Ruijia Chen

Dr. Ruijia Chen is a social epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her research uses advanced quantitative methods to understand how social determinants shape healthy aging and cognitive health across the life course. Her work aims to identify the social drivers of health disparities among older adults and to generate evidence that informs policies and interventions to promote healthy aging.

Dr. Chen's research focuses on three primary areas: (1) quantifying the cumulative effects of social and structural exposures across the life course on cognitive aging and dementia risk; (2) understanding how social isolation, loneliness, and other aspects of social relationships influence cognitive function, dementia, and other age-related health outcomes; and (3) evaluating the effects of social policies and programs on reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and improving the well-being of people living with dementia and their caregivers. In addition to these substantive areas, she applies innovative methods to strengthen causal inference in studies of social determinants of health and to facilitate the translation of research findings into public health policy and community-based interventions.

Dr. Chen is supported by a National Institute on Aging (NIA) K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the Alzheimer’s Association, and was previously awarded an NIA F99/K00 Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award. Her research has been published in leading journals, including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, JAMA Neurology, JAMA Internal Medicine, Health Affairs, American Journal of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, and Social Science & Medicine.

Education

  • ScD, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
  • MS, Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
  • BA, Public Administration, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

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Chen, R., Charpignon, M-L., Raquib, R.V., Wang, J., Meza, E., Aschmann, H.E., Devost, S., Mooney, A., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Riley, A., Kiang, M.V., Stokes, A.C.,& Glymour, M.M.(2023).Excess Mortality Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia between March 2020 and February2022 in the United States. JAMA Neurology. 2023

Chen, R., Calmasini, C., Swinnerton, K., Wang, J., Hirst, A.K., Haneuse, S., Ackley, S., George, K.M., Peterson, R., Soh, Y., Hayes-Larson, E., Barnes, L.L., Mayeda, E.R., Gilsanz, P., Mungas, D., Whitmer, R., Corrada, M., Glymour, M.M. (2022). Pragmatic Approaches to Handling Practice Effects in Longitudinal Cognitive Aging Research. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 19(9):4028-4036.

Chen, R., Lee, H., Wang, J., Yang, Y., Shiba, S., Nishimi, K., Kobayashi, L., Glymour, M., & Kubzansky, L. D. Independent and Joint Associations of Key Components of Social Exposome with Cognitive Aging: Triangulating Evidence through Cross-National Data. American Journal of Epidemiology. 195(2), pp.398-406.

Chen, R., Weuve, J., Misra, S., Cuevas, A., Kubzansky, L.D., Williams, D.R. (2022). Racial Disparities in Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: The Roles of Cumulative Stress Exposures Across the Life Course. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 77(2), 357-364. 

Chen, R., Aschmann, H.E., Chen, Y-H., Glymour, M.M., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Stokes, A.C., Kiang, M.V. (2022). Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Estimated Excess Mortality from External Causes in the United States, March to December 2020. JAMA Internal Medicine, 182(7),776-778.

Chen, R., Williams, D.R., Nishimi, K., Slopen, N., Kubzansky, L.D., Weuve, J. (2022). A Lifecourse Approach to Understanding Stress Exposures and Cognitive Function among Middle-Aged and Older Adults. Social Science and Medicine. 314:115448.

Chen, R., Kessler, R., Sadikova, E., NeMoyer, A., Sampson, N., Alvarez, K., Vilsaint, C.L., Green, J., McLaughlin, K., Jackson, J.S., Alegria, M., Williams, D.R. (2019). Racial and Ethnic Differences in Individual-Level and Area-Based Socioeconomic Status and 12-Month Mental Disorders. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 119, 48-59. 

Zimmerman, S. C.*, Chen, R.*, Thoma, M., Pacca, L., Hebert, J., Riley, A., Kim, M. H., Pederson, A., Yang, Y., Buto, P., Brenowitz, W. D., Glymour, M. M., Kotwal, A.#, & Torres, J. M.# (2025). The Association of Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Risk with Social Connectedness in Middle- and Older-Ages. American Journal of Epidemiology, 195(4), pp.894-900.