PhD student
University at Buffalo
I am a PhD student in epidemiology at the University at Buffalo (UB) in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health. My undergraduate background was in preventive medicine. After I joining the MPH program at UB, I was working with Dr.Lina Mu on Beijing Birth Cohort study, engaged in data entry, data administration, and conducted analyses on adverse pregnancy outcome in relation to air pollution. I led an study to examine mental health status among high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and mentored a group of high school students to recruit participants and conduct data analyses. Throughout all these experiences, I found my passion in nutritional epidemiology, where I can utilize epidemiological methodologies on diet/nutrient measurement, and which led to the development of my doctoral dissertation under the guidance of Dr. Amy Millen, a nutritional epidemiologist. I will study dietary patterns, which provide a comprehensive picture of the overall diet, and examine how they are associated with the oral microbiome and dental health among postmenopausal women.