Health Economics & Modeling - Li Chen, PhD

RESEARCH INTEREST

Molecular epidemiology, health economics, aging, nutrition, cardiovascular diseases

Dr. Li Chen joined Augusta University in 2017 in Georgia Prevention Institute in the Department of Population Health Sciences. Prior joining Augusta University, Dr. Chen obtained her Bachelor's degree in Nursing in 2009 and Ph.D. in Health Policy & Management in 2014, and served as a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2014-2017) and was focused on health policy to provide affordable healthcare.

Dr. Chen's research interest includes molecular epidemiology, health economics, nutrition, and cardiovascular health. She has particular interests in identifying early biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases and developing new prevention and treatment strategies. She is awarded the American Heart Association Career Development Award, which seeks to investigate the role of leucine/a-KIC/HMB metabolic pathway in salt-induced blood pressure elevation and the interplay between salt, HMB, and gut microbiota.

Dr. Chen has been involved in several health economics studies, such as cost-effectiveness analysis of breast cancer screening and treatment strategies for HIV-infected patients. She is also interested in the research of disparities in health care access and social determinants of health.

TEACHING AREAS

Coming soon......

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2. Zhu D, Guo N, Wang J, Nicholas S, Chen L^*. Longitudinal Association of Medical Staff' Salaries with Medical Service Utilization and Expenditure in China, 2007-2016. Frontiers in Public Health, section Health Economics. 2021; 9:767541.
3. Chen L, Zhu H, Su S, Harshfield G, Sullivan J, Webb C, Blumenthal J, Wang X, Huang Y, Treiber F, Kapuku G, Li W, Dong Y^*. High Mobility Group Box-1 is associated with Obesity, Inflammation and Subclinical Cardiovascular Risk among Young Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2020; 40(11):2776-2784.
4. Chen L, Zhu H, Harshfield G, Huang Y, Dong Y^*. Association between Serum 25 Hydroxyvitamin D and the Effects of Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker on Renal Function among African Americans: A Post hoc Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Hypertension. 2020;22(10):1874-1883.
5. Chen L, He FJ, Dong Y, Huang Y, Wang C, Harshfield GA, Zhu H^*. Modest Sodium Reduction Increases Circulating Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Untreated Hypertensives: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Hypertension. 2020;76:73–79.
6. Chen L, Dong Y, Chen J, Huang Y, Zhu H^*. Epigenetics Predicts Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 Response to Vitamin D₃ Supplementation in African Americans. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2020;64:e1900738.
7. Chen L, Zhu H, Gutin B, Sesso HD, Dong Y^*. Higher Chocolate Intake is Associated with Longer Telomere Length among Adolescents. Pediatric Research. 2020;87:602-607.
8. Chen L, Hao G^*. The Role of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 in Coronaviruses/Influenza Viruses and Cardiovascular Disease. Cardiovascular Research. 2020;116(12):1932-1936.
9. Chen L, He FJ, Dong Y, Huang Y, Harshfield GA, Zhu H^*. Sodium Reduction, Metabolomic Profiling, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Untreated Black Hypertensives. Hypertension. 2019;74:194–200.
10. Chen L, Dong Y, Bhagatwala J, Read A, Huang Y, Zhu H^*. Effects of Vitamin D₃ Supplementation on Epigenetic Aging in Overweight and Obese African Americans with Suboptimal Vitamin D Status: a Randomized Clinical Trial. Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2019, 74(1):91-98.
11. Zhu D, Guo N, Wang J, Nicholas S, Chen L^*. Socioeconomic Inequalities of Outpatient and Inpatient Service Utilization in China: Personal and Regional Perspectives. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2017;16:210.