Dr. Weiss used the theoretical and statistical approaches of molecular population genetics to characterize the cumulative effects of population history on the amount, distribution, and structure of extant variation in 13 candidate CVD susceptibility genes in three populations. His tests of linkage equilibrium and of homogeneity of the variation across several levels of stratification (among individuals, demographic variables, parts of genes, populations, and among genes) further sharpened the understanding of the nature of human genetic variation, particularly with respect to candidate CVD susceptibility genes. He made inferences about functional constraints from gene trees and from patterns of divergence among human populations and between humans and the chimpanzee. Dr. Weiss's project provided the inferential engine that drove the sampling design and sample selection in Dr. Nickerson's project and provided the demographic/historical background necessary for genotype-phenotype inferences of Dr. Sing's project.