Current Members
Anastassios Pittas, MD MS | Principal Investigator
Dr. Pittas is Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA) and the Chief of the Division of Endocrinology at Tufts Medical Center (Boston, MA).
Dr. Pittas received his B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) and his M.D. degree from Weill Cornell University Medical College (New York City, NY). After completing his Internal Medicine Residency at the New York Presbyterian Hospital (Weill Cornell campus) in New York City, NY, and his Fellowship in Endocrinology at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, he joined the staff in the Division of Endocrinology at Tufts Medical Center where he has remained active in all areas of academic medicine, clinical care, research, and teaching (as they relate to the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus) and administration.
Dr. Pittas has been funded by the NIH since 2002. His work on the role of vitamin D in type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic disease has been supported by the R01, R21, U34, and U01 mechanisms of the NIH (NIDDK and Office of Dietary Supplements) and the American Diabetes Association.
In 2017, he received a Biomedical Research Exemplar Award, which honors – at the US national level – individuals conducting high-quality, high-impact, federally funded research who maintain an impressive reputation for professionalism and integrity in their work and who also employ exemplary practices to lead and manage their teams.
He has co-authored over 100 publications, including peer-reviewed journals, books, book chapters, and evidence-based reports.
Since 2017, he has been named as one of the Top Docs by Boston Magazine.
If you need more, please visit https://agpittas.com
Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD | Co-Investigator
Dr. Dawson-Hughes, M.D. graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her internship at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, MA. She became Chief Resident in Medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and went on to an endocrine fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She subsequently received an Individual National Research Service Award at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Dawson-Hughes has served on the councils of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, the American Society of Clinical Nutrition and the International Bone and Mineral Society. Dr. Dawson-Hughes served as Principal Investigator of the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases Resource Center in Washington, DC from 1998-2003, served on the Advisory Council of the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculo-skeletal, and Skin Diseases from 2000-2004, and served as President of the National Osteoporosis Foundation from 2002-2005. She also served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research from 1994 through 2002. Dr. Dawson-Hughes has published over 350 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, abstracts, and reviews. Her current research is directed at examining ways in which calcium, vitamin D influence risk of osteoporotic fractures and progression of other chronic diseases. Dr. Dawson-Hughes is frequently invited to speak to scientific and clinical groups both nationally and internationally about her research and on current advances in the diagnosis and treatment of bone diseases.
Ellen Vickery, MS | Clinical Studies Manager
Ellen Vickery oversees clinical research operations in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Tufts Medical Center, w. She brings two decades of experience in clinical research, with expertise spanning protocol development, regulatory oversight, budget management, and team leadership. In her current role, Ms. Vickery manages a growing portfolio of clinical trials and supervises research staff. She also serves as Project Manager for a system-wide clinical research expansion initiative, leading efforts to extend research programs from an academic medical center to affiliated hospitals in the community. Her work focuses on addressing operational, regulatory, and infrastructure considerations to support sustainable program growth. Ms. Vickery is actively involved in research training and mentorship initiatives, including the development of onboarding programs and educational resources for clinical research staff. She contributes to institutional efforts aimed at strengthening research operations and supporting the next generation of research professionals.
She received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from New York University and her M.S. in Nutritional Epidemiology from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Jason Nelson, MPH | Biostatistician
Mr. Jason Nelson is a Biostatistician leading statistical research and design for clinical trials and observational research initiatives. With over 15 years of experience as a biostatistician and statistical programmer in academic and industry settings, he has developed deep expertise in clinical trial methodology, observational study design, propensity score methods, and heterogeneity of treatment effects. His work includes both randomized experiments and observational settings to inform comparative effectiveness research across cardiovascular, diabetes prevention, and health policy domains.
Mr. Nelson’s methodological innovations focus on translating clinical trial evidence to individual patients through precision medicine approaches and patient-centered reporting of treatment effects. His work on trial-to-practice evidence synthesis and heterogeneity of treatment effects has been published in leading journals including JAMA, the New England Journal of Medicine, and BMJ. He is skilled in SAS, R, and SQL programming, and previously served as Senior Biostatistician for Real-World Evidence at OM1, Inc., where he developed comparative effectiveness analyses from observational data, and as Instructor of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Mr. Nelson holds an MPH in biostatistics and epidemiology from Tufts University School of Medicine and currently works at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, MA.
Elise Danico, MS, RD, CBDT | Clinical Research Associate
Elise Danico received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her M.S. in Nutrition and Public Health from Simmons University where she also completed her Dietetic Internship. Prior to joining the team, she was a member of the Bone Metabolism Lab at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, where she worked on several studies focused on bone and muscle metabolism in the aging population.
Ashton Hoang | Clinical Research Coordinator
Ashton Hoang received his B.A. in Biology with a concentration in physiology from Emmanuel College in 2026. Prior to joining the team in the Division of Endocrinology, Mr. Hoang worked as an EMT-B at Brewster Ambulance for a year and gained valuable clinical experience working with all types of patients. He also previously worked managing day-to-day waterfront operations at Constitution Beach in East Boston for multiple summers.