Associate Chair, Equity and Diversity, Department of Medicine

Director, Population Genomics Program, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Canada Research Chair in Ethnic Diversity and Cardiovascular Disease

Heart and Stroke Foundation / Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Population Health Research McMaster University

McMaster University’s Dr. Sonia Anand was only 33 years old when she landed the Eli Lilly Canada-May Cohen Chair in Women’s Health. Although her present research involves the environmental and genetic determinants of vascular and peripheral vascular disease in populations of varying ancestral origin, she is most recognized for her research on women’s health issues, particularly in the area of cardiovascular disease. The care and treatment of women’s cardiovascular disease, unique in its latent and non-specific symptoms, must differ from the standard employed for men to be successful, and Dr. Anand’s research is innovative in making this a priority.

As a Professor with the Department of Medicine and a member of the Leadership Council of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s Heart Truth campaign, Dr. Anand has helped give women the tools they need to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. Studying the differences associated with each gender’s symptomatic experience of heart disease, Dr. Anand aims to clarify the way in which social factors interact with biological factors to impact cardiovascular health.

Dr. Anand is also the Principal Investigator of two large genetic association studies, including the CIHR/HSFO funded EPiDREAM study of 22,000 people from 21 countries. Complementing this research, Dr. Anand teaches clinical epidemiology courses in methodology and cardiovascular disease at McMaster University with the hope of influencing future generations of doctors to be mindful of women’s health matters.

Selected Publications

• Do R, Xie C, Zhang X, Islam S, Bailey S, Rangarajan S, McQueen M, Diaz R, Lisheng L, Wang X, Yusuf S, Engert J, Anand SS. Dietary Intake Modifies the Effect of Chromosome 9p21 Variants on Cardiovascular Disease. PLoS Med 2011 Oct;8(10):e1001106
• Zbuk K, Xie C, Young R, Heydarpour M, Pare G, Davis A, Miller R, Lanktree M, Saleheen D, Danesh J, Yusuf S, Engert J, Hegele R, Anand SS. BRCA2 Variants and Cardiovascular Disease in a Multi-Ethnic Study. BMC Med Genet 2012 July18;13-56
• Anand S, Dagenais G, Mohan V, Diaz R, Probstfield J, Freeman R, Shaw J, Marshall S, Lanas F, Avezum A, Budaj A, Jung H, Desai D, Bosch J, Yusuf S, Gertstein H. Glucose Levels are Associated with Cardiovascular Disease and Death in an International Cohort of Normal Glycemic and Dysglycemic Men and Women: The EpiDREAM Cohort Study. Eur J Cardiovas Prev Cardiol 2012 Aug;19(4):755-64
• Joseph P, Davis A, Miller R, Hill K, McCarthy H, Banerjee A, Chow C, Mente A, Anand SS. Contextual determinants of health behaviours in an Aboriginal community in Canada: Pilot Project. BMC Public Health 2012 Nov 7;12:952
• Joseph P, Pare G, Anand SS. Exploring Gene-Environment Relationships in Cardiovascular Disease. Can J Cardio 2013 Jan;29(1);37-45
• Anand SS. Vasudevan A, Gupta M, Morrison K, Kurpad A, Teo KK, Srinivasan K, On behalf of the START Cohort Study Investigators. Rationale and Design of South Asian Birth Cohort (START): A Canada-India Collaborative Study BMC Public Health 2013, Jan 28; 13:79
• Kreatsoulas C, Anand SS. Menopausal hormone therapy for the primary prevention of chronic conditions. U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommendation statement. Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2013:123(3): 112-7.
• Kreatsoulas C, Shannon HS, Giacomini M, Velianou JL, Anand SS. Reconstructing Angina: Cardiac Symptoms Are the Same in Women and Men. JAMA Internal Medicine 2013 Apr. 8:1-2.
• Neylon A, Canniffe C, Anand S, Kreatsoulas c, Blake GJ, Sugrue D, McGorrian D. A global perspective on psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2013 May-Jun;55(6): 574-81.
• Kalra S, Mercuri M, Anand SS. Measures of body fat in South Asian Adults. Nutr Diabetes 2013 May 27;3:e69
• Chetty T, Damjanovic S, Gerstein H, Singh N, Yusuf S, Anand SS, Sharma A. Metabolic effects of Telmisartan in subjects with abdomen obesity: a prospective randomized control trial. Blood Pressure, 2013; Jun 3
• Mente A, Meyre D, Lanktree M, Heydarpour M, Davis AD, Miller R, Gerstein H, Hegele RA, Yusuf S, Anand SS. Causal Relationship between Adiponectin and Metabolic Traits: A Mendelian Randomization Study in a Multiethnic Population. PLoS One 2013 June 24;8(6): e66808
• Wahi G, Wilson J, Miller R, Anglin R, McDonald S, Morrison KM, Teo KK, Anand SS. Aboriginal birth cohort (ABC): a prospective cohort study of early life determinants of adiposity and associated risk factors among Aboriginal people in Canada. BMC public health. 2013 Jun 25;13(1):608. [Epub ahead of print]
• Shah BR, Victor JC, Chiu M, Tu JV, Anand SS, Austin PC, Manuel DG, Hux JE. Cardiovascular Complications and Mortality After Diabetes Diagnosis for South Asian and Chinese Patients: A population-based cohort study. Diabetes Care 2013 Sep;36(9):2670-6
• Anand SS, Meyre D, Pare G, Bailey S, Xie C, Zhang X, Montpetit A, Desai D, Bosch J, Mohan V, Diaz R, McQueen M, Cordell H, Keavney B, Yusuf S, Gaudet D, Gerstein H, Engert JC, on behalf of the EpiDREAM Genetics Investigators. Genetic Information and the Prediction of incident Type 2 Diabetes in a High-Risk Multi-Ethnic population: The EpiDREAM Genetic Study. Diabetes Care 2013 Sep;36(9):2836-42
• Oliveira A, Kalra S, Wahi G, McDonald S, Desai D, Wilson J, Jacobs L, Smoke S, Hill P, Hill K, Morrison K, Teo K, Miller R, Anand SS. Maternal and Newborn Health Profile in an Aboriginal Community in Canada. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Wahi G, Anand SS. Race/Ethnicity, obesity and related cardio-metabolic risk factors: A life-course perspective. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep (In Press Aug 2013)

Citations for Dr. Anand on PubMed

Research Interests: Environmental and genetic determinants of vascular disease in populations of varying ancestral origin; women and cardiovascular disease.