Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic pulmonary diseases, are by far the leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and disability in the world today. Epidemiology has contributed greatly to the understanding of the causes of these diseases, and thereby to the concepts of disease prevention. Much of the current chronic disease burden could be prevented if populations followed a few basic, health promotion steps – such as avoiding tobacco, avoiding excess alcohol, exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and making use of proven clinical preventive services. However, data repeatedly show that the vast majority of people are unable to follow these basic recommendations. Similarly, major gains in reducing the current chronic disease burden could be achieved by better applying the scientific and clinical knowledge we already have. This is especially true in the area of hospital medical care and in the application of primary and secondary prevention measures in ambulatory practice settings.

Mat Reeves’ academic interests in chronic diseases stem from a desire to blend the quantitative aspects of epidemiology with the practical aspects of disease prevention and public health. Current research activities include:

• Stroke - including developing a model for clinical surveillance of hospital care and developing intervention strategies to improving medical care of acute stroke patients (MASCOTS Study).
• Asthma in Emergency Departments - including developing models for public health surveillance and testing the effectiveness of disease management interventions (Grand Rapids Asthma Study).
• Developing a clinical decision rule for the management of breast masses in women (BREASTAID Study).
• Understanding the epidemiology of physical activity and other health promotion behaviors.
• Methodological issues in Evidence-Based Medicine, especially meta-analysis.