Lijing L. Yan, PhD, MPH

Research Assistant Professor

Lijing L. Yan received her BA (with Honors) in Sociology (1992) from Peking University in Beijing, China, Master of Public Health in Epidemiology (1997) and PhD in Demography (1999) from the University of California, Berkeley. After working for two years at the National Bureau of Economic Research (Stanford, California) on health economic and geriatric issues with a focus on disability and functioning among older adults, she joined the Department of Preventive Medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in 2001.

Research Interests

The main area of her research is the etiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease, in particular, the causes, prevention, and management of major cardiovascular risk factors -- blood pressure, obesity, cholesterol, and smoking -- and their health consequences (i.e., subclinical and clinical diseases, mortality, and health-related quality of life). Two central themes of her research are: 1) the interaction between psychosocial factors and physical health; and 2) the life course approach (from preconception to older age) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Recent Publications

1. Yan LL, Liu K, Daviglus ML, Colangelo L, Kiefe CI, Sidney S, Matthews KA, Greenland P. Education, 15-Year Risk Factor Progression, and Coronary Artery Calcium in Young Adulthood and Early Middle Age: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. JAMA. 2006; 295: 1793-1800.

2. Lauderdale DS, Knutson K, Yan LL, Rathouz PJ, Hulley SB, Sidney S, Liu K. Objectively measured sleep characteristics among early middle-aged adults. American Journal of Epidemiology. In press.

3. Yan LL, Daviglus ML, Liu K, Stamler J, Wang R, Pirzada A, Garside DB, Dyer AR, Van Horn L, Liao Y, Fries JF, Greenland P. Midlife body mass index and hospitalization and mortality in older age. JAMA. 2006; 295: 190-198.

4. Daviglus ML, Liu K, Pirzada A, Yan LL, Garside DB, Greenland P, Manheim LM, Dyer AR, Wang R, Lubitz J, Manning WG, Fries JF, Stamler J. Cardiovascular risk profile earlier in life and Medicare costs in the last year of life. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2005; 165:1028-1034.

5. Daviglus ML, Stamler J, Pirzada A, Yan LL, Garside DB, Liu K, Wang R, Dyer AR, Lloyd-Jones DM, Greenland P. Favorable cardiovascular risk profile in young women and long-term risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. JAMA. 2004; 292:1588-92.

6. Zhao L, Stamler J, Yan LL, Zhou B, Wu Y, Liu K, Daviglus ML, Dennis BH, Elliott P, Ueshima H, Yang J, Zhu L, Guo D. Blood pressure differences between northern and southern Chinese: Role of dietary factors -- The International Study on Macronutrients and Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2004; 43:1332-7.

7. Daviglus ML, Liu K, Yan LL, Pirzada A, Manheim L, Manning W, Garside DB, Wang R, Dyer AR, Greenland P, Stamler J. Relation of body mass index in young adulthood and middle age to Medicare expenditure in older age: The Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry. JAMA. 2004; 292:2743-9.

8. Yan LL, Daviglus ML, Liu K, Pirzada A, Garside DB, Schiffer L, Dyer AR, Greenland P. Body mass index and health-related quality of life in adults 65 years and older. Obesity Research. 2004; 12:69-76.

9. Pirzada A, Yan LL, Garside DB, Schiffer L, Dyer AR, Daviglus AL. Response rates to a questionnaire 26 years after baseline examination and baseline differences between respondents and non-respondents. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2004; 159:94-101.

10. Yan LL, Liu K, Matthews KA, Daviglus ML, Ferguson TF, Kiefe CI. Psychosocial factors and risk of hypertension: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. JAMA. 2003; 290:2138-2148.

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