Kai Zhang

Empire Innovation Associate Professor Link

Faculty Affiliate, Center for Aging and Policy Studies

CAPS Biography:

I have extensive experience in environmental and social determinants of health and health disparities, exposure assessment, and geospatial modeling. Utilizing GIS and statistical techniques, I have successfully estimated exposures associated with various social and environmental stressors. Notably, my prior research endeavors encompass characterizing social determinants and healthcare costs associated with cardiovascular diseases, parental and childhood social exposures and epigenetic aging, investigating vulnerability factors in heat exposures at individual and neighborhood levels, and conducting comprehensive studies on the health effects of the built environment and temperature. My ongoing NIA R01 project investigates how life-course exposure to social determinants influences the development of cardiovascular diseases through epigenetic mechanisms from middle to late adulthood. The study also examines racial differences between Black and White adults to further understand these disparities. My other research explores how place-based environmental determinants (e.g., green space, air pollution, and the built environment) across the life course contribute to aging-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. This is related to the CAPS signature theme of health and well-being, as well as the cross-cutting themes of place and specific populations. Furthermore, I am currently leading an ongoing project that examines the influence of the urban exposome (encompassing the natural, built, and social environment) on cardiovascular health.