Expertise

Dr. Zhang’s primary research interest is nutritional and molecular epidemiology of cancer, with a focus on nutrient-gene interactions in the etiology of common cancers, particularly pancreatic and prostate cancers. Dr. Zhang is also interested in the identification and validation of dietary, hormonal, metabolic, and genetic factors that are predictive of precursors to invasive cancers and/or are valuable for early cancer detection. He has experience and expertise in dietary assessment and validation. Dr. Zhang has conducted or participated in several case-control and cohort studies of cancer and other chronic diseases in China, Japan, Belgium, and the USA. He has maintained close scientific collaborations with some investigators in those countries.

Research Interests:

  • Nutritional and molecular epidemiology of cancer
  • Nutrient-gene interactions in cancer etiology
  • Molecular and genetic predictors of cancer progression and recurrence
  • Development and validation of dietary assessment instruments
  • Dietary etiology of other complex human diseases
Communities
Oncology, Epidemiology
Degrees
PhD, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, Epidemiology, 2000
MS, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, Orthopedics, 1986
MD, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, Medicine, 1983