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Meifang Chen

Assistant Professor of Health Policy at Duke Kunshan University
DKU Faculty

Overview


I am a researcher and public health specialist with rich work experience in a wide range of public health context, including as an RN in a top-rank hospital in China, as a Health Educator II in the state health department, and as researcher/program evaluator/consultant for local and statewide health programs in the U.S. I am also a Mater Certified Health Education Specialist. 

My major research interest lies in chronic disease prevention and management, which involves understanding their social determinants and evaluating the effects of interventions and policies to address these issues. Leveraging my expertise in geospatial analysis, policy evaluation, and mobile health (mHealth) interventions, I have led and collaborated on multiple projects that assess and optimize community-based health services, particularly for diabetes, cancer, and mental health management. Moreover, my engagement with artificial intelligence and predictive modeling in public health has resulted in developing digital decision-support tools for chronic disease management. Additionally, I have supported and led a number of health research programs on various topics, including smoking cessation, obesity prevention, reproductive and sexual health, maternal and child health, and juvenile delinquency prevention. My research has been published in top academic journals, such as American Journal of Health Promotion, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the European Journal of Obesity, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Journal of Public Health Nutrition, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing. 

I am the initiator of the Community Health Service Lab in the Social Science Division, co-director of the Health Humanities Lab, senior scientist at the Global Health Research Center, and affiliated faculty at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at DKU. I am an adjunct professor in Public Health school at Wuhan University. Before joining DKU, I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at California State University, Los Angeles. I serve as a research mentor to both undergraduate and graduate students, and as committee member for graduate thesis projects. I am also an active member of the American Public Health Association, the Obesity Society, Society of Public Health Education, and National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. I serve as editorial board member and peer reviewer for health journals.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of Health Policy at Duke Kunshan University · 2020 - Present DKU Faculty

In the News


Published July 5, 2018
6. Why Don’t More Americans Eat the Mediterranean Diet?
Published May 29, 2018
Identifying Mediterranean-diet adhering populations may temper obesity crisis
Published May 23, 2018
Mediterranean Diet Most Popular on U.S. Coasts

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Recent Publications


Effects of traditional Chinese medicines on weight management among adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Journal Article Obesity science & practice · June 2024 Increasing evidence has reported the anti-obesity effects of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and their potential advantages in weight loss, such as fewer side effects and lower costs compared to the current recommended treatments like Western medicine ... Full text Cite

Programmatic action in Chinese health policy—The making and design of “Healthy China 2030”

Journal Article Review of Policy Research · July 1, 2023 The Programmatic Action Framework (PAF) is a powerful analytical perspective to advance our understanding of policy change by stressing the role of programmatic groups and how they promote their preferred policy programs. While the PAF has been applied suc ... Full text Cite

Impact of federalization for health financing and workforce in Nepal.

Journal Article Global health research and policy · June 2023 The adoption of its 2015 constitution has converted Nepal to a federal government while simultaneously resulted in significant reforms of the health system in Nepal in terms of both structure and commitment. In this commentary, we review evidence ranging f ... Full text Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Alabama, Birmingham · 2017 Ph.D.