Luis Miguel Mestre, PhD, MS

Luis Miguel Mestre is a Research Health Sciences Specialist in the Clinical Epidemiology Research Center (CERC) at the VA Medical Center in West Haven, CT. Dr. Mestre is also an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine in the Polimanti Lab.

His research integrates big data, quantitative epidemiology, and chronic disease epidemiology to address chronic diseases, including mental health illnesses, and improve healthcare delivery for US Veterans by leveraging real-world evidence from electronic health records. Currently, Dr. Mestre’s work focuses on four primary areas: substance use prevention (including tobacco use), Veterans' health disparities, digital health, and cancer prevention.

Specifically, his projects include: (1) Identifying high-risk groups for substance use and developing digital interventions for cessation. (2) Creating and implementing diagnostic and probabilistic models for ARDS tailored to US Veterans. (3) Comparing characteristics of patients with ARDS by their flu status pre and post- COVID19 pandemic. (4) Comparing the prevalence and risk of having ARDS by sex among US Veterans by military exposures. (5) Evaluating diagnoses of Major Depressive Disorder among veterans and investigating GLP-1 treatment for Veterans with diabetes. (6) Vaping among Cancer Survivors by cancer type. (7) Recreational and Medical Marijuana use among cancer survivors in the US. (8) Depression and antidepressant treatment among cancer survivors during and post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Building on this interdisciplinary expertise, Dr. Mestre is a Yale alumnus and former NIDA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at The Consultation Center, TCORS, and The HABIT Lab. He earned his Ph.D. in Epidemiology with a minor in Data Science from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, and holds an MS in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. His doctoral training in quantitative epidemiology, statistics, and data science provides a strong foundation for his ongoing research in health disparities, chronic diseases among U.S. Veterans, and substance use.

Through his research, Dr. Mestre aims to advance equitable healthcare and inform evidence-based interventions that meaningfully improve Veterans' lives.