production of over 80 evidence reports, technology assessments, and comparative effectiveness reviews under contract with the AHRQ. He has served as a member of an FDA advisory committee, and as a member of an FAO/WHO workshop. He served as a member on two IOM committees including framework to evaluate the safety of dietary supplements and standards for clinical practice guidelines. 

                      Alice Lichtenstein, MD - Nutrition, diabetes, CVDNutrition, diabetes, CVD

                      Alice Lichtenstein, MD

                      Alice H. Lichtenstein is a senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the HNRCA, as well as the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at the Tufts U. Friedman School. Dr. Lichtenstein’s research focus is on assessing the interplay between diet and heart disease risk factors, specifically addressing issues related to trans fatty acids, soy protein and isoflavones, sterol/stanol esters, novel vegetable oils differing in fatty acid profile and glycemic index. Additional work is focused on population studies to assess the relationship between cholesterol homeostasis biomarkers and nutrient biomarkers, and cardiovascular disease risk, and the application of systematic review methods to the field of nutrition. Dr. Lichtenstein and AG have worked together in many primary research projects as well as in many systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

                        Susan B. Roberts, PhD - Energy metabolism, weight managementEnergy metabolism, weight management

                        Susan B. Roberts, PhD

                        Dr. Roberts’ research focus has been on dietary, behavioral and cultural determinants of body fatness, and development of behavioral programs for weight loss and prevention of weight regain. This work is conducted in worksites and military families in the U.S, and also in different population groups internationally (China, Brazil, India and Italy). In addition, Dr. Roberts has focused on development of new formulations of foods for prevention and treatment of malnutrition across the lifecycle (U.S. and Guinea Bissau), with emphasis on reduction of susceptibility to obesity and improvement of cognition. Sue served as a co-mentor of AGP during his K23 career development award (2002 to 2006) and their collaboration has proved to be very productive since.

                          Richard Siegel, MD - Clinical diabetesClinical diabetes

                          Richard Siegel, MD

                          After growing up in New York, Dr. Richard Siegel has established his professional and social life in Boston since 1990. In his new home, he has learned to like the Redsox but has not yet lost the letter 'r' when speaking. Dr. Siegel has been working with patients who have diabesity in the Endocrine Division and Weight and Wellness Center at Tufts Medical Center. He has been a serial awardee of the Top Doctors award by Boston Magazine.