Dr. Mercedes Carnethon is a chronic disease epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience carrying out research on the risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. She completed her doctoral training in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000 and postdoctoral training from the Stanford Prevention Research Center in Stanford CA in 2002. She has been a member the faculty of the Feinberg School of Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine since 2002 and she now leads the Department of Preventive Medicine as the Mary Harris Thompson Professor and Chair. Dr. Carnethon has published over 400 scientific research articles and has an h-index of 84. Her research has been funded continuously by the NIH, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association throughout her career. Dr. Carnethon is a leader in faculty development and mentoring having served as a mentor to over 40 investigators across all training levels. She has served as the program director for multiple postdoctoral training programs supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association.