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Qi (Harry) Zhang

Assistant Professor

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Dr. Zhang is a health economist whose primary research is on socioeconomic disparities in obesity in US. His current research focuses on economic mechanisms that impact obesity among low-income Americans. His work also covers the cost-effectiveness analysis and health outcomes research, including the cost-effectiveness of prostate cancer treatment, cost-effectiveness of diabetes treatment, and health outcomes of hospital interventions. His research has been published in top medical journals, such as Annals of Internal Medicine, Health Services Research, and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. His projects were funded by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to joining the faculty in 2005, he worked as a Senior Health Outcomes Researcher in Section of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago.  He was a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University in 2006 and 2008.

Professional Experience

2005~Present Assistant Professor, School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University

2001~2005 Senior Health Outcomes Researcher, Section of General Internal Medicine, University of Chicago

Education

PhD, Economics, the University of Alabama, 2001

MA,  Economics, the University of Alabama,1999

BA,   Economics, Fudan University, China,   1998

Selected Publications

  1. Qi Zhang and Youfa Wang. 2004. "Socioeconomic Inequality of Obesity in the United States: Do Gender, Age, and Ethnicity matter?" Social Science and Medicine; 58: 1171-1180.
  2. Qi Zhang and Youfa Wang. 2004 "Trends in the Association between Obesity and Socioeconomic Status in U.S. Adults: 1971 to 2000", Obesity Research; 12: 1622-1632.
  3. Youfa Wang and Qi Zhang. 2006. "Are American Children and Adolescents of Low Socioeconomic Status at Increased Risk of Obesity? Changes in the Association between Overweight and Family Income between 1971 and 2002." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 84: 707-716.
  4. Qi Zhang, Youfa Wang. 2007. "Using Concentration Index to Study the Trends in Socioeconomic Inequality among Overweight Adolescents in U.S. during 1971 to 2002." International Journal of Epidemiology; 36: 916-925.
  5. Elbert S. Huang, Qi Zhang, Sydney E.S. Brown, Melinda Drum, David O. Meltzer, Marshall H. Chin. 2007. "The Cost-Effectiveness of Improving Diabetes Care in U.S. Federally-Qualified Community Health Centers." Health Services Research; 42: 2174-2193.
  6. John A. Schneider, Qi Zhang, Andrew Auerbach, David Gonzales, Peter Kaboli, Jeffrey Schnipper, Tosha B. Wettemeck, David L. Pitrak, David O. Meltzer. 2008. "Do Hospitalists or Physicians with Greater Inpatient HIV Experience Improve HIV Care in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy? Results from a Multicenter Trial of Academic Hospitalists." Clinical Infectious Diseases; 46: 1085-1092.
  7. Elbert S. Huang, Qi Zhang, Niren Gandra, Marshall Chin, David O. Meltzer. 2008. "The Impact of Functional Status and Comorbid Illness on the Expected Benefits of Intensive Glucose Control in Older Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Decision Analysis", Annals of Internal Medicine; 149: 11-19.

Funded Research Experience

Principal Investigator, "Price effect on diet and obesity risk of food assistance program recipients". National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD)(1R03HD056073), 08/10/07-07/31/09, $135,555.

Principal Investigator, "Impact of local food prices on the relationship between food stamp program participation and bodyweight status of adults in the south", Southern Rural Development Center and U.S. Department of Agriculture/Economic Research Service-Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program, 10/01/06-12/14/07, $35,027.

Principle Investigator, "Trends in Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status, Obesity and Diabetes", Old Dominion University office of Research, 07/01/06-08/31/06, $7,000.

Co-Investigator, "Preference Heterogeneity and CEA in Diabetes", Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 10/01/03-09/30/06, $600,000. (PI: David Meltzer).

Co-Investigator, "Effects of Preference Heterogeneity and Patient Self-Selection on Medical Cost-Effectiveness", Ad Hoc Group on the Economics of the Pharmaceutical Industry, 07/01/02-06/30/03, $50,000. (PI: David Meltzer).

CONTACT

College of Health Sciences
Old Dominion University
3138 Health Sciences Building
School of Community and Environmental Health
Norfolk, VA 23529
Fax: 757-683-6333
Direct: 757-683-6870
Email: qzhang@odu.edu