Peiyao Zhu

Research Specialist / Graduate Research Assistant

University of Michigan

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health · Institute for Social Research (ISR)

• Systemic Inflammation, Epigenetic Aging, and Cognitive Impairment

  Examining biological aging mechanisms linking chronic inflammation to cognitive decline.

• Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Alzheimer’s Disease Polygenic Risk

  Assessing gene–environment interactions in predicting CIND and dementia risk.

• Healthy Cognitive Aging and Resilience among Cancer Survivors

  Investigating long-term neurocognitive outcomes and protective psychosocial factors.

• Impact of Cash Transfer Policies on Health Among Older Adults

  Conducting a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of international evidence on cash transfer policies.

• Social Isolation and Cognitive Decline in India (LASI-DAD)

  Evaluating cognitive reserve processes and the mechanisms underlying cognitive aging trajectories, with comparison to global evidence.

• Curate and harmonize population-based datasets from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its international partner studies to study the biological, social, and environmental determinants of cognitive aging.
• Analyze longitudinal data using multivariable regression, mixed-effects models, survival analysis, joint modeling, and causal mediation analysis in R, SAS, and Stata.
• Contribute to peer-reviewed manuscripts, conference presentations, and cross-institutional collaborations.

Research Assistant II

University of Michigan

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health

Investigated social determinants of racial disparities in functional aging among older cancer survivors, integrating data from the HRS, the SEER Program, and the U.S. Census.

• Conducted literature reviews on survivorship bias, cognitive impairment, and aging-related disease to inform study hypotheses and analytic strategy.
• Managed and cleaned large, multi-source datasets and supported variable construction; assisted with IRB submissions and manuscript preparation.

Research Assistant

University of Michigan

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health

Investigated the social determinants of COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy in the U.S., emphasizing demographic, cultural, and political correlates.

• Conducted independent research and scientific writing under faculty mentorship — contributing to conceptual development, interpretation, and manuscript drafting.
• Cleaned, analyzed, and visualized complex survey data using SAS and R.

Research Analyst

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Beer Sheva / Tel Aviv, Israel

Examined socioeconomic and social-group disparities in COVID-19 vaccination uptake using national data from the Israel Ministry of Health.

• Cleaned, managed, and analyzed national vaccination datasets using epidemiologic methods.
• Conducted a comparative policy review for the European Association of Schools of Public Health, assessing COVID-19 surveillance systems across 10 countries.

Quantitative / Qualitative Analyst

Kantar Health

Shanghai, China

Supported healthcare market research and consulting for global pharmaceutical clients through primary data collection, secondary research, and quantitative analysis — producing bilingual reports and decks for internal and client-facing audiences.

• AstraZeneca — Digital Marketing

  Analyzed digital marketing models from leading FMCG companies to inform targeting, strategy, and channel optimization for pharmaceutical clients; co-authored industry research reports with evidence-based recommendations.

• Sanofi — Internet Hospital

  Assessed policy frameworks and partnership opportunities for digital hospital platforms with public healthcare institutions; designed questionnaires and conducted stakeholder interviews to evaluate feasibility and public perception.

Researcher

Gimema Hematology Research Center

Rome, Italy

Conducted a systematic literature review on hematologic malignancies — synthesizing clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, and quality-of-life measures — and collected, analyzed, and visualized clinical research data to support multi-institutional studies and publication.

Demographic differences in compliance with COVID-19 vaccination timing and completion guidelines in the United States.

Zhu P, Zhang V, Wagner AL.

Vaccines. 2023;11(2):369.

Spillover of vaccine hesitancy into adult COVID-19 and influenza: the role of race, religion, and political affiliation in the United States.

Zhang V, Zhu P, Wagner AL.

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(4):3376.

Comparison of middle-aged and older cancer survivors in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program.

Zhu P, Kobayashi LC, Westrick AC.

Cancer Causes & Control. 2025;36:833–844.

The association of pre-cancer-diagnosis cardiovascular risk factors with memory aging after a cancer diagnosis, overall and by race/ethnicity.

Westrick AC, Zhu P, Friese CR, Lange KM, Kobayashi LC.

J Cancer Surviv. 2024;18:1144–1153.

Associations of perceived neighborhood factors and Alzheimer’s disease polygenic score with cognition: evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.

Ware EB*, Zhu P*, Noppert G, Fu M, Benbow M, Kobayashi LC, Ryan LH, Bakulski KM.

PLOS ONE. 2025;20(11):e0336403.

DNA methylation age acceleration mediates the relationship between systemic inflammation and cognitive impairment.

Higgins Tejera C*, Zhu P*, Ware EB, Hicken MT, Zawistowski M, Kobayashi LC, Seblova D, Manly J, Mukherjee B, Bakulski KM.

Epigenomics. 2025;1–11.

Social engagement, formal education, and cognitive outcomes among older adults in India: a longitudinal population-based study.

Zhu P, Nichols E, Angrisani M, Gross AL, Lee J, Kobayashi LC.

Exploring contextual determinants of the Older Person’s Grant expenditure and aging health.

Chang H, Jock J*, Zhu P*, Wagner R, Fleming P, Tollman S, Kobayashi LC.

Social isolation and cognitive function and decline in a population-based longitudinal study of aging in India, overall and by education.

Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Annual Meeting

Boston, MA