My research focus is the nutritional and molecular epidemiology of obesity-related chronic diseases. I am committed to advancing science on the role of diet, lifestyle, and other modifiable risk factors, particularly the gut microbiota, in the etiology, prevention, and treatment of metabolic disorders. Leveraging large prospective cohort studies and international cohort consortia, I have identified dietary factors and novel biomarkers related to the risk and mortality of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and major cancers among populations from different ethnic backgrounds and geographic regions. I have published 56 peer-reviewed original articles, including 30 papers as the first or corresponding author and 17 papers in the last five years on metabolomics or gut microbiota.

All my recent research projects apply -omics approaches (e.g., metabolomics and metagenomics) to better understand mechanisms underlying observed diet-disease relationships, particularly regarding diet-microbiota-host interactions. I am the PI of two completed projects and two ongoing projects that evaluate gut microbiome or microbial metabolites with the risk or risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, including a KL2 career development award examining the influence of long-term diet on gut microbiome composition and functions, an R21 examining TMAO, a diet-derived microbial metabolite, with diet and cardiometabolic biomarkers across American, European, and Asian populations, an R01 systematically examining over 100 circulating microbial metabolites with risk of incident coronary heart disease among Black/African Americans, White Americans, and Chinese adults, and another R01 examining changes in the gut microbiome and both fecal and circulating microbial metabolites among obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. In addition, through the Consortium of Metabolomics Studies (COMETS; I currently serve as a member of the Executive Committee), I have collaborated with international researchers to examine metabolites related to various dietary intakes and cardiometabolic outcomes among diverse populations.