William P. Castelli
American physician and epidemiologist (1931–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Peter Castelli (November 21, 1931 – January 19, 2025) was an American physician, epidemiologist and director of the Framingham Heart Study.
William P. Castelli | |
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| Born | 21 November 1931 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 19 January 2025 (aged 93) Marlboro, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Physician |
Early life and career
Castelli was born at New York City on November 21, 1931.[1] He graduated B.S. in zoology from Yale College in 1953 and received his MD from Université catholique de Louvain in 1959.[1]
Castelli completed his internship at Kings County Hospital Center in 1959 and completed a residency in medicine at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital.[2] He did his post-doctoral fellowship with David Rutstein at the Department of Preventive Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Framingham Heart Study in 1965.[2] He was the director of the Framingham Heart Study 1979–1995.[1][3][4] He has credited data from the Framingham Heart Study to lower cholesterol levels as saving his own life.[5]
He established the Framingham Cardiovascular Institute for which he was medical director.[1][6] Castelli taught epidemiology and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at Harvard Medical School, Boston University School of Medicine and University of Massachusetts Medical School.[2] He advocated a diet low in saturated fat to reduce heart disease risk.[5]
Personal life and death
Castelli married Marjorie Irene Fish; they had several children.[1] Castelli died in Marlboro, Massachusetts on January 19, 2025, at the age of 93.[7]
Selected publications
- Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease and Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels: The Framingham Study (1986)
- Cholesterol and Mortality: 30 Years of Follow-up From the Framingham Study (1987)
- How to Lower Your Cholesterol & Beat the Odds of a Heart Attack (1989)
- Lipids and risk of coronary heart disease: The Framingham Study (1992)
- Epidemiology of triglycerides: A view from Framingham (1992)
- Lipids, risk factors and ischaemic heart disease (1996)
- The New Good Fat Bad Fat: Lower Your Cholesterol and Reduce Your Odds of a Heart Attack (1997)
- Cholesterol Cures: More Than 325 Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol and Live Longer from Almonds and Chocolate to Garlic and Wine (2002)