Setor Kunutsor, BSc, MD, MPhil(cantab), PhD(cantab)

Dr. Setor Kunutsor is a clinical cardiovascular epidemiologist and population health scientist whose research focuses on understanding the burden, presentation, prevention, and management of cardiovascular disease and related outcomes. He is particularly interested in the role of modifiable lifestyle factors in the primary and secondary prevention of adverse cardiovascular events. His work also emphasizes disparities in cardiovascular health, exploring sex, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic differences in disease development, prevention, treatment, and outcomes.

To achieve these objectives, Dr. Kunutsor employs a diverse range of methodologies, including epidemiological analyses of longitudinal and real-world data, evidence synthesis, primary data collection, and interventional studies. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, many of which have generated international media and public attention. His H-index is 72 and he has over 20,000 citations. His expertise has been featured on major platforms, including the BBC and CBC.

Dr. Kunutsor is a professor and Evelyn Wyrzykowski Research Chair in Cardiology, in the section of cardiology, department of internal medicine, at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Kunutsor is the principal investigator of the Cardiovascular Real-World Evidence (CARDIO-RWE) Research Group in the section of cardiology. 

Dr. Kunutsor received his PhD in Cardiovascular Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge’s Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit in 2014. His doctoral thesis involved evaluating observational and genetic associations of markers of liver dysfunction and coronary heart disease risk, and this employed large-scale individual level data analyses and evidence synthesis methodologies. Using his expertise in evidence synthesis methods, Dr. Kunutsor has actively been involved in clinical guideline development. He was one of the lead methodologists for the first-ever National Guideline for Menopause in England and Wales. 

In addition to being a teacher and supervisor, Dr. Kunutsor serves as a role model, mentor and advisor to students and junior colleagues from minority groups to ensure they become active citizens and reach their full potential. 

Beyond the university framework, Dr. Kunutsor is actively involved in a number of international committees including the Canadian Heart Function Alliance and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes-Primary Care Diabetes Europe Study Group.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Cardiovascular Epidemiology, University of Cambridge, UK, 2014
• Master of Studies (MSt) in Public Health, University of Cambridge, UK, 2007
• Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB), University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana, 2002
• Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Medical Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana, 1998

Awards

2025

• European Journal of Preventive Cardiology Pantaleo Giannuzzi Award for Highly Cited Article 

2024

• Evelyn Wyrzykowski Research Chair in Cardiology
• Mayo Clinic Proceedings Highly Cited Article
• Geroscience Outstanding Original Research Paper Award

2022

• Globally ranked expert (Expertscape) in physical fitness and cardiorespiratory fitness