Meet the PI and learn more about our team!

Professor Shankuan Zhu

Dr. Shankuan Zhu is currently a Qiushi Professor at Zhejiang University, China Medical Board (CMB) Distinguished Professor, and Professor of University of Toronto (Status Only). He is the Founding Director of Chronic Disease Research Institute, and Chair of Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Zhejiang University School of Public Health. He served as an Executive Dean and Vice Dean of Zhejiang University School of Public Health from 2009 to 2017. Dr. Zhu graduated from Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan, and obtained his PhD in 1997, he was an Assistant Professor at Nagoya University School of Medicine from 1997 to 2000. From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Zhu received Post-doctoral training from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 2003 to 2007 and an Adjunct Associate Professor from 2008 to 2010. Dr. Zhu was awarded six times as the Most Cited Chinese Researchers in Medicine (Elsevier) from 2014 to 2019.

Dr. Zhu made a significant contribution to the fields of obesity screening and diagnostic standard, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention. His work on obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases was profoundly influential. His seven studies have been widely reported by major medias such as New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, People’s Daily, Fox news, ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, Reuters, Xinhua news etc. Dr. Zhu obtained numerous grants with total amount over 37 million RMB as Principal Investigator such as CMB-CP/OC, Cyrus Tang Foundation, Hsun K Chou Fund of Zhejiang University Education Foundation, NIH R01 grant, the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan. He serves as the Standing Committee Member of China Preventive Medicine Association Public Health Education Committee, Founding Member of China University Association of Global Health, the President of Zhejiang Provincial Nutrition Association, and the Vice-President of Zhejiang Provincial Preventive Medicine Association. He severs as a reviewer for numerous journals as such JAMA, Circulation, American Journal of Public Health, etc. He is the Associate Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Dr. Wei He

Wei He is a principle investigator (Hundred Talents Program) in Zhejiang University, China. Wei received his Ph.D from Zhejiang University, China, in 2013. After his graduation, Wei went to Sweden to continue his research, working as a postdoc with Professor Kamila Czene at Karolinska Insititutet. From 2018 to 2020, Wei was an assistant professor at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Wei has co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications and has successfully obtained over 600,000 USD research funding as project leaders. Wei’s work interests includes but not limited to: 1) Chronic disease epidemiology studies using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and register-based data; 2) Complex diseases studies using multi-omics data; 3) Precise medicine using pharmacogenomics data.

Dr. Fei Yang

Dr. Fei Yang is an associate professor in chronic disease research institute, Zhejiang university school of public health. She got Ph.D. in immunology at Zhejiang University from Sep 2008 to Jun 2012. She has a background in immune regulation, focusing mainly on immunity and chronic disease (especially obesity and tumor), tumor immunity, regulation of TLR signaling, autoimmune diseases and the pathogenesis. She joined the chronic disease research institute, Zhejiang university school of public health in Jan 2015. Now, she takes charge in the laboratory works, including blood sample separation, preservation and analysis and the study on the role immune system in obesity and obesity related diseases, in ongoing LanXi cohort study. In WELL-China project, she will also be responsible for the management and analysis of blood samples.

Professor Ke Yao

Ke Yao, president of Chinese Ophthalmological Society (COS), member of Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis (AOI), board of Trustees Member of International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO), regional Secretary of Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), professor and chief of Eye Institute of Zhejiang University, Eye Center of Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, College of Medicine, is a well-known professor in the field of ophthalmology and medical science. Yao received M.D. degree from Shanghai Second Medical University (now known as Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine) before he participated in post doc program in Basel University, Switzerland. Yao is not only credited for his excellent practice in cataract and glaucoma surgeries, but also for his long-term effort in the exploration of the mechanisms of cataractogenesis. Currently he made great improvement to the stem cell research on cataract, as well as in the charitable medical activities in China. He is also cooperating with Professor Shankuan Zhu on ophthalmology epidemiology related topics. To date, Yao has published over 364 papers, possessed more than 6 natianal patents, and participated in 30 provincial or national grant projects and more. Yao was granted with multiple awards including Alfred-Vogt Award, Golden Key awards and Golden Apple Award of Chinese American Ophthalmologist Society (CAOS), Distinguished Achievement Award in Chinese Ophthalmology etc. Yao is dedicated to his beloved career of medical science, and endeavored to find new ways to explain, prevent, and treat ocular diseases.

Professor Qi Wang

Qi Wang is an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, academician of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, and a master of Chinese medicine. He is currently the President of the National Institute of TCM Constitution and Prevention of Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, and the director of the Key Laboratory of TCM Constitution Identification, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is a tenured professor, chief physician, researcher and doctoral supervisor of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. He is also an advisor for inheriting academic experience of national experts of traditional Chinese medicine and a post-doctoral supervisor for inheriting Traditional Chinese medicine. Chief scientist of the National Key Basic Research and Development Program (" 973 Program "), expert with outstanding contributions enjoying special allowance from the State Council. Additionally, he is the Chairman of Constitutions Branch of China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chairman of Constitutions Research Committee of World Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Societies, chairman of Chinese Medicine Branch of China Association for the Promotion of International Exchanges in Healthcare. He established and improved the four academic systems of TCM constitutionalism, TCM male science, TCM Tibetan imaging, and TCM abdominal diagnosis, and open up new disciplines such as TCM original thinking and TCM epidemiology. He has presided over 16 national scientific research projects, won 16 national and provincial awards, and 18 invention patents. He edited 67 monographs, published 498 Chinese papers as the first or corresponding author, 38 SCI papers, H index 58, cited 20,030 times.

Sherry Xueyin Zhou, Ph.D

Dr. Sherry Xueyin Zhao is a postdoctoral fellow at School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. She received her MS degree in the major of health promotion and a doctoral degree in the major of health behavior at School of public health, Indiana University. In 2011-2015, she was an associate instructor teaching college-level stress management courses. Dr. Zhao currently serves as study manager of the WELL-China project, in charging of recruitment related field work and communication with other sites in the WELL project. Her research focuses include community health and health policy analysis in both China and US, health behaviors and population health, health environment, and AI technology application in public health. Her study has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation in China from 2020-2022.

Yuan Ru, PhD

Yuan Ru received a Ph.D. degree in nutritional sciences from Cornell University in 2017. Meanwhile, she is a registered dietitian and completed her dietetic internship at Cornell University and at the University of Rochester Medical Center. While Ru was at Cornell University, she worked with Professor Kimberly O O’Brien on maternal and neonatal nutrition. Currently, Ru is performing her postdoctoral studies with Professor Shankuan Zhu at Zhejiang University on obesity related chronic diseases. Ru is the recipient of the 2015 American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Pre-doctoral Fellowship and the winner of ASN Emerging Leaders in Nutritional Science Poster Competition. She is always eager to pursue new knowledge and skills in the field of nutrition and public health. As for her professional goals, she wants to help prevent the occurrence of nutrition-related diseases. 

Da Gan, PhD

Da Gan received a Ph.D. degree in nutrition and food hygiene from Zhejiang University in 2020. While Da was at Zhejiang University, he worked with Professor Shankuan Zhu on exploring the health hazard and the prevention of sarcopenia. Currently, Da is performing his postdoctoral studies with Professor Wei He at Zhejiang University on investigating the role and mechanism of CYP2D6 genotype in medical efficacy. Da was a core member of WELL China baseline survey in data management and analysis.

Zhejiang University (ZJU)

ZhejiangUniversity is an elite C9 League university located in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China's oldest, most selective, and most prestigious institutions of higher education. The university is organized into 37 colleges, schools, and departments offering more than 140 undergraduate and 300 graduate programs. 

In 2018, research funding at Zhejiang University amounted to more than 4.56 billion RMB (~US$680 million). More than a hundred projects under research have each secured a grant of more than 10 million RMB. In 2018, 1,838 Chinese patents were issued to ZJU researchers and 6,903 SCI-included papers were published by ZJU scholars.