Mingyu Zhang, PhD, MHS

Research Concentrations

  • Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Hypertension
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Microbiome and Metabolomics

Professional Biography

Dr. Mingyu Zhang is an epidemiologist and faculty member in the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. Previously, Dr. Zhang worked as a Research Fellow in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and, prior to that, as a Biostatistician at the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Data Analysis Center at Johns Hopkins University. The primary goal of Dr. Zhang’s research program is to understand how environmental exposures shape disease risks and impact cardiometabolic health across the life course. He serves as the Principal Investigator for an American Heart Association (AHA) study that investigates the impact of metal exposures during pregnancy and postpartum on women's mid-life cardiometabolic health.

Dr. Zhang has extensive experience in leading and implementing analyses of observational studies and randomized controlled trials. He has published over 40 papers in high-impact journals and is nationally recognized for research on the impacts of air pollution and toxic metal exposures on children’s cardiometabolic health. Evidence of Dr. Zhang’s expertise also includes serving as a Co-Investigator of the ECHO Study of Health Inequities and Neighborhood Environments (ECHO Boston) and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Trials.

Dr. Zhang is a member of the Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society and has received prestigious awards including the AHA Jeremiah and Rose Stamler Research Award and the Scott Grundy Fellowship Award for Excellence in Metabolism Research. Major media outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Reuters, have covered Dr. Zhang’s work. Dr. Zhang’s research has been cited in policy documents of national and international organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Public Health Association.