About Me
Dr. Lin Zhu is a medical sociologist and social epidemiologist at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University. With a focus on the intersection of social, cultural, and contextual factors, her research examines how these elements influence health behaviors and outcomes, particularly among populations underrepresented in biomedical research. By integrating intersectionality theory from sociology, psychology, and anthropology, Dr. Zhu bridges this theoretical framework with empirical research on health disparities in disease prevention and treatment within public health and medicine.
Dr. Zhu's research portfolio encompasses cardiometabolic diseases, mental health disorders, and cancer screening and prevention behaviors, with a specific emphasis on racial and ethnic disparities. This includes an interest in acculturation models and the impact of population- and community-level factors on health outcomes.
Over the past ten years, Dr. Zhu has contributed significantly to several large-scale studies as a co-investigator, data manager, and evaluator. These include the NIH-funded R01 project on the impact of structural racism and discrimination on liver disease disparities in high-risk Asian American populations (R01MD01752, PI: Ma) and the UG3 Asian American Community Cohort and Equity Study (UG3HL170034). In these roles, Dr. Zhu has overseen data collection quality, process evaluation, and the generation of program evaluation results and reports.
Dr. Zhu has demonstrated expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, as well as in the application of web-based technologies in clinical and population health research. Additionally, Dr. Zhu has played a pivotal role as the Co-Leader of the Planning & Evaluation Core (PEC) for the NIH-funded U54 TUFCCC/HC Regional Comprehensive Cancer Health Disparity Partnership (U54CA221704(5), Contact PI: Ma & Erblich). In this capacity, Dr. Zhu has been instrumental in engaging with Asian American, African American, and Hispanic/Latino communities.
Currently, Dr. Zhu serves as the Principal Investigator for two NIH-funded studies, including an R21 study (MD019145-01) funded by NIH/NIMHD and an Administrative Supplement study (3U54CA221705-06S1) funded by NIH/NCI.
Research Interests
- Cancer health disparities
- Cardiometabolic conditions
- Social determinants of health
- Longitudinal cohort studies
- Whole person health
- Quantitative methodology
Education, Training & Credentials
- PhD, Medical Sociology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Memberships
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Heart Association
- Society of Behavioral Medicine
- American Public Health Association
- American Psychological Association
- American Sociological Association