Yuqing Zhang has broad training in nursing science, clinical studies, and population health research. Her research focuses on identifying oral health disparities and their implication for whole-body health, improving oral self-care behaviors as an integral part of chronic disease self-management among vulnerable populations such as people living with chronic conditions (i.e., diabetes, cancer survivors, etc.) and those with disadvantaged socioeconomic status.
From the perspectives of health disparities and population health, Yuqing’s work underscores the lack of preventive dental care among U.S adults living with diabetes. As a Health Disparities Junior Faculty Development Award winner of the American Diabetes Association, Yuqing is leading a three-year funded project (DiaOral) to develop an oral self-care intervention to reduce oral health disparities in the population with diabetes. In other projects, she also highlights the negative impact of retaining asymptomatic wisdom teeth until adulthood on periodontal health and its implications for cardiovascular health. Yuqing is also a compassionate advocator for improving oral health and oral self-care for cancer survivors in her collaboration with interdisciplinary health professionals.
Before becoming a population health scientist, Yuqing dedicated 12 years in oral health clinical studies employed by P&G, a leading oral health industrial research institute, and conducted more than 30 oral care clinical trials in different countries.