Professor David Van Heel

Profile

David Van Heel is a Professor of Genetics at Queen Mary University of London, Honorary Consultant Physician at Barts Health NHS Trust. He trained in clinical research with a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellowship and a Wellcome Trust Clinician Scientist Fellowship.

Prof. Van Heel's current research interests are population genomic medicine of British Bangladeshi and British Pakistani communities, with genetics, NHS health data and recall for further studies based on genotype/phenotype. David is the Chief Investigator for the Genes & Health longitudinal population study: www.genesandhealth.org

Prof. Van Heel is a member of the Medical Research Council Population and Systems Medicine Board (2016-2022), and was deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer for Barts Health NHS Trust (2013-2024).

Research

Publications

• Brito Nunes C, Rukins V, Cisse AH et al. (2026). Multi-ancestry, trans-generational GWAS meta-analysis of gestational diabetes and glycaemic traits during pregnancy reveals limited evidence of pregnancy-specific genetic effects.. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-73509-y

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Lassen FH, Kalantzis G, Eoli A et al. (2026). Meta-analysis across six global biobanks identifies recessive coding associations with complex traits and diseases. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2026.04.005

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/128831
• Demircan K, Carrasco-Zanini J, Williamson A et al. (2026). Data-driven prioritization of high-risk individuals for weight loss interventions. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04353-2

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/126560
• Stow D, Tsang RSM, Katzourou IK et al. (2026). Combining polygenic risk scores to understand genetic liability to physical-mental health multimorbidity in UK Biobank. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddag012

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/127593
• Huerta-Chagoya A, Kim J, Mandla R et al. (2026). Multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores for the prediction of type 2 diabetes and complications in diverse ancestries. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/s2213-8587(25)00405-x

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/128832
• Moolhuijsen LME, Zhu J, Mullin BH et al. (2026). Genomic analyses implicate hormonal and metabolic dysregulation in polycystic ovary syndrome. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02543-9

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/128833
• Jacobs BM, Chandra A, Foote IF et al. (2026). The contribution of apolipoprotein E genetic variation to dementia risk in British South Asians. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcag141

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/127253
• Fejzo M, Wang X, Tan Q et al. (2026). Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of severe pregnancy nausea and vomiting. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02564-4

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/126975
• Katzourou IK, consortium L, van den Bree MBM et al. (2026). Neurodevelopmental copy-number variants increase risk of internalizing and cardiometabolic multimorbidity: Findings from the UK Biobank. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2026.02.021

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/127592
• Kim HI, DeBoever C, Walter K et al. (2026). Exome sequencing and analysis of 44,028 British South Asians enriched for high autozygosity. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02553-7

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/126291