Zuo-Feng Zhang

Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Epidemiology, Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Environment Genomics, Director of Molecular Epidemiology Training Program, and Scientific Director of UCLA Central Tumor Registry. Dr. Zhang has been a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (ACE) since 1999 and he served as Member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Epidemiology from 2002 to 2005. Dr. Zhang served as a regular member of NIH Epidemiology of Cancer Study Section (EPIC), is currently serving as a regular member of the NCI-J study section, and as an ad hoc member in numerous NIH peer review study sections. Dr. Zhang served as a World Health Organization (WHO) Consultant for National Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Controls in China. Dr. Zhang was a barefoot doctor in China from 1969 to 1973. He worked as a preventive doctor in a Schistosomiasis Control Program from 1975 to 1978. Following a Medical Degree in Preventive Medicine from Shanghai Medical University in 1983, he studied cancer epidemiology under Professor Shun-Zhang Yu in the graduate program of Shanghai Medical University from 1983-1987. Thereafter, he did post-doctoral training at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization, Lyon, France from 1987-1988, under supervision of Dr. Max Parkin. Several years later, Dr. Zhang graduated with a Ph.D. degree in cancer epidemiology, from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1991, where he worked with Dr. Saxon Graham, followed by positions as an Assistant and Associate Member (Professor) of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and as an Assistant Professor at Cornell Medical College from 1991 to 1997. Finally, he accepted a position as a Tenured Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1997, and advanced to Full Professor of Epidemiology in 1999.

Areas of Interest

Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang's research focuses on the molecular epidemiology of cancers of the bladder, prostate, esophagus, stomach, head and neck and cervix. Other research interests include nutrition and cancer, epidemiology of second primary cancer; methodological issues in the use of tumor markers in cancer epidemiology; and progression and survival of cancer.

Zhang's research group in the molecular epidemiology laboratories is currently working on mutations, methylations, polymorphisms or SNPs of tumor suppresser genes such as TP53 and p16, of Phases I and II genes such as GSTs, NATs, and CYP450s, and of DNA repair genes such as XRCC1. The major focus is to evaluate the main effects of these genes on the risk of cancers and to assess potential gene-environment interactions.

Selected Courses

• Epidem 242: Cancer Epidemiology
• Epidem 243: Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer
• Epidem 244: Cancer Epidemiology Methods
• Epidem 295: Cancer Epidemiology Seminar

Selected Publications

• *Fang F, Mu L, Zhu Y, Rao J, Heymann J, Zhang ZF. Long-Term Exposure to PM2.5, Facemask Mandates, Stay Home Orders and COVID-19 Incidence in the United States. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 10;18(12):6274. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126274. PMID: 34200600.

• *Zhu Y, Jeong S, Wu M, Zhou JY, Jin ZY, Han RQ, Yang J, Zhang XF, Wang XS, Liu AM, Gu XP, Su M, Hu X, Sun Z, Li G, Yon Jung S, Li L, Mu L, Lu QY, La Vecchia C, Zhao JK, Zhang ZF. Index-based dietary patterns and stomach cancer in a Chinese population. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2021 Jul 20. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000705. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34292200.

• *Nam GE, Zhang ZF, Rao J, Zhou H, Jung SY. Interactions Between Adiponectin-Pathway Polymorphisms and Obesity on Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk Among African American Women: The WHI SHARe Study. Front Oncol. 2021 Jul 21;11:698198. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.698198. PMID: 34367982; PMCID: PMC8335565.

• *Liu X, Yang W, Petrick JL, Liao LM, Wang W, He N, Campbell PT, Zhang ZF, Giovannucci E, McGlynn KA, Zhang X. Higher intake of whole grains and dietary fiber are associated with lower risk of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 4;12(1):6388. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26448-9. PMID: 34737258; PMCID: PMC8568891.

• *Lei F, Chen WT, Brecht ML, Zhang ZF, Lee E. Cross-Cultural Instrument Adaptation and Validation of Health Beliefs About Cancer Screening: A Methodological Systematic Review. Cancer Nurs. 2022 Sep-Oct 01;45(5):387-396. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001007. Epub 2021 Sep 3. PMID: 34483286.

• *Lei F, Chen WT, Brecht ML, Zhang ZF, Lee E. Health beliefs toward lung cancer screening among Chinese American high-risk smokers: Interviews based on Health Belief Model. Int J Nurs Sci. 2022 Jun 23;9(3):378-388. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.06.005. PMID: 35891915; PMCID: PMC9305017.

• *Zhang M, Hashibe M, Rao JY, Jung SY, Tashkin DP, Morgenstern H, Zhang ZF. Opium, phencyclidine, and crack cocaine smoking associations with lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancers: exploratory findings from a case-control study in Los Angeles County. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2023 Jul 4;49(4):440-449. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2023.2220875. Epub 2023 Jul 11. PMID: 37433108.

• *Lei F, Chen WT, Brecht ML, Zhang ZF, Hu Y, Xu T, Wang S, Lee E. Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Lung Cancer Screening Health Belief Scale in Chinese Americans: A Methodological Study. J Nurs Meas. 2023 Oct 23:JNM-2021-0093.R1. doi: 10.1891/JNM-2021-0093. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37871962.

• *Fang F, Ritz B, Rao J, Zhu Y, Tashkin DP, Morgenstern H, Zhang ZF. Association between ambient exposure to PM2.5 and upper aerodigestive tract cancer in Los Angeles. Int J Cancer. 2024 Jan 5. doi: 10.1002/ijc.34835. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38180239.

• *Zhang M, Chen C, Li G, Koric A, Lee YA, Morgenstern H, Schwartz SM, Sturgis EM, Boffetta P, Hashibe M, Zhang ZF. Cocaine use and head and neck cancer risk: A pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Cancer Med. 2024 Feb;13(3):e7019. doi: 10.1002/cam4.7019. PMID: 38400665; PMCID: PMC10891447.

• *Cao J, *Li J, Zhang Z, Qin G, Pang Y, Wu M, Gu K, Xu H. Interaction between body mass index and family history of cancer on the risk of female breast cancer. Sci Rep. 2024 Feb 28;14(1):4927. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-54762-x. PMID: 38418549; PMCID: PMC10901816.

• *Han S, Yao J, Yamazaki H, Streicher SA, Rao J, Nianogo RA, Zhang Z, Huang BZ. Genetically Determined Circulating Lactase/Phlorizin Hydrolase Concentrations and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study. Nutrients. 2024 Mar 12;16(6):808. doi: 10.3390/nu16060808. PMID: 38542719; PMCID: PMC10975724.

• *Fang F, Clemens JD, Zhang ZF, Brewer TF. Impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on Covid-19 incidence and mortality in the United States. PLoS One. 2024 Apr 24;19(4):e0301830. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301830. PMID: 38656933.

• Lv J, Zhang ZF. Progress and challenges in NCD prevention and control in China. BMJ. 2024 Oct 18;387:q2098. doi: 10.1136/bmj.q2098. PMID: 39424318; PMCID: PMC11484825.

• *Jin ZY, Liu K, Wallar G, Zhou JY, Mu LN, Liu X, Li LM, He N, Wu M, Zhao JK, Zhang ZF. Environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) and esophageal cancer: A population-based case-control study in Jiangsu Province, China. Int J Cancer. 2024 Nov 18. doi: 10.1002/ijc.35254. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39552259.

• *Xia T, Nianogo RA, Yu Q, Horwich T, Srikanthan P, Inoue K, Allison M, Zhang ZF, Watson KE, Chen L. Racial Disparities of Type 2 Diabetes Through Exercise: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Jan 16:S0749-3797(25)00008-X. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2025.01.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39826704.

• *Nguyen T, Koric A, Chang CE, Barul C, Radoi L, Serraino D, Purdue MP, Kelsey KT, McClean MD, Negri E, Edefonti V, Moysich K, Zhang ZF, Morgenstern H, Levi F, Vaughan TL, La Vecchia C, Garavello W, Hayes RB, Benhamou S, Schantz SP, Yu GP, Brenner H, Chuang SC, Boffetta P, Hashibe M, Lee YA. Coffee and tea consumption and the risk of head and neck cancer: An updated pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Cancer. 2025 Jan 15;131(2):e35620. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35620. Epub 2024 Dec 23. PMID: 39711146; PMCID: PMC11733827.

• * Dr. Zhang is senior author/Chair or member of PhD Committee/primary mentor of Junior faculty or graduate students

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