Prof Packard has focussed on two main aspects of atherosclerosis research - lipoprotein metabolism and how it is affected by diets and drugs, and large-scale clinical trials of lipid lowering agents. More recently his interests have widened to include investigations of emerging risk factors, the role of genetics in coronary heart disease, and the impact of social deprivation on health. Key contributions on the kinetics of apolipoprotein B include evaluation of the role of the LDL receptor in vivo and how it is activated by lipid lowering drugs, the discovery of metabolic channelling in the VLDL-LDL delipidation cascade, and the formulation of models to explain the generation of small, dense LDL and remnant lipoproteins. As study director and one of the main investigators of the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS and the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER), Prof Packard helped establish the evidence base for statin use in CHD prevention. These trials provided confidence that statins are beneficial in primary prevention and in older adults. Recent publication of the 15 and 20 year follow up of WOSCOPS have provided unique long-term safety data.