Mercedes R. Carnethon, PhD

Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine

Dr. Carnethon earned her A.B. (with Honors) in Human Biology from Stanford University in 1996, followed by a master’s (1998) and doctoral (2000) degree in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following postdoctoral training at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention at the Stanford University School of Medicine from 2000 - 2002, Dr. Carnethon joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University.

Research Interests

Dr. Carnethon is a cardiovascular disease epidemiologist whose research has focused on the role of the autonomic nervous system on cardiovascular disease, the intersection between cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular health, and correlates of the metabolic syndrome. She is particularly interested in studying the physiologic responses to health behaviors such as sleep and physical activity.

Research Funding

Dr. Carnethon was the recipient of a mentored career development award from the National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute from 2003 - 2006. Currently, she serves as the Prinicipal Investigator of the Chicago field center of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Fitness Study, an ancillary investigation of 20-year changes in cardiorespiratory fitness in participants of the CARDIA study.

Professional Society Membership

American College of Epidemiology
American College of Sports Medicine
American Diabetes Association, Council on Epidemiology and Statistics
American Heart Association, Associate Fellow, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention
Delta Omega (Honorary Public Health Society), Theta Chapter
Society for Epidemiologic Research

Selected Publications

1. Carnethon MR, Prineas RJ, Temprosa M, Zhang Z, Uwaifo G, Katz R, Molitch ME. Heart Rate Variability and Other Electrocardiographic Indices and the Development of Diabetes: A Post-Hoc Analysis of the Diabetes Prevention Program. Diabetes Care 2006; 29: 914-919.
2. Carnethon MR, Lynch EB, Dyer AR, Lloyd-Jones DM, Wang R, Garside DB, Greenland P: Comparison of Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Mortality in Black and White Adults. Arch Intern Med 166:1196-1202, 2006.
3. Carnethon MR, Gulati M, Greenland P. Prevalence and Cardiovascular Disease Correlates of Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adolescents and Adults. JAMA 2005;294:2981-2988.
4. Carnethon MR, Gidding SS, Nehgme R, Sidney S, Jacobs DR, Liu K. Cardiorespiratory fitness in young adulthood and the development of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Journal of the American Medical Association 2003; 290: 3092-3100.
5. Carnethon MR, Golden SH, Folsom AR, Haskell W, Liao D. A Prospective Investigation of Autonomic Nervous System Function and the Development of Type 2 Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, 1987 – 1998. Circulation 2003; 107: 2190-2195.
6. Park Yong-Woo, Zhu S, Palaniappan L, Heska S, Carnethon MR, Heymsfield SB. The Metabolic Syndrome: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors, Findings in the US Population from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Archives of Internal Medicine 2003; 163 (4): 427-436.
7. Liao D, Carnethon MR, Evans GW, Cascio WE, Heiss G. Lower Heart Rate Variability is Associated with the Development of Coronary Heart Disease in Diabetics—The ARIC Study. Diabetes 2002; 51:3524-3531.
8. Carnethon MR, Kinder LS, Fair JM, Stafford RS, Fortmann SP. Symptoms of Depression as a Risk Factor for Incident Diabetes: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study, 1971 – 1992. American Journal of Epidemiology 2003; 158: 416-423.
9. Jae SY, Carnethon MR, Heffeman KS, Choi YH, Lee MK, Fernhall B. Association between cardio respiratory fitness and prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis among men with hypertension. AmHeart J. 2007 June; 153 (6): 1001-5.
10. Ueshima H, Stamler J, Elliott P, Chan Q, Brown IJ, Carnethon MR, Daviglus ML, He K, Moag-Stahlberg A, Rodriguez BL, Steffen LM, Van Horn L, Yarnal J, Zhou B. Food Omerga-3 Fatty Acid Intake of Individuals (Total, Linolenic Acid, Long-Chain) and Their Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2007 June 4.
11. Jae SY, Carnethon MR, Ahn ES, Heffernan KS, Choi YH, Lee MK, Fernhall B. Association between heart rate recovery exercise testing and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, tissue plasminogen activator, and fibrinogen in apparently healthy men. Atherosclerosis. 2007 August 1.
12. Ueshima H, Stamler J, Elliott P, Chan O, Brown IJ, Carnethon MR, Daviglus ML, He K, Moag-Stahlberg A, Rodriguez BL, Steffen LM, Van Horn L, Yanhell J, Zhous B; INTERMAP Research Roup. Food omega-3 fatty acid intake of individuals (total, linolenic acid, long-chain) and their blood pressure: Intermap study. Hypertension 2007 Aug;50(2):313-9.
13. Carnethon MR, Yan L, Greenland P, Garside DB, Dyer AR, Metzger B, Daviglus ML. Resting heart rate in middle age and diabetes development in older age. Diabetes Care. 2007 Oct 24.
14. Carnethon MR, Craft LL. Autonomic Regulation of the Association between exercise and diabetes. Exerc Sports Sci Rev. 2008 Jan;36(1):12-8.
15. Carnethon MR, Yan L, Greenland P, Garside DB, Dyer AR, Metzger B, Daviglus ML. Resting heart rate in middle age and diabetes development in older age. Diabetes Care. 2008 Feb; 31(2):335-9.
16. Burke GL, Bertoni AG, Shea S, Tracy R, Watson KE, Blumenthal RS, Chung H, Carnethon MR. The impact of obesity on cardiovascular disease risk factors and subclinical vascular disease: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Etherosclerosis. Arch Intern Med. 2008 May 12;168(9):928-35.
17. Burke GL, Bertoni AG, Shea S, Tracy R, Watson KE, Blumenthal RS, Chung H, Carnethon MR. The impact of obesity on cardiovascular disease risk factors and subclinical vascular disease: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. Arch Intern Med. 2008 May 12;168(9):928-35.
18. Carnethon MR. Diabetes prevention in US Ethnic Minorites: Role of the Social Environment. J Am Diet Associ. 2008 Jun;108(6):942-4.
19. Carnethon MR. Diabetes prevention in US ethnic minorities: role of the social environment. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Jun;108(6):942-4.

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