Zhenyu Zhang

Assistant Professor
zzy@pku.edu.cn
38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China
Peking University

Personal profile

B.A, School of Public Health, Shenyang Medical College, 2006-2011;

Ph.D., School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, 2011-2016;

Visiting student, T.H. Chen School of Public Health, Harvard University, 2014-2015;

Post-doc, School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 2016-2019;

Post-doc, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 2019-2021;

Assistant Professor, Department of Global Health, Peking University, 2021-Present.

Journal reviewer of BMJ, JACC, JAMA Network Open.

I am a start-career investigator in the field of environmental epidemiology. My interdisciplinary research lies at global climate change, air pollution, exposure estimation modeling, global infectious diseases, global health, and classical epidemiology. My group interests are: (1). Evaluating the effects of climate change on infectious diseases. I combine methods form traditional epidemiology, atmospheric science, and statistical modeling with the aim of answering questions of relevance to patients and policymakers. (2). Environmental epidemiology, especially particulate matter, we used comprehensive statistical models to estimate the individual PM air pollution exposure for participants from different cohort from China, US, South Korea, we also evaluated the health effects of PM on cardiovascular, otolaryngologic diseases, and cancer in cohort studies. (3). Translational epidemiology: I have great interest in creating modeling frameworks that allow decision-makers to translate epidemiological data into effective decisions. I welcome collaboration from researchers, clinicians, or students having expertise in any field, who hope to create models to translate epidemiological data into meaningful policy, practical, or clinical decisions. (4) Teaching and mentorship: These are essential, and often-undervalued, skills in the field of epidemiology. If our profession is to continue its record of success, I firmly believe that we need to train future leaders how to teach and mentor others, and also to do our best to serve as role models in that regard.

Main research directions

Global health and environmental health

Global climate change

Air pollution and population health

Chronic non-communicable diseases

Representative scientific research projects

1. 2016-2019 MAESTRO-PAF for major adverse events and stroke in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, participant

2. 2016-2021 CAMARO-ESRD: Cardiac arrhythmia monitoring and related outcomes in end stage renal disease patients, participant

10 representative papers

1. Zhenyu Zhang, Rebecca J Kamil, Nyall R London, Stella E Lee, Venkataramana K Sidhaye, Shyam Biswal, Andrew P Lane, Jayant M Pinto, Murugappan Ramanathan, Jr. Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Non-Allergic Patients. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2021 (IF: 21.4)

2. Zhenyu Zhang, Nicholas R Rowan, Jayant M Pinto, Nyall R London, Andrew P Lane, Shyam Biswal, Murugappan Ramanathan. Exposure to particulate matter air pollution and anosmia. JAMA Network Open. 2021 (IF: 13.8)

3. Zhenyu Zhang, Dawei Zhu, Bin Cui, Ruojing Ding, Xuefeng Shi, and Ping He. Association between particulate matter air pollution and lung cancer. Thorax. 2020. (IF: 10.4)

4. Zhenyu Zhang, Di Zhao, Yunsoo Hong, Yoosoo Chu, and Eliseo Guallar. Long-term particulate matter exposure and onset of depression in middle-aged men and women. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2019. (IF: 9.0)

5. Zhenyu Zhang, Francine Laden, John Forman, and Jaime Hart. Long-term exposure to particulate matter and self-reported hypertension: a prospective analysis in the Nurses’ Health Study. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2016. (IF: 9.0)

6. Chen J, Jiao Z, Liang Z, Ma J, Xu M, Biswal S, Ramanathan M, Sun S, Zhenyu Zhang. Association between temperature variability and global meningitis incidence. Environ Int. 2023 Jan;171:107649. (IF: 11.8)

7. Xu Q, Zhou Q, Chen J, Li T, Ma J, Du R, Su M, Li J, Xu M, Sun S, Ma J, Ramanathan M Jr, Zhenyu Zhang. The incidence of asthma attributable to temperature variability: An ecological study based on 1990-2019 GBD data. Sci Total Environ. 2023 Sep 1;904:166726. (IF: 9.8)

8. Philip Crepeau, Zhenyu Zhang, Rhea Udyavar, Lilah Morris‑Wiseman, Shyam Biswal,

Murugappan Ramanathan, Aarti Mathur. Socioeconomic disparity in the association between fine particulate matter exposure and papillary thyroid cancer. Environmental Health, 2023 22:20 (IF: 6.0)

9. Mintao Su, Huimin Sun, Liying Qiao, Hai Lin, Yunjing Zhang, Meng Qi, Ying Yan, Weiwei Kang, Lu Xu, Guozhen Liu, Mingyuan Wang, Dawei Zhu, Baosheng Liang, Xiaozhen Lv, Ruogu Meng, Yunfeng Xi, Shengfeng, Wang, Jing Li, Zhenyu Zhang. The association between exposure to PM2.5 components from coal combustion and mortality in female breast cancer patients. Environmental Research Letters. 2023, 18 (2023) 104001. (IF: 6.7)

10. Shuduo Zhou, Mintao Su, Peng Shen, Zongming Yang, Pengfei Chai, Shengzhi Sun, Hongbo Lin, Liming Shui, Na Zhang, Ming Xu, Zhi-Jie Zheng, Jianbing Wang, Zhenyu Zhang & Kun Chen. Association between drinking water quality and mental health and the modifying role of diet: a prospective cohort study. BMC Med 22, 53 (2024).