Lei Zhang, PhD, MBA
Professor - Associate Dean for Research and Schola
Department:
SON-Instruction School Nursing
Email:
lzhang2@umc.edu
Work Phone:
(601) 815-9780
Biography
Dr. Lei Zhang is professor and associate dean for research and scholarship in School of Nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). In addition to the associate dean title, he serves as the school's Harriet G. Williamson Endowed Chair for Population Health Nursing. He also holds the secondary appointments as professor of data science in UMMC’s John D. Bower School of Population Health and professor of Health Administration in School of Health Related Professions.
Prior to becoming an associate dean, Dr. Zhang served as director and chief research biostatistician of Office of Health Data and Research at the Mississippi State Department of Health, where he oversaw surveillance, research and program evaluation for maternal and child health, chronic disease, oral health, tobacco control, and occupational health programs.
He is a certified public manager from the Mississippi State Personnel Board and a graduate from the State Executive Development Institute of Mississippi.
Education
| University of Mississippi Medical Center, PhD, Biostatistics | 2006 |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center, MS, Biostatistics | 2004 |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe College of Business, MBA, Business, MIS (Minor) | 1998 |
| Chengdu University of Technology, BS, Engineering | 1989 |
Academic Appointments or Other Previous Appointments
| Professor, University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Population Health | |
| Professor, University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professions |
Sponsored Program Funding
| Extramural, A Multimodal and Interdisciplinary Data Science Training Program to Enhance a Diverse Workforce for Addiction Research, NIH | 01/2024 - 01/2029 |
| Extramural, The SUD and IPV among Mississippi’s Moms – Initiative to Prevent and Treat program (SIMM Initiative), HHS | 01/2022 - 01/2025 |
| Extramural, Mississippi Violence Injury Prevention program (MS VIP), NIH | 01/2022 - 01/2027 |
Publications
Journal Article | |
| Matthew Morris, Laura Vearrier, Matthew Kutcher, Masoumeh Karimi, Fazlay Faruque, Alyscia Severance, Michelle Brassfield, and Lei Zhang Understanding disparities in firearm mortality: The role of person- and place-based factors. Injury. 2025 | 2025 |
| Rebeccah Sokol, Maureen Walton, Daniel Lee, Laura Seewald, Victor Medina Del Toro, Mahum Farooqui, Gregory Sallabank, Marc Zimmerman, Mark Edberg, Yan Wang, Tanya Zakrison, Elizabeth L. Tung, William B. Hillegass, Laura Vearrier, Lei Zhang, Matthew E. Kutcher, Dara Blachman‑Demner, and Patrick M. Carter Advancing Science to Prevent Firearm Violence in Communities: A Process for Harmonizing Studies to Develop Research Infrastructure Prevention Science. 2024; 25:1122-1132 | 2024 |
| Risley C, Douglas K, Karimi M, Brumfield J, Gartrell G, Vargas R, and Zhang L Trends in sexual risk behavioral responses among high school students between Mississippi and the United States: 2001 to 2019 YRBSS J Sch Health | 2023 |
| Gordy, X., Bagwell, J., Jones, P., Ferrell, T., Kolbo, J., Zhang, L. Trends and subgroup comparisons in overweight and obesity prevalence among Mississippi public school students, 2005-2019. Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association | 2022 |
| Hall, K., Robinson, J., Cooke, W. III, Parnell, A., Zhang, L., Northington, L. Relationship between environmental air quality and congenital heart defects. Nurs Res | 2022 |
| Mendy, V., Rowell-Cunsolo, T., Bellerose, M., Vargas, R., Enkhmaa, B., Zhang, L. Cardiovascular disease mortality in Mississippi, 2000-2018. Preventing Chronic Disease. | 2022 |
| Yufeng, Z., Christman, B., Morris, M., Hillegass, W., Zhang, Y., Douglas, K., Kelly, C., Zhang, L. Adolescent behavioral risk analysis and prediction using machine learning: A foundation for precision suicide prevention. Multimodal Image Exploitation and Learning. | 2022 |
Presentations
| Poster Presentation, Prevalence of the Violence-Related Behaviors among Mississippi public high school students-findings from analysis of YRBSS., Mississippi Public Health Association Annual Conference, Jackson, MS | 08/2023 |
| Poster Presentation, Associations of bacterial vaginosis and smoking with HPV clearance/persistence and precancer in STRIDES: Studying Risk and Improving Disparities in Mississippi., International Papillomavirus Conference., Washington, D.C. | 07/2023 |
| Poster Presentation, Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Mississippi, March-November 2021., UMMC School of Nursing Research and Scholarship Day, Flowood, MS | 04/2023 |
Professional Membership and Service
| American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Member | |
| Governor’s Task Force on Teen Pregnancy, Member | |
| Governor’s Task Force on Obesity Prevention, Member | |
| Governor’s Task Force on Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Member | |
| Mississippi Alliance School Health, Member | |
| Mississippi Chronic Disease Coalition, Member | |
| Chair Search Committee, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jackson State University, Member | |
| MPH Admission Committee, School of Public Health, Jackson State University, Member | |
| Curriculum Committee, School of Public Health, Jackson State University, Member | |
| Council on African American Affairs, Member | |
| Mississippi Patient Information System Replacement and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Steering Committee, Member | |
| Mississippi Health Data System Task Force, Member | |
| Mississippi Public Health Association, Member | |
| American Public Health Association, Member | |
| American Statistical Association, Member | |
| Steering Committee, Hinds County /National Children’s Study, Member | |
| State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup, Mississippi Department of Mental Health, Member | |
| Data Use Council for Mississippi Healthcare Data System, Member | |
| Advisory Committee, Community Research Fellow Training, Mississippi State Department of Health, Member | |
| Jackson Heart Study Ancillary Studies Subcommittee, Member | |
| IRB, Mississippi State Department of Health, Appointed by the State Health Officer, Member |