Luis Miguel Mestre, PhD, MS
he/him/his
Associate Research ScientistAbout
Titles
Associate Research Scientist
Biography
Luis Miguel Mestre is a Research Health Sciences Specialist at the VA Medical Center in West Haven, CT, and an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. His research integrates big data, quantitative epidemiology, and informatics to address chronic diseases and improve healthcare delivery, leveraging real-world evidence from electronic health records. Dr. Mestre’s recent work emphasizes four main areas: substance use prevention—including tobacco and cigarette smoking—health disparities, tobacco cessation, and cancer prevention.
Specifically, his projects focus on identifying high-risk groups for substance use and developing digital interventions for cessation within these domains. 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. He also holds an MS in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. His doctoral training in quantitative epidemiology, statistics, and data science laid the foundation for his current research in health disparities, chronic diseases, and substance use.
Last Updated on May 08, 2026.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Associate Research ScientistPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- HABIT Lab
- Psychiatry
- The Consultation Center
Education & Training
- PhD
- Indiana University, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics/Epidemiology (2023)
- MS
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Department of Mathematical Sciences/ Mathematical Statistics (2018)
- BS
- Universidad Metropolitana (Currently Universidad Ana G. Méndez in Cupey), School of Science and Technology/Biomathematics (2016)
Research
Publications
2026
Disproportionate use of polysubstance combinations varies by sexual identity among US adults
Mestre L, White M, Lee J, Parker M, Bold K. Disproportionate use of polysubstance combinations varies by sexual identity among US adults. PLOS ONE 2026, 21: e0340454. PMID: 41706684, PMCID: PMC12915938, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0340454.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBinge alcohol drinkingSexual identityPolysubstance combinationsAlcohol drinkingBisexual adultsLGB adultsMultinomial logistic regression modelPolysubstance useSex differencesPolysubstanceLGBDisproportionate useNicotine vapingFemale adultsAnalytic sampleBingeCannabisPublic health strategiesIdentityHealth strategiesAdultsLogistic regression modelsSubstance combinationsSexDrinking
2025
Feasibility and efficacy of a real-time smoking intervention using wearable technology
Bold K, Mestre L, Garrison K, Gueorguieva R, O'Malley S, Fucito L. Feasibility and efficacy of a real-time smoking intervention using wearable technology. PLOS Digital Health 2025, 4: e0001086. PMID: 41212887, PMCID: PMC12599971, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0001086.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTobacco treatmentOutpatient hospital settingSmoking behaviorHospital settingMeasures of smoking behaviorPoint prevalence abstinenceCessation outcomesExperimental groupSmoking interventionsQuit smokingControl groupSmoking cigarettesWearable technologyPreliminary efficacySmokingReal-time feedbackDays of treatmentCigaretteParticipantsAdultsLarge-scale clinical trialsAbstinenceSmartbandBehaviorPhysical Activity in Adolescence and Cannabis Use in Adulthood: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in the United States (1994-2018)
Cordoba-Grueso W, Mestre L, Parker M. Physical Activity in Adolescence and Cannabis Use in Adulthood: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in the United States (1994-2018). Health Behavior Research 2025, 8 DOI: 10.4148/2572-1836.1339.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchExamining multiple substance use among Lesbian, Gay, and bisexual US adults
Mestre L, Parker M, Lee J, White M, Bold K. Examining multiple substance use among Lesbian, Gay, and bisexual US adults. Addictive Behaviors 2025, 171: 108469. PMID: 40876182, DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108469.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSexual identityLGB adultsLGBHealth risk behaviorsHeterosexual femalesNational surveySubstance useMultiple substance useDrug useRisk behaviorsUS adultsHealth datasetsMultiple substancesIdentityLesbiansSociodemographic factorsGayFemale adultsHealthNationalSexTrendsAdultsExacerbation riskSurveyDetermining whether weight status mediates the association between number of cigarettes smoked per day and all-cause mortality among US adults who smoke cigarettes
Mestre L, Zoh R, Perry C, Fukuyama J, Parker M. Determining whether weight status mediates the association between number of cigarettes smoked per day and all-cause mortality among US adults who smoke cigarettes. PLOS ONE 2025, 20: e0319560. PMID: 40305568, PMCID: PMC12043237, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319560.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAll-Cause MortalityWeight statusBMI levelsCigarette smokingMeasures of weight statusWeight management programPublic health interventionsMediation analysisHarm reduction strategiesPhysical activityMortality filesLifetime cigarettesHealth interventionsSurrogate measureUS adultsSmoking cigarettesAlcohol consumptionGeneralized linear modelMean BMIBMICigaretteSmokingManagement programsPopulation levelTotal effect
2024
Higher prevalence of polysubstance use among older lesbian, and gay US adults
Mestre L, White M, Levy B, Bold K. Higher prevalence of polysubstance use among older lesbian, and gay US adults. Drug And Alcohol Dependence Reports 2024, 12: 100281. PMID: 39314854, PMCID: PMC11417146, DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100281.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchOlder LGB adultsLGB adultsPolysubstance useNational Survey of Drug Use and HealthDrug Use and HealthHeterosexual counterpartsSexual identityHeterosexual participantsPrevalence of polysubstance useMarginalized groupsLGBNational surveyAnalytic samplePublic health concernSame-age peersOlder adultsPolysubstanceSurvey weightsHealth concernSociodemographic factorsMultinomial modelHighest prevalenceUS adultsConcernsPrevention strategiesMisstatements, misperceptions, and mistakes in controlling for covariates in observational research
Yu X, Zoh R, Fluharty D, Mestre L, Valdez D, Tekwe C, Vorland C, Jamshidi-Naeini Y, Chiou S, Lartey S, Allison D. Misstatements, misperceptions, and mistakes in controlling for covariates in observational research. ELife 2024, 13: e82268. PMID: 38752987, PMCID: PMC11098558, DOI: 10.7554/elife.82268.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsImpact of sustained calorie restriction and weight cycling on body composition in high‐fat diet‐fed male and female C57BL/6J mice
Smith D, Yang Y, Mestre L, Henschel B, Parker E, Dickinson S, Patki A, Allison D, Nagy T. Impact of sustained calorie restriction and weight cycling on body composition in high‐fat diet‐fed male and female C57BL/6J mice. Obesity 2024, 32: 959-968. PMID: 38600047, PMCID: PMC11145641, DOI: 10.1002/oby.24015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFat massWeight cyclingC57BL/6J miceBody weightCalorie restrictionWeight losersAd libitumAdult C57BL/6J miceFemale C57BL/6J miceBody composition changesHigh-fat diet ad libitumModerate calorie restrictionLong-term calorie restrictionDiet-induced obesityRelative fat massHigh-fat diet-fedLower body weightDiet ad libitumSingle-housed miceWeeks of ageAdult miceRelative body fatMale miceBody compositionBody fat
2023
Body mass index trajectories and mortality risk in Japan using a population-based prospective cohort study: the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study
Yamamoto N, Ejima K, Mestre L, Owora A, Inoue M, Tsugane S, Sawada N. Body mass index trajectories and mortality risk in Japan using a population-based prospective cohort study: the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. International Journal Of Epidemiology 2023, 53: dyad145. PMID: 37878816, PMCID: PMC10859135, DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyad145.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPopulation-based prospective cohort studyBody mass index trajectory groupsBody mass index trajectoriesBody mass indexProspective cohort studyRisk of mortalityTrajectory groupsJapan Public Health Center-based Prospective StudyCohort studyBMI trajectory groupsCause-specific mortalityLatent class growth modelingJapanese populationCox proportional-hazards modelRisk of deathProportional-hazards modelMortality riskIndex trajectoriesMass indexHigher hazardParticipantsCox modelProspective studyMortalityRiskDesign, analysis, and interpretation of treatment response heterogeneity in personalized nutrition and obesity treatment research
Zoh R, Esteves B, Yu X, Fairchild A, Vazquez A, Chapple A, Brown A, George B, Gordon D, Landsittel D, Gadbury G, Pavela G, de los Campos G, Mestre L, Allison D. Design, analysis, and interpretation of treatment response heterogeneity in personalized nutrition and obesity treatment research. Obesity Reviews 2023, 24: e13635-e13635. PMID: 37667550, PMCID: PMC10825777, DOI: 10.1111/obr.13635.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsTreatment response heterogeneityResponse heterogeneityObesity researchDietary recommendationsClinical trialsTreatment of chronic diseasesObesityPersonalized nutritionObesity treatment researchPersonalized medicinePrecision medicineTreatmentChronic diseasesStudy designNutritionTreatment research
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
News & Links
Get In Touch
Contacts
Email
Academic Office Number
Mailing Address
Yale School of Medicine
389 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
United States
Locations
The Consultation Center (TCC)
Academic Office
389 Whitney Avenue, Fl 3th, Rm 312
New Haven, CT 06511
Appointments
203.789.7645 x126