He holds degrees from Davidson College, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Harvard School of Public Health. With training in internal medicine, cardiology, and epidemiology, Dr. Ellison also serves as a senior investigator in The Framingham Study, and has been the principal investigator of a number of research studies on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in determining risk of hypertension, heart disease, dementia, and other diseases of ageing. His research has especially focused on the relation of moderate alcohol intake to health and disease.
Dr. Ellison has published more than 200 scientific papers, and served recently as Guest Editor for a supplement to the Annals of Epidemiology entitled, "Health Risks & Benefits of Moderate Alcohol Consumption" (Ann Epidemiol 2007;17-S5:S1-S115).
In July, 1994, Dr. Ellison established and became the director of the Institute on Lifestyle & Health at Boston University School of Medicine. The institute monitors research on various aspects of lifestyle, especially diet and the moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages. It regularly distributes critiques of emerging scientific reports related to alcohol consumption and health.
Dr. Ellison is best known to the lay public for his research on what is known as the "French Paradox." This refers to the fact that the French have a high-fat diet and other risk factors yet have very low rates of coronary heart disease, at least partly due to the consumption of wine. Dr. Ellison and Dr. Serge Renaud of Lyon, France, were the key scientists who were a part of the program on the French Paradox that appeared on the American television program, 60 Minutes, in November, 1991 and again in 1995. In addition, since the early 1990’s, Dr. Ellison has worked with the Oldways Foundation in the development of the "Mediterranean Diet Pyramid," a set of dietary guidelines for Americans.
Dr. Ellison is a frequent speaker on the subject of alcohol and health to medical groups, the beverage industry, professional organizations, and lay audiences. For his research related to alcohol and health, Dr. Ellison has received numerous awards, including the Premio Giacomo Bologna - La qualità della vita (Braida, Rocchetta Tanaro, Asti, 2002), the Integrity Award of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (2002), an Oldways Honor Award (Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, Boston, MA, 2003); and the annual award from the Desert Heart Foundation for Outstanding Research in Cardiovascular Disease (2004).