William E. Kraus

William Erle Kraus (born December 3, 1954) is an American cardiologist, physician-scientist, and professor. He is the Richard and Pat Johnson University Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, at Duke University School of Medicine. He is also a professor in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, the School of Nursing, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University.

Kraus specializes in preventive cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation, and the effects of physical activity on cardiometabolic health. His research has influenced public health guidelines on exercise and explored both the benefits and potential risks of physical activity.

Early life and education Kraus was born in Akron, Ohio. He earned an A.B. degree magna cum laude in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Harvard College in 1977. He received his M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine in 1983.

His work explores variability in exercise responses, including cases where physical activity may lead to adverse effects on cardiovascular risk factors. Kraus has also shown that sporadic bouts of moderate-to-vigorous activity can reduce mortality risk similarly to sustained sessions.

Major studies and trials He led the STRRIDE series (Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise), landmark NIH-funded trials that established dose–response relationships between exercise amount/intensity and improvements in plasma lipoproteins, insulin sensitivity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Follow-up studies have shown legacy effects persisting ten years later, with vigorous intensity groups maintaining better cardiorespiratory fitness.

Kraus played a major leadership role in the HF-ACTION trial (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of exercise traiNing), providing evidence that supported Medicare reimbursement for cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart failure.

He served as Study Chair for the multicenter CALERIE trial investigating the effects of sustained calorie restriction on biomarkers of aging and cardiometabolic risk.

He co-authored a 2012 study examining adverse responses to exercise in sedentary adults, finding that a small percentage experience worsening of cardiovascular risk factors despite regular exercise. These guidelines emphasize that inadequate physical activity is linked to substantial health care costs and premature mortality, and they highlight benefits from even brief activity bouts.

Awards and honors Kraus received the Michael L. Pollock Established Investigator Award from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation in 2016.

He received the American College of Sports Medicine Citation Award in 2024.

He has authored or co-authored more than 450 peer-reviewed publications.