Weihua Guan

About

Weihua Guan is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Minnesota. His research activity spans from 2005 to 2026, with a focus on areas that contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Gender Equality (SDG 5), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10). Professor Guan's expertise is reflected in his extensive research output, which includes 253 publications and involvement in 39 projects and grants. His work prominently features topics such as DNA methylation, genome-wide association studies, atherosclerotic risk factors, and kidney transplant recipients. He has contributed significantly to understanding the molecular and genetic underpinnings of health outcomes, including aging, cancer disparities, and cognitive function. His collaborative projects often intersect with cancer research, brain imaging genetics, and the development of diagnostic assays for diseases such as serous ovarian cancer. Professor Guan's research integrates biostatistical methods with molecular biology and genetics to address complex health issues, emphasizing reproducible research and the social determinants of health.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Endocrinology
• Cardiology
• Biochemistry
• Gastroenterology
• Biology

Selected publications

• n-3 Fatty Acid Biomarkers and Incident Type 2 Diabetes: An Individual Participant-Level Pooling Project of 20 Prospective Cohort Studies

  Diabetes Care · 2021 · 78 citations

  OBJECTIVE: Prospective associations between n-3 fatty acid biomarkers and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk are not consistent in individual studies. We aimed to summarize the prospective associations of biomarkers of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with T2D risk through an individual participant-level pooled analysis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: For our analysis we incorporated data from a global consortium of 20 prospec…

  DOI

• Association Between Homocysteine and Vascular Calcification Incidence, Prevalence, and Progression in the MESA Cohort

  Journal of the American Heart Association · 2020 · 59 citations

  Background While elevated homocysteine has been associated with calcification in several studies, its importance as a cardiovascular risk factor remains unclear. This study examines the relationship between homocysteine and vascular and valve calcification in the MESA (Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) cohort. Methods and Results MESA participants with baseline homocysteine measurements and cardiac computed tomography scans were included (N=6789). Baseline and follow-up assessment of vascul…

  DOI

• Lipoprotein (a) and risk for calcification of the coronary arteries, mitral valve, and thoracic aorta: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

  Journal of cardiovascular computed tomography · 2020 · 56 citations

  DOI

• Donor and recipient polygenic risk scores influence the risk of post-transplant diabetes

  Nature Medicine · 2022 · 43 citations

  PublisherDOI

• Aging measures and cancer in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)

  Nature Communications · 2025-07-01 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  Cancer survivors may have higher biological age (BA) than cancer-free persons (controls). In HRS, we examined the associations of BA with cancer prevalence and mortality. BA was estimated by the Klemera and Doubal method (KDM-BA), phenotypic age (PhenoAge), and subjective age (SA) among 946 cancer survivors and 4555 controls; and by epigenetic clocks (Horvath, Hannum, Levine, GrimAge, Zhang Score (ZS), and methylation-based pace of aging (mPOA)) among 582 cancer survivors and 2805 controls. Age…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Michael Y. Tsai

  University of Minnesota

  208 shared

• Brian T. Steffen

  184 shared

• Alan T. Remaley

  National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

  95 shared

• Ajay K. Israni

  Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute

  90 shared

• Robyn L. McClelland

  University of Washington

  89 shared

• Erin D. Michos

  Johns Hopkins University

  68 shared

• Susan R. Heckbert

  University of Washington

  68 shared

• Joseph P. McConnell

  Adaptive Dynamics (United States)

  67 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Public Health

  University of Minnesota

  2006

• M.S., Public Health

  University of Minnesota

  2003

• B.S., Public Health

  Nanjing Medical University

  1998

Awards & honors

• Member, Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health

Similar researchers at University of Minnesota

• Joseph Koopmeinersh-46
• Xianghua Luoh-42
• Anne Eatonh-36