Zhanghua Chen • USC Profiles

Zhanghua Chen, PhD

Title(s)	Assistant Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences
School	Keck School of Medicine of Usc
Address	SSB #230F 2001 N. Soto Street Health Sciences Campus Los Angeles CA 90033
Phone	+1 323 442 2109
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Biography

Education and Training

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, US	PhD		Biostatistics
Fudan University, Shanghai, China	B.S.		Clinical Medicine

Overview

Dr. Zhanghua Chen is an environmental epidemiologist and biostatistician with multidisciplinary expertise in environmental health, biostatistics, epidemiology, clinical medicine, obesity and diabetes pathophysiology, genomics, metabolomics, and data science. She has a strong track record in environmental health research with particular interests in the health effects of early-life environmental exposures in children and adults, the epidemiology of diabetes and obesity, and methods of multi-omics studies.

Dr. Chen aims to contribute her research to early prevention and treatment of complex diseases. She is creative, collaborative and highly productive. She is establishing a novel research area in environmental epidemiology by leveraging the advanced metabolomics and multi-omics approaches. Dr. Chen is the principal investigator on the NIEHS-supported K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award: “Metabolomic Signatures Linking Air Pollution, Obesity and Diabetes”. She has also published many papers in well-received medical journals such as Diabetes Care and American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Her accomplishments in environmental health research have received wide media attention from national and international news agencies, e.g., Reuters and Xinhua News Agency.

Websites

Z Chen Lab Site

Research

Research Activities and Funding

The Long-term Influence of Persistent Organic Pollutants Exposure During and After Pregnancy on Metabolic Decline in Women After Pregnancies Complicated by Gestational Diabetes
NIH R01ES032247Sep 8, 2020 - Jun 30, 2024
Role: Principal Investigator

Particulate Air Pollutants and Autism Risk: Exposure Characteristics, Indicators of Susceptibility, and Mechanistic Pathways
NIH R01ES029963Aug 1, 2019 - May 31, 2023
Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Metabolomic Signatures Linking Air Pollution, Obesity and Diabetes
NIH R00ES027870Dec 1, 2017 - Apr 30, 2022
Role: Principal Investigator

Metabolomic Signatures Linking Air Pollution, Obesity and Diabetes
NIH K99ES027870Dec 1, 2017 - Nov 30, 2019
Role: Principal Investigator

ORNG Applications

Featured Publications

Bibliographic

Publications

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.

Altmetrics Details

PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.

Dysregulated lipid and fatty acid metabolism link perfluoroalkyl substances exposure and impaired glucose metabolism in young adults. Environ Int. 2020 12; 145:106091. Chen Z, Yang T, Walker DI, Thomas DC, Qiu C, Chatzi L, Alderete TL, Kim JS, Conti DV, Breton CV, Liang D, Hauser ER, Jones DP, Gilliland FD. PMID: 32892005; PMCID: PMC8009052.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 6 Fields:
Env Environmental Health Tox Toxicology
Translation:Humans
Near-roadway air pollution exposure and altered fatty acid oxidation among adolescents and young adults - The interplay with obesity. Environ Int. 2019 09; 130:104935. Chen Z, Newgard CB, Kim JS, IIkayeva O, Alderete TL, Thomas DC, Berhane K, Breton C, Chatzi L, Bastain TM, McConnell R, Avol E, Lurmann F, Muehlbauer MJ, Hauser ER, Gilliland FD. PMID: 31238265; PMCID: PMC6679991.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 4 Fields:
Env Environmental Health Tox Toxicology
Translation:Humans Cells PHPublic Health
The Early Growth Genetics (EGG) and EArly Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortia: design, results and future prospects. Eur J Epidemiol. 2019 Mar; 34(3):279-300. Middeldorp CM, Felix JF, Mahajan A, EArly Genetics Lifecourse Epidemiology (EAGLE) consortium, Early Growth Genetics (EGG) consortium, McCarthy MI. PMID: 30887376; PMCID: PMC6447695.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 4 Fields:
Epi Epidemiology
Translation:Humans
Perfluoroalkyl substances, metabolomic profiling, and alterations in glucose homeostasis among overweight and obese Hispanic children: A proof-of-concept analysis. Environ Int. 2019 05; 126:445-453. Alderete TL, Jin R, Walker DI, Valvi D, Chen Z, Jones DP, Peng C, Gilliland FD, Berhane K, Conti DV, Goran MI, Chatzi L. PMID: 30844580; PMCID: PMC6555482.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 15 Fields:
Env Environmental Health Tox Toxicology
Translation:Humans
Regional and Traffic-related Air Pollutants Are Associated with Higher Consumption of High Fat and Fast Food among Adolescents. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2018; 109(1):99-108. Chen Z, Herting MM, Chatzi L, Belcher BR, Alderete TL, McConnell RS, and Gilliland FD. View Publication.
Gene Coexpression Networks in Whole Blood Implicate Multiple Interrelated Molecular Pathways in Obesity in People with Asthma. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018 12; 26(12):1938-1948. Croteau-Chonka DC, Chen Z, Barnes KC, Barraza-Villarreal A, Celedón JC, Gauderman WJ, Gilliland FD, Krishnan JA, Liu AH, London SJ, Martinez FD, Millstein J, Naureckas ET, Nicolae DL, White SR, Ober C, Weiss ST, Raby BA. PMID: 30358166; PMCID: PMC6262830.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 4 Fields:
Met Metabolism Nut Nutritional Sciences Phy Physiology
Translation:Humans
Does early onset asthma increase childhood obesity risk? A pooled analysis of 16 European cohorts. Eur Respir J. 2018 09; 52(3). Contreras ZA, Chen Z, Roumeliotaki T, Annesi-Maesano I, Baïz N, von Berg A, Bergström A, Crozier S, Duijts L, Ekström S, Eller E, Fantini MP, Kjaer HF, Forastiere F, Gerhard B, Gori D, Harskamp-van Ginkel MW, Heinrich J, Iñiguez C, Inskip H, Keil T, Kogevinas M, Lau S, Lehmann I, Maier D, van Meel ER, Mommers M, Murcia M, Porta D, Smit HA, Standl M, Stratakis N, Sunyer J, Thijs C, Torrent M, Vrijkotte TGM, Wijga AH, Berhane K, Gilliland F, Chatzi L. PMID: 30209194; PMCID: PMC6443037.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 15 Fields:
Pul Pulmonary Medicine
Translation:Humans
Longitudinal associations of in utero and early life near-roadway air pollution with trajectories of childhood body mass index. Environ Health. 2018 09 14; 17(1):64. Kim JS, Alderete TL, Chen Z, Lurmann F, Rappaport E, Habre R, Berhane K, Gilliland FD. PMID: 30213262; PMCID: PMC6137930.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 21 Fields:
Env Environmental Health
Translation:Humans PHPublic Health
Genome-wide association and HLA fine-mapping studies identify risk loci and genetic pathways underlying allergic rhinitis. Nat Genet. 2018 08; 50(8):1072-1080. Waage J, Standl M, Curtin JA, Jessen LE, Thorsen J, Tian C, Schoettler N, 23andMe Research Team, AAGC collaborators, Flores C, Abdellaoui A, Ahluwalia TS, Alves AC, Amaral AFS, Antó JM, Arnold A, Barreto-Luis A, Baurecht H, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Bleecker ER, Bonàs-Guarch S, Boomsma DI, Brix S, Bunyavanich S, Burchard EG, Chen Z, Curjuric I, Custovic A, den Dekker HT, Dharmage SC, Dmitrieva J, Duijts L, Ege MJ, Gauderman WJ, Georges M, Gieger C, Gilliland F, Granell R, Gui H, Hansen T, Heinrich J, Henderson J, Hernandez-Pacheco N, Holt P, Imboden M, Jaddoe VWV, Jarvelin MR, Jarvis DL, Jensen KK, Jónsdóttir I, Kabesch M, Kaprio J, Kumar A, Lee YA, Levin AM, Li X, Lorenzo-Diaz F, Melén E, Mercader JM, Meyers DA, Myers R, Nicolae DL, Nohr EA, Palviainen T, Paternoster L, Pennell CE, Pershagen G, Pino-Yanes M, Probst-Hensch NM, Rüschendorf F, Simpson A, Stefansson K, Sunyer J, Sveinbjornsson G, Thiering E, Thompson PJ, Torrent M, Torrents D, Tung JY, Wang CA, Weidinger S, Weiss S, Willemsen G, Williams LK, Ober C, Hinds DA, Ferreira MA, Bisgaard H, Strachan DP, Bønnelykke K. PMID: 30013184; PMCID: PMC7068780.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 18 Fields:
Gen Genetics
Translation:Humans
Ambient and Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposures as Novel Risk Factors for Metabolic Dysfunction and Type 2 Diabetes. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2018 Jun; 5(2):79-91. Alderete TL, Chen Z, Toledo-Corral CM, Contreras ZA, Kim JS, Habre R, Chatzi L, Bastain T, Breton CV, Gilliland FD. PMID: 30319933; PMCID: PMC6178230.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 16
Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and the composition of the gut microbiota in overweight and obese adolescents. Environ Res. 2018 02; 161:472-478. Alderete TL, Jones RB, Chen Z, Kim JS, Habre R, Lurmann F, Gilliland FD, Goran MI. PMID: 29220800; PMCID: PMC5747978.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 18 Fields:
Env Environmental Health
Translation:Humans PHPublic Health
Test-retest reliability of longitudinal task-based fMRI: Implications for developmental studies. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2018 10; 33:17-26. Herting MM, Gautam P, Chen Z, Mezher A, Vetter NC. PMID: 29158072; PMCID: PMC5767156.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 30 Fields:
Neu Neurology Psy Psychophysiology
Translation:Humans
Effects of Childhood Asthma on the Development of Obesity among School-aged Children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 05 01; 195(9):1181-1188. Chen Z, Salam MT, Alderete TL, Habre R, Bastain TM, Berhane K, Gilliland FD. PMID: 28103443; PMCID: PMC5439015.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 24 Fields:
Cri Critical Care Pul Pulmonary Medicine
Translation:Humans
Longitudinal Associations Between Ambient Air Pollution With Insulin Sensitivity, β-Cell Function, and Adiposity in Los Angeles Latino Children. Diabetes. 2017 07; 66(7):1789-1796. Alderete TL, Habre R, Toledo-Corral CM, Berhane K, Chen Z, Lurmann FW, Weigensberg MJ, Goran MI, Gilliland FD. PMID: 28137791; PMCID: PMC5482082.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 38 Fields:
End Endocrinology
Translation:Humans Cells PHPublic Health
Breathing Intolerance Index (BIT) and its Relation to Exercise Data: Noninvasive Assessment of Inspiratory Muscle Endurance during Rest and Exercise in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Cardiovascular Disorders. Insight Medical Publishing Journals. 2016; 2(1). Baydur A, Tran A, Pallickal L, Fong M, Grazette L, Chowdhury S, and Chen Z. View Publication.
Ambient Air Pollutants Have Adverse Effects on Insulin and Glucose Homeostasis in Mexican Americans. Diabetes Care. 2016 Apr; 39(4):547-54. Chen Z, Salam MT, Toledo-Corral C, Watanabe RM, Xiang AH, Buchanan TA, Habre R, Bastain TM, Lurmann F, Wilson JP, Trigo E, Gilliland FD. PMID: 26868440; PMCID: PMC4806768.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 33 Fields:
End Endocrinology
Translation:Humans
Influence factors of estimation errors for total corneal astigmatism using keratometric astigmatism in patients before cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2016 Jan; 42(1):84-94. Zheng T, Chen Z, Lu Y. PMID: 26948782.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 15 Fields:
Oph Ophthalmology
Translation:Humans
Living near a freeway is associated with lower bone mineral density among Mexican Americans. Osteoporos Int. 2015 Jun; 26(6):1713-21. Chen Z, Salam MT, Karim R, Toledo-Corral CM, Watanabe RM, Xiang AH, Buchanan TA, Habre R, Bastain TM, Lurmann F, Taher M, Wilson JP, Trigo E, Gilliland FD. PMID: 25677718; PMCID: PMC4470808.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 6 Fields:
Met Metabolism Ort Orthopedics
Translation:Humans PHPublic Health
Chronic effects of air pollution on respiratory health in Southern California children: findings from the Southern California Children's Health Study. J Thorac Dis. 2015 Jan; 7(1):46-58. Chen Z, Salam MT, Eckel SP, Breton CV, Gilliland FD. PMID: 25694817; PMCID: PMC4311073.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 34
High calorie intake is associated with worsening insulin resistance and β-cell function in Hispanic women after gestational diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care. 2014 Dec; 37(12):3294-300. Chen Z, Watanabe RM, Stram DO, Buchanan TA, Xiang AH. PMID: 25404660; PMCID: PMC4237976.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 8 Fields:
End Endocrinology
Translation:Humans Cells
Joint effects of known type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci in genome-wide association study of Singapore Chinese: the Singapore Chinese health study. PLoS One. 2014; 9(2):e87762. Chen Z, Pereira MA, Seielstad M, Koh WP, Tai ES, Teo YY, Liu J, Hsu C, Wang R, Odegaard AO, Thyagarajan B, Koratkar R, Yuan JM, Gross MD, Stram DO. PMID: 24520337; PMCID: PMC3919750.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 7 Fields:
Med Medicine (General)Sci Science
Translation:Humans
Breathing Intolerance Index in COPD and Obesity: A Comparative Observational Study. Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases. 2013; 3(3). Baydur A and Chen Z. View Publication.
Self-reported physical activity is associated with β-cell function in Mexican American adults. Diabetes Care. 2013 Mar; 36(3):638-44. Chen Z, Black MH, Watanabe RM, Trigo E, Takayanagi M, Lawrence JM, Buchanan TA, Xiang AH. PMID: 23223346; PMCID: PMC3579363.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 8 Fields:
End Endocrinology
Translation:Humans Cells
Expiratory Flow Limitation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea and COPD: A Quantitative Method to Detect Pattern Differences Using the Negative Expiratory Pressure Technique. Open Respir Med J. 2012; 6:111-20. Baydur A, Vigen C, Chen Z. PMID: 23166569; PMCID: PMC3496931.

View in: PubMed Mentions: 2