JOHN JI
Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Science
Associate Director, iMEP Program
CONTACT
No.8 Duke Avenue, Kunshan
Jiangsu, China 215316
Telephone: +86 (0512) 36657255
Email: john.ji@dukekunshan.edu.cn
RESEARCH AREA
My research interest is in environment and population health sciences. I am interested in studying the health impact of air pollution, soil, and drinking water. Previously, I have assessed the effect of lead, a heavy metal, on neurological and motor function. I am currently quantifying how modification environmental factors can lead to healthier lives and longevity.
Methodology
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Longitudinal and Cross-sectional Study
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Cohort and Case-Control Study
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Environmental Exposure Assessment
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Gene-Environment Interaction
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Linear and Logistic Regression
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Cox-Proportional Hazard Models, Survival Analysis
Education
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University
Master of Science (S.M.) in Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) in Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health
PROJECTS
Gene-Environment Interaction
Gene–environment interaction is when two different genotypes respond to environmental variation in different ways. We we exploring gene-environment interactions of longevity. What are harmful and beneficial environments that affect how long we live? In this project, we utilize cohort studies and focus on several candidate genes such as APOE and FOXO.
Digital Biomarker Study
We are starting a cohort to assess digital biomarkers technologies to explain, influence or predict health-related outcomes. As DKU students and staff need to travel internationally to Durham, we will use this as a natural experiment. Using wearables, we plan to monitor physical activity and sleep data in response to changing environments.
Lancet Commission - Health Cities in China
The Tsinghua-Lancet Healthy Cities in China Commission Report explores the topic of the current healthy city efforts in China and the world, aimed towards identifying gaps in knowledge, socio-economic factors, cultural, and policy. John Ji joins Prof. Gong Peng’s the Lancet commission working with the Department for Earth System Science at Tsinghua University to explore Healthy Cities in China. The concept of healthy cities has been promoted by WHO since 1986, a movement that puts health high on the political, social, and economic agendas of cities. The final report will be disseminated in late 2017.
Gates Foundation - SDG Environmental Health
Dr. John Ji joins Professor Shenglan Tang’s working group to analyze environmental health component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). The SDGs, adopted by UN member states on September 25, 2015, have now succeeded the MDGs. The SDGs set out a new development agenda to achieve global poverty alleviation and secure the planet for the next fifteen years. The SDGs have 17 goals and 169 targets.
Energy and Health Pilot Study
A pilot study to explore the role of winter heating in China, much of which is supplied by coal-fire power plants. We are exploring pollution reduction, energy efficiency, and co-benefits of energy use and health. In this project, we are using infrared sensors and weather stations.
RESEARCH TEAM
Current
Linxin Liu (Research Analyst) Joined from a medical software company. Received master degree from Sichuan University. Will work on healthy aging projects.
Hui Miao (Research Intern) Joined as an undergraduate student from Peking University Health Science Center. Working on analysis in NHANES on environmental determinants of drug effects, and heavy metal exposure trend analysis.
Shuyi (Rachel) Qiu (Research Intern) Joined as an undergraduate student from Shanghai Jiaotong University. Pursuing projects on health effect of environment and socioeconomic determinants of health.
Qidi (Jenny) Xu (Research Volunteer) Joined as an undergraduate student from Arizona State University. Worked on science communication.
Alumni
Anna Zhu (Research Analyst) Joined after studying public health at Wuhan University and global health at Duke University. Led projects on greenness and health outcomes, gene-environment interaction. Pursuing PhD in cancer epidemiology at University of Heidelberg.
Jia Wei (Research Intern) Joined as an undergraduate student from Peking University Health Science Center. Worked on analysis in NHANES on heavy metal and micronutrient blood biomarkers and health outcomes. Pursuing DPhil at University of Oxford.
Chengcheng Qiu (Research Intern) Joined as a Master of Public Health student from Yale University. Assessed the relationship of climate change, extreme weather events, on elderly mortality.
Yuantong Anthony Sun (Research Intern) Joined as an undergraduate student from Fudan University. Worked on quantitative and qualitative data collection for the SDG project. Pursuing a masters degree in environmental health at Harvard School of Public Health.
Nick Peoples (Student Worker) Joined as a master student in global health at Duke Kunshan University. Worked on healthy aging project and data management. Now at Baylor School of Medicine.
Jingyu Tong (Student Worker) Joined as a master student in global health at Duke Kunshan University. Worked on healthy aging project and data management. Now at IQVIA (IMS Quintiles).
Longkai Zang (Research Volunteer) Joined as an undergraduate student from Wuhan University) Worked on supporting SDG project and digital biomarker study.
Huilin Chen (Research Volunteer) Joined as a masters student from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Worked on quantitative data collection for the SDG project. Now at a pharmaceutical corporation.
PUBLICATIONS
Original Peer-Reviewed Empirical Research
John S Ji, Anna Zhu, Chen Bai, Chih-da Wu, Lijing Yan, Shenglan Tang, “Residential greenness and mortality in oldest-old women and men in China: a longitudinal cohort study“ The Lancet Planetary Health, January 1st, 2019.
Jia Wei, Tarannum Jaleel, Amanda S. MacLeod, John S. Ji. "Inverted U‐shaped relationship between vitamin D and ever‐reported eczema in US adults." Allergy, December 28th, 2018
Jia Wei, Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, John S. Ji. “Association between Eczema and Blood Biomarker of Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in NHANES.” Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health, May 2018
Hongmei Zeng, Rongshou Zheng, Siwei Zhang, John S. Ji, Xiaonong Zou, Changfa Xia, Kexin Sun, Zhixun Yang, He Li, Ning Wang, Renqiang Han, Shuzheng Liu, Huizhang Li, Huijuan Mu, Yutong He, Yanjun Xu, Zhentao Fu, Yan Zhou, Jie Jiang, Yanlei Yang, Jianguo Chen, Kuangrong Wei, Dongmei Fan, Jian Wang, Fangxian Fu, Deli Zhao, Guohui Song, Jianshun Chen,
Chunxiao Jiang, Xin Zhou, Xiaoping Gu, Feng Jin, Qilong Li, Yanhua Li, Tonghao Wu, Chunhua Yan, Jianmei Dong, Zhaolai Hua, Peter Baade, Xue Qin Yu, Freddie Bray, Wanqing Chen1, Jie He1. “Changing cancer survival in China 2003-2013: a pooled population-based analysis from 17 registries.” The Lancet Global Health, May 2018
Dr. Jun Yang, Dr. Qu Cheng, Han Zhang, Karen Chan, Zhe Sun, Dr. Yuanyuan Zhao, Na Cong, Dr. Xueyan Li, Wei Zhang, Dr. Yuqi Bai, Prof. Jun Bi, Dr. Wenjia Cai, Prof. Emily Chan, Dr. Wanqing Chen, Prof. Weicheng Fan, Prof. Hua Fu, Dr. Jianqing He, Dr. Hong Huang, Dr. John Ji, Dr. Peng Jia, Dr. Xiaopeng Jiang, Dr. José Siri, Prof. Mei-Po Kwan, Dr. Tianhong Li, Prof. Xiguang Li, Dr. Song Liang, Prof. Xiaofeng Liang, Dr. Lu Liang, Prof. Qiyong Liu, Prof. Yongmei Lu, Prof. Yong Luo, Dr. Xiulian Ma, Dr. Justin V. Remais, Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, Dr. Zhiyong Shen, Prof. Peijun Shi, Dr. Jing Su, Prof. Tinghai Wu, Dr. Changhong Yang, Dr. Yongyuan Yin, Prof. Qiang Zhang, Prof. Yinping Zhang, Dr. Yong Zhang, Prof. Bing Xu, Prof. Peng Gong. “Healthy Cities: unlocking the power of cities in building a Healthy China” The Lancet, May 2018
GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators, “Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet, 2018
GBD 2017 SDG Collaborators, “Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet, 2018
GBD 2017 Mortality Collaborators, “Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet, 2018
GBD 2017 Population and Fertility Collaborators, “Population and fertility by age and sex for 195 countries and territories, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet, 2018
GBD 2017 DALYs and HALE Collaborators. “Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 359 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet, 2018
GBD 2017 Risk Factor Collaborators, “Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.” The Lancet, 2018
GBD 2016 Motor Neuron Disease Collaborators. “Global, regional, and national burden of motor neuron diseases 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.” The Lancet Neurology, 2018.
Ji, JS, Louis, ED, Sparrow D, Spiro, A, Hu H, Weisskopf MG. “Cumulative Lead Exposure and Tremor in a Cohort of Older Men: Impact of Lead Biomarkers in the VA Normative Aging Study.” Environmental Health Perspectives, 123(5): 445-50, 2015.
Ji JS, Schwartz J, Sparrow D, Hu H, Weisskopf MG. “Occupational determinants of cumulative lead exposure: analysis of bone lead among men in the VA normative aging study.” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(4): 435–40. 2014
Ji, John S., Alexis Elbaz and Marc G. Weisskopf. “Association between Blood Lead and Walking Speed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2002).” Environmental Health Perspectives, 2013
Editorials and Commentaries
John S. Ji, “Air Pollution and Aging Society.” The Lancet Public Health, October, 2018.
Ji John S, “Xi Jinping’s roadmap for China prioritises health.” The Lancet, October 28th, 2017.
Pan Y, Ji JS, Jin JG, Kuo WP, Kang H., “Cancer Liquid Biopsy: Is It Ready for Clinic?” IEEE Pulse, 2017.
Ji John S., Chen Lincoln. “UHC Presents Universal Challenges.” Journal of Health Systems and Reform, 2016.
Ji John S., Chen Lincoln. “Educating the Health Workforce in China.” Chinese Journal of Health Policy, 2015 (in Chinese).
Tsai Thomas C, Ji John S. “Neoliberalism and its Discontents Impact of Health Reforms in Chile.” Harvard International Review, 2009.
Case Studies and Teaching Material
William C. Kirby, Joycelyn Eby, John S. Ji. “Augustine Heard & Co.: Building a Family Business in the China Trade (A).” Harvard Business School Case 316-185, Harvard Business Publishing, June 2016.
Michael Chu, John S. Ji, Nancy Dai. "CreditEase: Taking Inclusive Finance Online.” Harvard Business School Case 316-151, Harvard Business Publishing, March 2016.
Michael Chu, John S. Ji, Nancy Dai. "Cuncunle: Empowering China’s Rural Villages.” Harvard Business School Case 316-152 , Harvard Business Publishing, March 2016.
ADDRESS
No.8 Duke Avenue, Kunshan
Jiangsu, China 215316
Telephone: +86 (0512) 36657255
Email: john.ji@dukekunshan.edu.cn
