Gina Wei MD, MPH

Education

2000 – 2001, Uniformed Services University of Health Care Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland; M.P.H.
1992 – 1996, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC; MD
1988 – 1992, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA; B.S., Biochemistry

Biography

Gina S. Wei, M.D., M.P.H., is the Acting Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Science (DCVS) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Since 2016, Dr. Wei has been the DCVS Associate Director of Prevention and Population. In that role, she has directed the division's Prevention and Population Sciences Program, which focuses on a wide range of research in epidemiology and prevention. Major scientific domains include population-based cohort studies; studies of genetic, behavioral, and environmental influences on disease risk and outcomes; and clinical trials focused on prevention and improvements to cardiovascular health, clinical care, and public health. Since 2021, Dr. Wei has also served as the Institute's senior scientific advisor on Women's Health. She fosters and oversees scientific initiatives to advance women's health and represents the NHLBI on multiple NIH- and Agency-wide women's health committees.

Dr. Wei has played important leadership roles in launching flagship initiatives in precision medicine, data science, population science, and women's health. Examples of these initiatives include NHLBI's Trans-Omics in Precision Medicine (TOPMed), BioData Catalyst, the Maternal Health Community Implementation Program, and the Multi-ethnic Observational Study of American Asian and Pacific Islander Communities (MOSAAIC), as well as the NIH All of Us Research Program and the Implementing a Maternal health & Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative. For her exemplary scientific leadership and accomplishments, Dr. Wei has been recognized with numerous NHLBI and NIH awards, including multiple NHLBI Director's Awards, NIH Office of Director Honor Awards, and NIH Director's Awards.

Dr. Wei started her tenure at NHLBI as the Medical Officer of the Epidemiology branch in 2004 and became the Senior Scientific Advisor for Prevention and Population Sciences Program in 2014. Prior to moving to NIH, she worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

2016 – Now: Director, Prevention and Population Sciences Program (PPSP); Associate Director, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences (DCVS); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

2014 – 2015: Senior Scientific Advisor, PPSP, DCVS, NHLBI, NIH

2004 – 2014: Medical Officer, Epidemiology Branch, NHLBI, NIH

2002 – 2004: Medical Officer, Clinical Review Team, Division of Dietary Supplement Programs, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements; Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; FDA

2000 – 2002: Fellow, General Internal Medicine; Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Washington, DC; joint general internal medicine fellowship with Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC

1999 – 2000: Chief Resident, Internal Medicine, VA Medical Center, Washington, DC

1996 – 1999: Resident, Internal Medicine, Primary Care Track; George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC

Representative Bibliography

1. Lauer MS, Gordon D, Wei G, Pearson G. Efficient design of clinical trials and epidemiological research: is it possible? Nat Rev Cardiol. 2017 Apr 27. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2017.60. [Epub ahead of print] Review.

2. Mensah GA, Wei GS, Sorlie PD, Fine LJ, Rosenberg Y, Kaufmann PG, Mussolino ME, Hsu LL, Addou E, Engelgau MM, Gordon D. Decline in Cardiovascular Mortality: Possible Causes and Implications. Circ Res. 2017 Jan 20;120(2):366-380. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.309115. Review

3. Fabsitz RR, Papanicolaou GJ, Sholinsky P, Coady SA, Jaquish CE, Nelson CR, Olson JL, Puggal MA, Purkiser KL, Srinivas PR, Wei GS, Wolz M, Sorlie PD. Impact of national heart, lung, and blood institute-supported cardiovascular epidemiology research, 1998 to 2012. Circulation. 2015;132:2028-2033

4. Wei GS, Coady SA, Reis JP, Carnethon MR, Coresh J, D'Agostino RB, Sr., Goff DC, Jr., Jacobs DR, Jr., Selvin E, Fox CS. Duration and degree of weight gain and incident diabetes in younger versus middle-aged black and white adults: Aric, cardia, and the framingham heart study. Diabetes Care. 2015;38:2042-2049

5. Reis, J. P., C. M. Loria, Lewis CE, Powell-Wiley TM, Wei GS, Carr JJ, Terry JG, Liu K. Association between duration of overall and abdominal obesity beginning in young adulthood and coronary artery calcification in middle age. 2013 JAMA 310(3): 280-288.

7. Sorlie P, Wei GS. Population-based cohort studies: still relevant? J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011 Nov 1;58(19):2010-3

8. Wei GS, Coady SA, Goff DC Jr, Brancati FL, Levy D, Selvin E, Vasan RS, Fox CS. Blood pressure and the risk of developing diabetes in African Americans and whites: ARIC, CARDIA, and the Framingham heart study. Diabetes Care. 2011 Apr;34(4):873-9.

16. Wei GS, Jackson JL. Postmenopausal Bone Density Referral Decision Rules: Correlation with Clinical Fractures. Military Medicine. 2004. Dec;169(12):1000-1004.

18. Wei GS, Jackson JL, Hatzigeorgiou C, Tofferi JK. Osteoporosis Management in the New Millennium. Prim Care. 2003. Dec;30(4):711-41, vi-vii.