Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D, M.P.H.
- Associate Director for Population Science Research
- Co-Leader, Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
- Anne Potter Wilson Professor of Medicine
- Director, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center
- Chief, Division of Epidemiology
Phone
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
2525 West End Ave, Suite 800
Nashville, TN 37203-1738
2525 West End Ave, Suite 800
Nashville, TN 37203-1738
Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D, M.P.H.
- Associate Director for Population Science Research
- Co-Leader, Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
- Anne Potter Wilson Professor of Medicine
- Director, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center
- Chief, Division of Epidemiology
(615) 936-0682
wei.zheng@vumc.org
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
2525 West End Ave, Suite 800
Nashville, TN 37203-1738
2525 West End Ave, Suite 800
Nashville, TN 37203-1738
Research Program
Departments/Affiliations
Profile
My main research has focused on molecular, genetic, and nutritional epidemiology of cancer and other chronic diseases. I have been the PI or an MPI for approximately 40 NIH research grants, including 28 large R01/U01 or equivalent grants, and have authored or co-authored more than 1100 publications. I am the contact PI for two large prospective cohort studies, the Shanghai Women’s Health Study and Southern Community Cohort Study, in which more than 160,000 individuals were recruited for long-term epidemiology studies of cancer and other chronic diseases. I also have directed several other studies, including the Nashville Breast Health Study and the Tennessee Colorectal Polyp Study, in which more than 25,000 cases and controls were recruited. Over the past 15 years, I have initiated five large consortia/pooling projects and collaborated on >30 other research consortia. I have served as the primary mentor for more than 50 junior investigators, postdoc fellows and graduate students, including >20 assistant professors.
Education
- Ph.D., Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (1992)
- M.P.H., Epidemiology, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai (1986)
- M.D., Preventive Medicine, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai (1983)
Research Emphasis
Research interests: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers, nutrition, host susceptibility
Research Description
Publications
- Li M, Cai Q, Gao YT, Franke AA, Zhang X, Zhao Y, Wen W, Lan Q, Rothman N, Shyr Y, Shu XO, Zheng W, Yang G. Phytoestrogens and lung cancer risk: a nested case-control study in never-smoking Chinese females. Am J Clin Nutr [print-electronic]. 2021 Oct 10/21/2021; PMID: 34673927, PII: 6407518, DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab358, ISSN: 1938-3207.
- Chen Z, Guo X, Long J, Ping J, Li B, Fadden MK, Ahearn TU, Stram DO, Shu XO, Jia G, Figueroa J, , Palmer JR, Sanderson M, Haiman CA, Blot WJ, Garcia-Closas M, Cai Q, Zheng W. Discovery of structural deletions in breast cancer predisposition genes using whole genome sequencing data from¿>¿2000 women of African-ancestry. Hum Genet [print-electronic]. 2021 Oct; 140(10): 1449-57. PMID: 34487234, PII: 10.1007/s00439-021-02342-8, DOI: 10.1007/s00439-021-02342-8, ISSN: 1432-1203.
- Jia G, Wen W, Massion PP, Shu XO, Zheng W. Incorporating both genetic and tobacco smoking data to identify high-risk smokers for lung cancer screening. Carcinogenesis. 2021 Jun 6/21/2021; 42(6): 874-9. PMID: 33640962, PMCID: PMC8215593, PII: 6153462, DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgab018, ISSN: 1460-2180.
- Choi J, Jia G, Wen W, Long J, Shu XO, Zheng W. Effects of Screenings in Reducing Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality Differ by Polygenic Risk Scores. Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2021 May 5/6/2021; 12(5): e00344. PMID: 33955373, PMCID: PMC8104134, PII: 01720094-202105000-00010, DOI: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000344, ISSN: 2155-384X.
- Yang JJ, Yu D, Shu XO, Freedman ND, Wen W, Rahman S, Abe SK, Saito E, Gupta PC, He J, Tsugane S, Gao YT, Xiang YB, Yuan JM, Tomata Y, Tsuji I, Sugawara Y, Matsuo K, Ahn YO, Park SK, Chen Y, Pan WH, Pednekar M, Gu D, Sawada N, Cai H, Li HL, Koh WP, Wang R, Zhang S, Kanemura S, Ito H, Shin MH, Wu PE, Yoo KY, Ahsan H, Chia KS, Boffetta P, Inoue M, Kang D, Potter JD, Zheng W. Quantifying the association of low-intensity and late initiation of tobacco smoking with total and cause-specific mortality in Asia. Tob Control [print-electronic]. 2021 May; 30(3): 328-35. PMID: 32546664, PII: tobaccocontrol-2019-055412, DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055412, ISSN: 1468-3318.
- Choi J, Jia G, Wen W, Shu XO, Zheng W. Healthy lifestyles, genetic modifiers, and colorectal cancer risk: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Apr 4/6/2021; 113(4): 810-20. PMID: 33675346, PMCID: PMC8023827, PII: 6155851, DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa404, ISSN: 1938-3207.
- Yu D, Nguyen SM, Yang Y, Xu W, Cai H, Wu J, Cai Q, Long J, Zheng W, Shu XO. Long-term diet quality is associated with gut microbiome diversity and composition among urban Chinese adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Mar 3/11/2021; 113(3): 684-94. PMID: 33471054, PMCID: PMC7948864, PII: 6104801, DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa350, ISSN: 1938-3207.
- Guo X, Lin W, Wen W, Huyghe J, Bien S, Cai Q, Harrison T, Chen Z, Qu C, Bao J, Long J, Yuan Y, Wang F, Bai M, Abecasis GR, Albanes D, Berndt SI, Bézieau S, Bishop DT, Brenner H, Buch S, Burnett-Hartman A, Campbell PT, Castellví-Bel S, Chan AT, Chang-Claude J, Chanock SJ, Cho SH, Conti DV, Chapelle A, Feskens EJM, Gallinger SJ, Giles GG, Goodman PJ, Gsur A, Guinter M, Gunter MJ, Hampe J, Hampel H, Hayes RB, Hoffmeister M, Kampman E, Kang HM, Keku TO, Kim HR, Le Marchand L, Lee SC, Li CI, Li L, Lindblom A, Lindor N, Milne RL, Moreno V, Murphy N, Newcomb PA, Nickerson DA, Offit K, Pearlman R, Pharoah PDP, Platz EA, Potter JD, Rennert G, Sakoda LC, Schafmayer C, Schmit SL, Schoen RE, Schumacher FR, Slattery ML, Su YR, Tangen CM, Ulrich CM, van Duijnhoven FJB, Van Guelpen B, Visvanathan K, Vodicka P, Vodickova L, Vymetalkova V, Wang X, White E, Wolk A, Woods MO, Casey G, Hsu L, Jenkins MA, Gruber SB, Peters U, Zheng W. Identifying Novel Susceptibility Genes for Colorectal Cancer Risk From a Transcriptome-Wide Association Study of 125,478 Subjects. Gastroenterology [print-electronic]. 2021 Mar; 160(4): 1164-1178.e6. PMID: 33058866, PMCID: PMC7956223, PII: S0016-5085(20)35243-4, DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.08.062, ISSN: 1528-0012.
- Yang JJ, Yu D, Shu XO, Wen W, Rahman S, Abe S, Saito E, Gupta PC, He J, Tsugane S, Gao YT, Yuan JM, Koh WP, Sadakane A, Tomata Y, Tsuji I, Sugawara Y, Matsuo K, Ahn YO, Park SK, Chen Y, Inoue M, Kang D, Zheng W. Reduction in total and major cause-specific mortality from tobacco smoking cessation: a pooled analysis of 16 population-based cohort studies in Asia. Int J Epidemiol [print-electronic]. 2021 Feb 2/5/2021; PMID: 34009320, PII: 6261977, DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyab087, ISSN: 1464-3685.
- Considine DPC, Jia G, Shu X, Schildkraut JM, Pharoah PDP, Zheng W, Kar SP, . Genetically predicted circulating protein biomarkers and ovarian cancer risk. Gynecol Oncol [print-electronic]. 2021 Feb; 160(2): 506-13. PMID: 33246661, PMCID: PMC7855757, PII: S0090-8258(20)34127-5, DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.11.016, ISSN: 1095-6859.
