Personnel and Committees

View the MESA Project ORG Chart

MESA Personnel

University of Washington Coordinating Center

Robyn McClelland, PhD (Co-PI)
Richard A. Kronmal, PhD (Co-PI)
Susan R. Heckbert, MD
Bruce M. Psaty, MD
Annette L. Fitzpatrick, PhD
William T. Longstreth, MD
Kayleen Williams, MPH
Craig Johnson, MS

Columbia University Field Center

Steven J. C. Shea, MD, MS (PI)
Graham R. Barr, MD, Dr. P.H.
Benjamin M. Smith, MD, MS, FRCPC
Alan D. Guerci, MD
Daniel Rabinowitz, PhD
Alan R. Tall, MD

Johns Hopkins University Field Center

Wendy S. Post, MD (PI)
Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS
Roger S. Blumenthal, MD
Pamela Ouyang, MD
A. Richey Sharrett, MD, DrPH
Moyses Szklo, MD, MPH, Dr.Ph

Northwestern University Field Center

Norrina B. Allen, PhD(PI)
Kiang Liu, PhD (PI)
Shah, Sanjiv J.MD
Deepak K. Gupta, MD
Thomas J. Wang, MD
David Green, MD, PhD
Philip Greenland, MD

UCLA Field Center

Karol Watson, MD, PhD (PI)
Preethi Srikanthan, MD, MS
Alan M. Fogelman, MD
Antoinette S. Gomes, MD
Sameh Tadros

University of Minnesota Field Center

Aaron R. Folsom, MD (PI)
Lin Yee Chen, MD
David R. Jacobs, Jr. PhD
Michael Jerosch-Herold, PhD
Pamela J. Schreiner, PhD
James Pankow, PhD, MPH

Wake Forest University Field Center

Gregory L. Burke, MD (Study PI)
Alain G. Bertoni, MD (FC PI)
Timothy Hughes, PhD
Yongmei Liu, PhD
Jingzhong Ding, PhD
David M. Herrington, MD
William G. Hundley, MD

University of Vermont Laboratory

Russell P. Tracy, PhD (PI)
Nels C. Olson, PhD
Mary Cushman, MD
Jon Peter Durda

Computed Tomography Reading Center
UCLA Medical Center Research and Education Institute

Matthew J. Budoff, MD (PI)
Robert C. Detrano, MD, PhD
Chris Dailing

MRI Reading Center
Johns Hopkins University

João A. Lima, MD (PI)
Bruce Wasserman, MD

Ultrasound Reading Center
New England Medical Center

Joseph F. Polak, MD, MPH (PI)
Daniel H. O'Leary, MD

ECG Reading Center
Wake Forest University

Elsayed Z. Soliman, MD, MSc (PI)

LA BioMed/Harbor UCLA

Jerome I. Rotter, MD (PI)
Xiuqing Guo, PhD
Kent Taylor, PhD

University of Virginia
Genetic Analysis Center

Stephen Rich, PhD (PI)
Josyf C. Mychaleckyj, MA, DPhil
Michele M. Sale, PhD
Ani Manichaikul, PhD

University of Minnesota Central Lipid Lab

Michael Tsai, PhD (PI)
John Eckfeldt, MD, PhD (Co-PI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Cashell Jaquish, PHD
Lorraine Silsbee, MHS
Pothur R. Srinivas, PhD, MPH

MESA Committees

The Steering Committee is comprised of the principal investigators from the Coordinating Center; six Field Centers; CT, MRI, and Ultrasound Reading Centers; Central Laboratory; and the Project Officer.

Subcommittees include Participant Relations, Design, Laboratory, MRI, CT, Morbidity and Mortality, Operations, Publications, Ancillary Studies, and Quality Control. Subcommittees make recommendations to the Steering Committee, which finalizes decisions.

The charges to the specific committees are as follows:

Steering Committee

Develop and approve all aspects of the study protocol.
Identify modifications of the study protocol or operational policy as necessary, and recommend changes to NHLBI.
Resolve operational problems.
Review reports of the Coordinating Center regarding study progress.
Advise and assist the Field Centers, Coordinating Center, Reading Centers, Central Laboratory and Project Office in the performance of the study.
Review ancillary studies for compatibility with MESA goals, and recommend priorities to the MESA Monitoring Board and NHLBI.

Participant Relations Committee

Oversee the timely provision of individual clinical examination results to participants.
Coordinate and disseminate participant information material.
Facilitate and monitor language translation of all necessary materials into Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese).
Consult with the Operations Committee on maximizing retention.

Design Committee

Evaluate and prioritize proposed examination components and make recommendations to the Steering Committee regarding inclusion.
Consider timing of the components over the course of the study, repetition of the component, participant burden, and cost, along with scientific value.

Operations Committee

Evaluate recommended examination components in terms of participant burden; operationalize approved examination components.
Make recommendations to the Steering Committee regarding methods to minimize participant burden and optimize comfort, interest, and satisfaction.
Assure that participant concerns are addressed and ensure maximum participation.
Develop methods to train examination staff; plan and execute training for examination procedures; develop procedures for exam technicians to obtain and maintain certification to perform study procedures; plan and monitor the pilot study.
Develop the Manual of Operations for clinic operations.
Develop a regular newsletter to keep participants informed about the study and foster good will.
Develop system of "alert" values and procedures for providing feedback to and referrals for participants and their health care providers.
In conjunction with Field Centers, evaluate and recommend modifications to recruitment strategies to assure consistency of procedures among Field Centers, as feasible.
Evaluate status of recruitment, considering balance of relevant ethnic, gender, and age subgroups.
Develop a standard description of recruitment procedures for use in study manuscripts.

Computed Tomography Committee

Develop protocol to measure coronary calcium using electron-beam computed tomography or other computed tomography method.
Develop protocol to read coronary calcium scans.
In conjunction with the Quality Committee, develop and recommend methods to assess comparability among centers and to investigate reasons for lack of comparability or unacceptable variability among Field Centers or within a Field Center.
Recommend further investigation and corrective action, as appropriate.

Ultrasound Committee

Develop protocol to measure carotid intimal-media thickness and plaque using B-mode ultrasound.
Develop protocol to measure flows-mediated vasodilation of the brachial artery, using ultrasound.
Develop protocol to read ultrasound scans.
In conjunction with the Quality Committee, develop and recommend methods to measure Reading Center quality and to assess comparability among centers and to investigate reasons for lack of comparability or unacceptable variability among Field Centers or within a Field Center.
Recommend further investigation and corrective action, as appropriate.

MRI Committee

Identify and recommend to the Steering Committee measures of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid or aorta, indices of cardiac anatomy and function and other measures appropriate to the technology, within the time constraints of the study, and according to the study goals.
Develop protocols to make measurements and to read MRI scans.
In conjunction with the Quality Committee, develop and recommend methods to assess comparability among centers and to investigate reasons for lack of comparability or unacceptable variability among Field Centers or within a Field Center.
Recommend further investigation and corrective action, as appropriate.

Laboratory Committee

Recommend blood-based laboratory measurements, based on the study goals. Develop a protocol for Field Center phlebotomists.
In conjunction with the Quality Committee, recommend a plan for quality assurance, and develop and recommend methods to assess comparability among centers and to investigate reasons for lack of comparability or unacceptable variability among Field Centers or within a Field Center.
Recommend further investigation and corrective action, as appropriate.

Morbidity and Mortality Committee

Develop protocol for identifying, evaluating, and quantifying, as feasible and appropriate, cardiovascular events, including (1) clinical event manifestations of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and congestive heart failure and (2) clinical diagnostic testing and interventions.
Participate in classification of type and severity of cardiovascular events.

Ancillary Studies Committee

For studies intended to be funded from other than contract funds, review, recommend modifications to the science and logistical conduct, and recommend approval or disapproval to the Steering Committee.

Publications and Presentations Committee

Develop, disseminate, and enforce policies for proposing and conducting data analyses; establishing authorship and reinforcing responsibilities of authorship; monitoring progress of data analyses; and use of data in abstracts, presentations, and publications.
Develop and assist in the maintenance of the publications data base of the Coordinating Center.
Recommend to the Steering Committee directions for publications and presentations.
Review, recommend modifications for, and consider for approval all abstracts, presentations, manuscripts, and other data analyses emanating from the study.

Monitoring Board

The MESA Monitoring Board has been appointed by the Director, NHLBI, to advise on the design and conduct of the study and on the analysis and interpretation of results. The Monitoring Board will meet approximately annually.

Helen P. Hazuda, PhD (Chair)
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio
Dept. of Medicine, Div. of Clinical Epidemiology

Kristin Newby, MD
Duke University
Cardiology

Kari North, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Department of Epidemiology and Carolina Center for Genome Sciences

Monika Safford, MD
Weill Cornell Medical College
General Internal Medicine

Lewis Wexler, MD
Stanford University
School of Medicine

Phyliss Sholinsky, MSPH
Executive Secretary for Monitoring Board
EBP/DECA/NHLBI/NIH