Xuejuan Jiang received a BS with Honors in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Science and Technology of China in 2002. Subsequently, she joined the graduate program in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS) at University of Southern California (USC), and received a M.S. in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology and a PhD in Epidemiology. At USC, Dr. Jiang investigated how smoking affects bladder cancer risk. Her research provided strong evidence supporting that 1) second-hand smoke can increase bladder cancer risk in female lifelong nonsmokers, 2) genetic variations associated with nicotine dependence and smoking behavior can also affect bladder cancer risk, and 3) use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory may attenuate the carcinogenic effect of cigarette smoking on the bladder. In addition, she found that factors associated with prolonged exposure to carcinogens in the urine, e.g. infrequent drinking and urination, may increase bladder cancer risk. After earning her doctorate, Dr. Jiang became a postdoctoral research associate at USC, where she focused on using pathway-based systemic approaches to investigate genetic components of adolescent alcohol drinking, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer, and developing noninvasive biomarkers of oxidative stress. Dr. Jiang joined USC’s Department of Ophthalmology as an Assistant Professor of Research in 2011.

As an experienced epidemiologist, Xuejuan Jiang, PhD, has expertise in designing, managing and analyzing epidemiological studies to evaluate the impact of different environmental and genetic risk factors, on various cancers, adolescent smoking/drinking behaviors, and ocular disorders. In particular, Dr. Jiang’s research on ocular disease focuses on etiologies of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and refractive errors, especially myopia, identifying early indicators of disease development and progression, and developing possible prevention, intervention and treatments.

Dr. Jiang is currently leading the international effort in consolidating all existing population-based studies of eye diseases among preschool children, to create the largest repository of population-based survey data on vision health among preschool children. Results from this project will improve our understanding of the risk factors for the most common pediatric vision disorders among preschool children, and help inform and develop evidence-based guidelines for population screening and clinical management.