Stampfer and Willett named ‘most-cited scientists of the decade’

Meir Stampfer, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and Walter Willett, chair of the School’s Department of Nutrition, were recently ranked the No. 1 and No. 2 most-cited scientists, respectively, in clinical medicine for the past decade.

According to ISI Essential Science Indicators, 376 of Stampfer’s published research findings were cited nearly 31,000 times between 1995 and August of this year. The most-cited papers were those assessing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Willett, meanwhile, had 516 of his published research findings cited nearly 30,000 times in the past 10 years. Additionally, three other HSPH faculty members ranked in the top 20, including Graham Colditz, professor of epidemiology (7); JoAnn Manson, professor of epidemiology (11); and Frank Speizer, professor of environmental science (16).

On the strong showing from HSPH faculty as well as graduates, Stampfer commented: “I was pleased to see this finding because it shows that our work is read and appreciated, and that it focuses on major issues. As department chair of epidemiology at HSPH, it is especially gratifying to note that six of the top 12 either have appointments in or graduated from the department of epidemiology. At HSPH, our goal is to have a major impact through teaching and discovery, and the finding of so many colleagues on this list is another indication that we are succeeding in that goal.”

ISI Essential Science Indicators (ESI) is a Web-based resource that enables researchers to conduct ongoing, quantitative analyses of research performance and track trends in science. It covers a multidisciplinary selection of 8,500 journals from around the world and provides data for ranking scientists, institutions, journals and more. ESI covers 10 million articles in 22 specific fields of research and is updated every two months.