Zukel, William, MD (b.1922)

Time Period: 1960s

William Zukel, MD, wrote one of the first studies of geographic variation in CVD deaths in the United States and oversaw most of the collaborative prevention trials, from the Coronary Drug Project (CDP) through the Multiple Risk Factor Trial. His firm hand was felt in methodological rigor, study design, data monitoring, and quality control of all major NIH-supported prevention studies. He was at the center of negotiations for continuing the Framingham Study when it was under intense pressure from NIH leaders to close down in the 1970s. Throughout his career he represented that coterie of knowledgeable and committed administrators who acted quietly and effectively to elevate and propagate preventive research strategies and to fight the ongoing battles for balanced programs and support with clinical and bench science at NIH. In these roles he was among the more influential in all prevention developments during the first three decades of formal CVD epidemiology.