Full Professor, Geriatrics
University Hospital, Angers; Research Center on Autonomy and Longevity (CeRAL), France
About Dr. Annweiler
Dr. Cédric Annweiler is a geriatrician and researcher based at the University Hospital in Angers, France. He holds the titles of MD, PhD, and is Professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine, as well as a clinical practitioner (hospital-practitioner). His primary research centers on the non-skeletal effects of vitamin D in older adults, particularly in relation to cognitive decline, dementia, fall prevention, COVID-19 outcomes, and neuromotor function. Working with multidisciplinary teams, Dr. Annweiler has contributed to gerontology, neurology, and population health through observational and interventional studies, meta-analyses, and diagnostic tool development.
He is also affiliated with Research Center on Autonomy and Longevity (CeRAL), UNAM, University of Angers. His work often bridges clinical medicine, neuroimaging, epidemiology, and public health.
Key Contributions & Research
- He has published work showing associations between serum vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) concentrations and brain structure (e.g. intracranial and white matter volume) in older adults.
- He co-authored the meta-analysis “Questioning vitamin D status of elderly fallers and nonfallers” (2015), investigating how low vitamin D is more frequent among elderly who fall, highlighting dose, status thresholds, and public health implications.
- He led the GERIA-COVID quasi-experimental study (2020), showing that vitamin D supplementation was associated with improved survival among frail elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- He co-developed and validated a clinical diagnostic tool for identifying older community-dwellers with hypovitaminosis D without requiring a blood test (using neural network based tool).
Awards & Recognition
- He is highly cited (many publications, strong profile on ResearchGate) and holds a full professorship and hospital practitioner status, which reflect peer recognition.
Top Publications
- Questioning vitamin D status of elderly fallers and nonfallers: a meta-analysis to address a ‘forgotten step’ (2015, Journal of Internal Medicine). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joim.12250
- Vitamin D Supplementation Associated to Better Survival in Hospitalized Frail Elderly COVID-19 Patients: The GERIA-COVID Quasi-Experimental Study (2020, Nutrients). https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/11/3377
- Fall Prevention and Vitamin D in the Elderly: An Overview of the Key Role of the Non-bone Effects (2010, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation). https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/medpub/43/
- Derivation and Validation of a Clinical Diagnostic Tool for the Identification of Older Community-Dwellers With Hypovitaminosis D (2015, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association). https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/biophysicspub/65/
