Research Summary

Dr. Cheng is a Professor in the UCSF Division of Oral Epidemiology & Dental Public Health and Division of Biostatistics. She is also the Director of Statistics and Informatics Core at Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, a member in the UCSF Center to Address Disparities in Children's Oral Health (CAN DO), the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Dr. Cheng is a well-known biostatistician and 2020 Chair of the American Statistical Association Section on Statistics in Epidemiology. Dr. Cheng is Associate Editor and on editorial board of several scientific journals, and has been invited to provide scientific review for 30 scientific journals, NIH/NIDCR special review panels, and NIH/CSR Clinical Oncology Study Section.

Education

West China University of Medical Sciences, China, M.D., 06/1994, Preventive Medicine
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, M.S., 08/2002, Nutrition (minor in Epidemiology)
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Ph.D., 08/2006, Biostatistics (minor in Epidemiology)

Honors & Awards

  • 1991-1993
    University Outstanding Student, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China
  • 1994
    University Outstanding Graduating Senior, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China
  • 1999
    Marion Fish Cox Fellowship, Cornell University
  • 2000
    Vincent Woo J.P. Fellowship, Cornell University
  • 2002
    Richard Barnes Fellowship, Cornell University
  • 2002
    GSK Scholarship Award, University of Pennsylvania
  • 2005
    International Biometrics Society ENAR Distinguished Student Paper Award
  • 2007
    Saul Winegrad Award for Outstanding Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania
  • 2007
    New Researcher Travel Grant, Institute of Mathematical Statistics

Selected Publications

  1. Chaffee BW, Couch ET, Shiboski C, Hoyt LT, Cohen AK, Cheng J. A brief xerostomia inventory for young adults. PLoS One. 2026; 21(5):e0349869. View on PubMed
  2. Shiff HM, Allison TA, Bugos JA, Cheng J, Hall T, Pearson G, Barrett KC, Limb CJ, Mauleón R, Johnson JK. Refinement of a piano improvisation training intervention to reduce cognitive inactivity among older adults with and without mild cognitive impairments. Innov Aging. 2026; 10(8):igag053. View on PubMed
  3. Fung CH, Bolstad CJ, Huang A, Markland A, Cheng J, Alessi C, M Johnson T, Bliwise DL, Martin JL, Burgio KL, Schembri M, Der-McLeod E, Sergent T, Vaughan CP. An integrated behavioral treatment for improving nocturia and insomnia symptoms in older adults (MINT): study protocol for a multi-site randomized clinical trial. Trials. 2026 Feb 16; 27(1). View on PubMed
  4. Ristau J, Okobi A, Miller MJ, Cheng J, Deviren S, Schwarz EB, Fairchild T, Tsoh JY, Aguilera A, Zheng-Huang CJ, Satterfield JM. Integrating nonpharmacologic strategies for pain with Inclusion, Respect, and Equity (INSPIRE): a digital health study protocol for a pragmatic multisite randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2026 Jan 08; 27(1):109. View on PubMed
  5. Borsari B, Meacham MC, Saiyed A, Kanzaveli T, Tsvetovat M, Cheng J, Hargrave-Bouagnon AS, Mirzadegan IA, Omeragic F, Layton J, Satterfield J. Protocol for a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a technology-assisted motivational interviewing (TAMI) chatbot on smoking cessation. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Dec; 159:108111. View on PubMed
  6. Santoyo-Olsson J, Covinsky KE, Cheng J, Gallagher Thompson D, Yank V. Utilization of home- and community-based services among rural family caregivers of persons with dementia: the role of the area deprivation index. Front Public Health. 2025; 13:1688161. View on PubMed
  7. Yang Y., Chen L., Cheng J., Zhang G., Song Q., Chen W., and Liu Y. (2025).. Body size changes and social determinants: Effects on rheumatoid arthritis, complications, and life expectancy in middle-aged and older adults. The Innovation Medicine. 2025; 3(2):100134. View on PubMed
  8. Downey A, Gorrell S, Mehta A, Cheng J, Kapphahn C, LeGrange D, Vendlinski S, Buckelew S, Kreiter A, Marsal B, Moscicki A, Golden N, Garber A. Hypometabolism in Patients With Atypical Anorexia Nervosa: Baseline Findings From the Individualized-Study of Refeeding to Optimize Inpatient Gains (Istrong). Journal of Adolescent Health. 2025; 76(3):S29. View on PubMed
  9. Fung C, Bolstad CJ, Huang A, Markland A, Cheng J, Alessi C, Johnson TM, Bliwise DL, Burgio KL, Martin JL, Schembri M, Der-McLeod E, Sergent T, Vaughan C. Protocol for a multi-site randomized trial testing an integrated behavioral treatment for improving nocturia and insomnia symptoms in older adults (MINT). Res Sq. 2025 Sep 25. View on PubMed
  10. Almeida R, Unlu Y, Navabzadeh M, Cheng J, Tran L, Springer M, Mohammadi L. Current cannabis use is associated with increased indexes of diastolic dysfunction in adults: A retrospective analysis . American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2025; 23. View on PubMed
  11. Mertz EA, Liang S, Schwarz E, Brandon R, Kottek AM, Cheng J, Gansky SA, Skourtes N, Sinnott M, Jenson LE, White JM. Improving children's use of care in Oregon: The role of a novel dental accountable care organization . The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2025. View on PubMed
  12. Mertz EA, Liang S, Schwarz E, Brandon R, Kottek AM, Cheng J, Gansky SA, Skourtes N, Sinnott M, Jenson LE, White JM. Improving children's use of care in Oregon: The role of a novel dental accountable care organization. J Am Dent Assoc. 2025 Oct; 156(10):792-801.e19. View on PubMed
  13. Mohammadi L, Navabzadeh M, Jiménez-Téllez N, Han DD, Reagan E, Naughton J, Zhou LY, Almeida R, Castaneda LM, Abdelaal SA, Park KS, Uyemura K, Cheung CP, Onder MN, Goyal N, Rao P, Hellman J, Cheng J, Wu JC, Marcus GM, Springer ML. Association of Endothelial Dysfunction With Chronic Marijuana Smoking and THC-Edible Use. JAMA Cardiol. 2025 Aug 01; 10(8):851-855. View on PubMed
  14. Lisha NE, Vora M, Chaffee BW, Cheng J. Identifying and Understanding Use Trajectories of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes. Subst Use Misuse. 2025; 60(14):2201-2213. View on PubMed
  15. Hawes MR, Chakravarty D, Cheng J, Handley MA, Tsoh JY, Lin TK, Hiatt RA, Vijayaraghavan M. The Healthy Homes Study: Protocol for a cluster randomized trial of a place-based smoke-free home intervention in affordable housing. PLoS One. 2025; 20(7):e0328786. View on PubMed
  16. Elias A, Tung R, Gerstenfeld EP, Hue TF, Lin F, Cheng J, Weiss JP, Tzou WS, Hsia H, Ehdaie A, Cooper DH, T. Bunch J, Arkles J, Nazer B, Lee A, Hadjis A, Nguyen DT, Chelu MG, Moss JD, Hsu JC, Valderrábano M, Bhave PD, Montenegro G, Kim AS, Dillon WP, Marcus GM.. Leveraging a randomized trial to assess relationships between transeptal puncture, brain emboli, and migraine symptoms. . Heart Rhythm. 2025. View on PubMed
  17. Chen K, Cheng J, Halloran ME, Small DS. Using case description information to reduce sensitivity to bias for the attributable fraction among the exposed. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A: Statistics in Society. 2025. View on PubMed
  18. Marcus GM, Tung R, Gerstenfeld EP, Hue TF, Lin F, Cheng J, Weiss JP, Tzou WS, Hsia H, Ehdaie A, Cooper DH, Bunch TJ, Arkles J, Nazer B, Lee A, Hadjis A, Nguyen DT, Chelu MG, Moss J, Hsu JC, Valderrábano M, Bhave PD, Beaser AD, Kanagasundram A, Wazni O, Bradfield J, Wall G, Chang K, Yang M, Montenegro G, Jarrott S, Kramer JH, Kim AS, Morris YM, Dillon WP. Left Ventricular Entry to Reduce Brain Lesions During Catheter Ablation: A Randomized Trial. Circulation. 2025 Apr 15; 151(15):1051-1059. View on PubMed
  19. Downey AE, Kapphahn CJ, Gorrell S, Vendlinski SS, Cheng J, Le Grange D, Accurso EC, Buckelew SM, Kreiter A, Marsal B, Wright P, Golden NH, Garber AK. The Effect of Preadmission Energy Balance on Short-Term Medical Outcomes: Findings From the Study of Refeeding to Optimize Inpatient Gains. J Adolesc Health. 2025 Apr; 76(4):702-709. View on PubMed
  20. Huang AJ, Subak LL, Rowen TS, Schembri M, Raghunathan H, Gibson C, Pawlowsky S, Cheng J, Chao MT. A Multisite Randomized Feasibility Trial of a Remotely Delivered Pelvic Yoga Program for Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. J Integr Complement Med. 2025 May; 31(5):483-492. View on PubMed

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