Peter Attia
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Born March 19th, 1973, Peter Attia is a Canadian-American author, physician, and researcher, a true pioneer in the field of longevity medicine. He's the visionary behind the bestselling book, "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity."
Attia's journey began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of Coptic Egyptian immigrants. He first honed his analytical skills at Queen's University at Kingston, earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics in 1996. His path then led him to Stanford University School of Medicine, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine in 2001.
His early career saw him embark on a general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a period that also included groundbreaking cancer immunotherapy research for melanoma at the NIH. But Attia's path was destined for a different trajectory. He transitioned to the world of consulting, joining McKinsey & Company, and in 2014, he launched a private clinic dedicated to longevity medicine. He also cultivated a powerful online presence with "The Eating Academy," later known as "War on Insulin," and now peterattiamd.com, sharing insights on nutrition, exercise, and living longer. This evolved into the highly influential podcast, "The Peter Attia Drive," where he hosts conversations with leading experts on longevity, metabolic health, and cutting-edge medical research.
In 2012, Attia co-founded the Nutrition Science Initiative, or NuSI, with Gary Taubes, aiming to champion nutrition research and combat the escalating health crises tied to obesity and metabolic diseases. His expertise was recognized in a TEDMED talk in 2013, offering profound insights into longevity. His wisdom has also graced the pages of Tim Ferriss's "Tools of Titans." Attia played a pivotal role in the National Geographic and Disney+ series "Limitless" with Chris Hemsworth, where he revealed his personal genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's-type neurodegenerative aging due to carrying the APOE4 allele.
On March 28th, 2023, Attia, alongside co-author Bill Gifford, unveiled "Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity." This book quickly became a runaway bestseller, gracing the Amazon Charts for nonfiction. His influence was further cemented when he was named in Time's 2024 list of influential people in health. Looking ahead, in 2025, Attia is co-founding Biograph, a preventive healthcare and diagnostics clinic in New York City, dedicated to advancing healthy aging through early detection and personalized, proactive care.
Peter Attia currently resides in the Austin, Texas area with his wife and three children. He met his wife, Jill, at the Johns Hopkins Hospital cafeteria in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. In a remarkable personal achievement, Attia swam across the channel between Santa Catalina Island and Los Angeles in 2005, becoming the 120th person to accomplish this feat.
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Peter Attia (born March 19, 1973) is a Canadian-American author, physician, and researcher known for his work in longevity medicine. He is the author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.
== Early life and education ==
Attia was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the child of Coptic Egyptian immigrant parents. He graduated from Queen's University at Kingston in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. He then attended Stanford University School of Medicine, graduating in 2001 with a Doctor of Medicine.
== Career ==
From 2001 to 2006, Attia began a residency in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, but never completed his residency, nor completed a fellowship or became board certified. He also undertook research at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, investigating cancer immunotherapy for melanoma.
After dropping out of his residency program, Attia joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in the Palo Alto office as a member of the Corporate Risk Practice and Healthcare Practice. In 2014 he founded a private clinic dedicated to longevity medicine. Attia also created the blog "The Eating Academy" (later "War on Insulin" and now peterattiamd.com) that mostly focuses on topics related to nutrition, physical activity, and longevity. Subsequently, he launched the podcast "The Peter Attia Drive", in which he interviews various experts each week, covering topics such as longevity, metabolic health, and medical research.
In 2012, Attia co-founded the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI), with Gary Taubes, with a primary focus on promoting nutrition research and tackling the growing health challenges linked to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic diseases. In 2013 Attia was a speaker at TEDMED, where he shared insights on longevity. Attia has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss's book Tools of Titans. He had a central role in Limitless, a six-part documentary for National Geographic and Disney+ starring Chris Hemsworth and directed by Darren Aronofsky. In episode 5, Attia told Hemsworth that he carried the high-risk APOE4 allele, which places him at elevated risk of neurodegenerative aging of the Alzheimer's type.
On March 28, 2023, Attia (with coauthor Bill Gifford) published his book Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. According to The New York Times Magazine, the book "has been a runaway best seller since it was published this spring [of 2023]"; it was No. 3 on the Amazon Charts for nonfiction as of August 24, 2023. Attia was named in Time's 2024 list of influential people in health.
In 2025, Attia co-founded Biograph, a preventive healthcare and diagnostics clinic in New York City, with tech entrepreneur John Hering. The clinic aims to advance healthy aging through early detection and personalized, proactive healthcare approaches.
== Personal life ==
Attia resides in the Austin, Texas, area with his wife and three children. He met his future wife Jill at the cafeteria of Johns Hopkins Hospital shortly after 9/11.
In 2005, Attia swam across the channel between Santa Catalina Island and Los Angeles, the 120th person to achieve that feat.
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
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