Biography:

Jian Zhang is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Zhang was trained as a physician and received his MD from Shanxi Medical University in China in 1989. Earlier in his life, he was a medical epidemiologist in the National Center of Immunization Program, Chinese Centers for Disease Control located in Beijing, China. Dr. Zhang spent most of his time conducting field investigations of poliomyelitis outbreaks in poor, remote and rural areas of China, where he took a holistic approach to train the local physicians, as well as other health professionals, to identify and report the cases of poliomyelitis to the national surveillance system. To recognize his outstanding accomplishment and critical contribution to the national effort of poliomyelitis eradication, the Chinese Ministry of Health awarded him the National Accomplishment Award in 1996, the highest honor for health professionals in China. Dr. Zhang’s diligent dedication to his county’s poliomyelitis eradication efforts also won him international recognition as well. He was invited to introduce China’s lessons and experience to the world by presenting his work at numerous international conferences, and to write for various prestigious journals. One of his papers, “Costs of Polio National Immunization Days in China: Implication for Mass Immunization Campaign Strategies” published in the International Journal of Health Planning and Management, has been regarded as a landmark publication for monitoring productivity and output for large-scale national campaigns in developing counties. Moreover, it has been cited frequently by official documents from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In 1996, he was invited to join the WHO as a Program Officer responsible for day-to-day operations of projects including sexual transmitted disease/HIV, iodine deficiency disorders and immunization programs. Dr Zhang enjoyed the exciting experiences at WHO, but decided to pursue his advanced degree in United States after two-years of service. After graduation with a Doctor of Public Health in 2002 form the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, he joined the Division of Family and Health Study, Institute for Family in Society, University of South Carolina and functioned as an epidemiologist. Prior to joining the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Dr. Zhang had been working as a (contract) scientific analyst for four years with the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Using national survey data, Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on population-base studies to assess and qualify the influence of nutrients /diets, the most likely contributing and modifiable factor, on neuropsychological health. The aim of his future research is to assess the nature, persistence, and functional significance of the associations obtained previously. The ultimate goal is to establish a nutritional neuroscience program to provide excellent research opportunities to students and serve the community. As a veteran of the war against vaccine-preventable diseases, Dr Zhang will continue to explore the opportunities to further his previous work in the area of international health with particular interests in summarizing the experiences and lessons learned from China’s success story. There is a growing interest in the international community to use the network built for polio eradication program to control the micronutrient insufficiency, which remains highly prevalent among the rural and underserved population in the developing world. This is not only an area bridging his previous work and current research but also part of the mission committed to by the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health.

As a leading author, Dr. Zhang’s publishing credits include more than 50 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, including American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Journal of Nutrition, American Journal of Epidemiology, Annals of Epidemiology, and International Journal of Obesity. Dr. Zhang has also authored chapters in Clinical Prevention and other books. He serves regularly as a reviewer for various professional journals.

Dr Zhang is married to Yanfeng, his classmate in medical school. He enjoys his family and loves playing basketball and teaming up with his 4-year old son, Evan, against the team led by his wife and supported by his 13-year old son, E.J.