Skip to main content

William Kuang-Yao Pan

Professor of Global Environmental Health
Environmental Natural Science
90519, 310 Trent Drive, Rm 227, Durham, NC 27708
310 Trent Drive, Room 227, Box 90519, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


William Pan, DrPH, Elizabeth Brooks Reid and Whitelaw Reid Professor of Population Studies and Global Environmental Health, joined the faculty at Duke in 2011. He holds a joint appointment at DGHI and the Nicholas School of Environment, and is Adjunct Professor in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a biostatistician with expertise in spatial analysis, demography land use science, infectious disease epidemiology and environmental health.  He has over 20-years of experience leading large, multi-institutional and interdisciplinary research teams to study the impact of human-environment dynamics influencing human health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).  His work is primarily focused in Latin America, particularly the Amazon region.  His current research focuses on: (1) studying the health effects of mercury and other chemical exposures from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM); (2) developing tools for forecasting vector-borne disease risk, focusing particularly on the integration and modeling of climate, land use, population and malaria surveillance data; (3) studying the role of migration and social network connectivity influencing infectious disease transmission; (4) understanding the risk of lead exposure among hunters and their families, and to identify solutions to mitigate that risk; and (5) evaluating multi-faceted benefits of nature-based solutions related to agroforestry, climate resilience, livelihoods, and disease mitigation.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Global Environmental Health · 2024 - Present Environmental Natural Science, Nicholas School of the Environment
Research Professor of Global Health · 2024 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Faculty Research Scholar of DuPRI's Population Research Center · 2010 - Present Duke Population Research Center, Duke Population Research Institute

In the News


Published September 2, 2025
Two Countries Adopt Malaria Forecasting System Developed at Duke
Published February 3, 2025
Celebrating Duke’s New Full Professors
Published November 3, 2023
Gulf War Illness Found to Attack White Blood Cells’ Ability to Make Energy

View All News

Recent Publications


High exposure variance enables candidate biomarker detection in a small EWAS of methylmercury-exposed Peruvian adults.

Journal Article BMC Genom Data · September 29, 2025 BACKGROUND: Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) are a highly promising approach that can inform precision environmental health. However, current EWAS are underpowered and increasing sample sizes will require substantial resources. Therefore, alternat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Age at infection as a key predictor of cyst burden in pigs experimentally infected with Taenia solium.

Journal Article Parasites & vectors · September 2025 BackgroundTaenia solium cysticercosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease with significant public health implications, particularly in endemic regions of low- and middle-income countries. In pigs, cyst burden varies widely, with most harboring fewer t ... Full text Cite

Immunity against reinfection in pigs following Taenia solium infection and a quantitative dose-response model.

Journal Article International journal for parasitology · August 2025 Taenia solium is a zoonotic parasite causing significant health and economic burdens, with complex transmission dynamics that demand improved control strategies. This study examines how infection and reinfection affect cyst development in pigs and how acqu ... Full text Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2019 - 2029

Malaria & Migration: Assessing Local Malaria Change near Migrant Communities in Panama

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2028

View All Grants