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Zicheng “Wendy” Wang, MS, G1


Research Mentor: Danxia Yu, Ph.D.

Thesis Topic: Nutritional and Molecular Epidemiology

Biography:
I am Zicheng Wang, also known as Wendy, a first-year graduate student here in the Department of Epidemiology. I earned my B.S. in Quantitative Theory and Methods from Emory University in 2022, followed by an M.S. in Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2024. My previous research focused on employing genetic, metabolomic, and proteomic methods to study cardiovascular and cardiometabolic outcomes. During my time at Vanderbilt, I continue diving into combining multiple layers of omics and traditional epidemiological approaches to explore how diet, lifestyle, clinical interventions, and social determinants may affect health, diseases, and life quality.

Why Vanderbilt?
I chose Vanderbilt for several reasons. Firstly, I am super interested in the research that Dr. Yu’s team has been working on. I am beyond grateful to be able to join their efforts in investigating how multiple layers of omics may explain the associations between obesity (and other factors) and health and disease. Secondly, I am amazed by the extensive resources that Vanderbilt is able to provide, including access to the Southern Community Study, Shanghai Men’s and Women’s Health Study, and vast electronic health records. Last but not least, I appreciate the close-knit and collaborative academic community here, which fosters an encouraging environment for me to grow as a researcher.