Research Summary

Li Zhang is a Full Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She is an associate member of UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC). Dr. Zhang has over fifteen years of experience applying statistical methods in medical research, including epidemiology studies, basic science studies, clinical trials design, and high-throughput sequencing data. Her statistical methodological research interests are cancer epidemiology and immunoinformatics, and she has more than 100 publications. Currently, Dr. Zhang serves on Global Action Plan 6 Project Steering Committee and UCSF site PI for the Movember Foundation and American Society of Clinical Oncology Career Development Award as a statistical reviewer.

Research Funding

  • August 1, 2021 - July 31, 2028 - Determinants of response to cancer immunotherapy , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R35CA253175
  • April 1, 2022 - November 10, 2026 - Development of advanced computational approaches for characterizing repertoire sequencing to unravel the mechanism of immune response to cancer immunotherapy , PI . Sponsor: NIH/NLM, Sponsor Award ID: R01 LM013763
  • March 1, 2021 - February 28, 2026 - Precision targeting of T cell cytotoxicity with PET , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA258297
  • December 1, 2020 - November 30, 2025 - Measuring Metabolic Activity in Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases Using Hyperpolarized 13C Pyruvate MRI for Improved Targeted Therapy Monitoring , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA256740
  • July 1, 2021 - March 31, 2025 - Developing a pretargeting strategy to detect Fe(II) for nuclear medicine applications , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB029429
  • April 20, 2021 - March 31, 2025 - New radiotracer development to study immune cell mobilization of granzyme proteolytic activity , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AI161027
  • August 1, 2019 - July 31, 2024 - California-Mexico-Puerto Rico Partnership (CAMPO) Center for Prevention of HPV-related Cancer in HIV+ Populations , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U54CA242646
  • April 11, 2019 - March 31, 2024 - Hyperpolarized C-13 MRI for Early Detection of Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Active Surveillance Patients , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA232320
  • September 15, 2021 - August 31, 2023 - Computational approaches to unravel immune receptor sequencing for cancer immunotherapy , PI . Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: R21CA264381
  • June 1, 2017 - May 31, 2022 - Targeting Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Using Multi-Probe Hyperpolarized 13C MRI for Improved Treatment and Therapeutic Monitoring , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA215694

Education

Southeast University, China, B. Eng, 1999, Civil Engineering
University of Florida, M.Stat, 2003, Statistics
University of Florida, Ph.D., 2006, Statistics

Honors & Awards

  • 2022    
    CTSI Impact Award
  • 2021
    Prostate Cancer Pilot Project Award, UCSF
  • 2021
    The Excellence Consultant Award, UCSF CTSI
  • 2021
    Outstanding Service Award, American Statistical Association
  • 2019
    Research Allocation Program Award, UCSF
  • 2017
    Consultation Services Training Grant, UCSF CTSI
  • 2017
    The Movember Foundation-Challenge Award, Prostate Cancer Foundation
  • 2016
    UCSF Global Oncology Pilot Project Award
  • 2016
    UCSF Research Allocation Program Award
  • 2014
    The Safeway Foundation-PCF Challenge Award - The NEXT Project: Network Enriched Crossover Trial, Prostate Cancer Foundation
  • 2012
    Innovator Award - Genomic Biomarkers of Lung Cancer Risk, Cleveland Clinic
  • 2005
    Keene Dissertation Fellowship Award, University of Florida

Selected Publications

  1. Mulima G, Mody GN, Kaimila B, Salima A, Williams B, Paciorek A, Zhang L, Charles A, Westmoreland KD, Van Loon K, Buckle GC Treatment Outcomes of Esophageal Cancer in Malawi: An Analysis of Overall Survival and Patient-Reported Outcomes.  View on PubMed
  2. Greenland NY, Cowan JE, Ding CC, Sirohi D, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR, Simko JP, Stohr BA, Zhang L, Chan E Correlation of unfavourable and favourable histology at radical prostatectomy with Decipher scores and freedom from biochemical recurrence.  View on PubMed
  3. Le P, Ung L, Yang H, Huang A, He T, Bruno P, Oh DY, Keenan BP, Zhang L PepTCR-Net: prediction of multi-class antigen peptides by T-cell receptor sequences with deep learning.  View on PubMed
  4. Duan Z, Shi M, Kumaraswamy A, Lin D, Khokhani D, Wang Y, Zhang C, Flores D, Rodansky E, Swaim OA, Storck WK, Beck HN, Patel RA, Sayar E, Hanratty BP, Xue H, Dong X, Maylin ZR, Wan R, Quigley DA, Sjöström M, Hu YM, Zhao F, Xia Z, Cheng S, Yu X, Feng FY, Zhang L, Aggarwal R, Small EJ, Ravikumar V, Rao A, Bedi K, Lee JK, Morrissey C, Coleman I, Nelson PS, Corey E, Udager AM, Rebernick RJ, Cieslik MP, Chinnaiyan AM, Yates JA, Haffner MC, Wang Y, Alumkal JJ. PROX1 is an early driver of lineage plasticity in prostate cancer. J Clin Invest. 2025 Jun 02; 135(11).  View on PubMed
  5. Kwek SS, Yang H, Li T, Ilano A, Chow ED, Zhang L, Chang H, Luong D, Lea A, Clark M, Starzinski A, Shi Y, McCarthy E, Porten S, Meng MV, Ye CJ, Fong L, Oh DY. Identification and regulation of circulating tumor TCR-matched cytotoxic CD4+ lymphocytes by KLRG1 in bladder cancer. JCI Insight. 2025 Apr 29.  View on PubMed
  6. Carson M, Fleisher P, Barar R, Zhang L, Tioupine E, Seligman H Investigating research study participant compensation practices at a California academic and research institution.  View on PubMed
  7. Jeung J, Nguyen A, Martinez J, Zhang L. A Primary Care Group Resilience Intervention Promotes Child and Caregiver Behavioral Health. JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2025 Feb 10; 8:e67638.  View on PubMed
  8. Paciorek A, Mulvey C, McKinley M, Zhang L, Cheng I, Moon F, Le BK, Shih BE, Whitman J, Bergsland E. Burdens of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasm by Diverse Race and Ethnicities- A Rigorous Structural Equation Modeling. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2025 Feb; 23(2):27-32.  View on PubMed
  9. Wang SJ, Kidder W, Joseph NM, Le BK, Lindsay S, Moon F, Nakakura EK, Zhang L, Bergsland EK. Factors associated with grade progression in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2025 Mar 01; 32(3).  View on PubMed
  10. Banerjee S, Le P, Yang H, Zhang L, He T TCR-NP: a novel approach to prioritize T-cell Receptor repertoire network properties.  View on PubMed
  11. Xu MJ, Haddadi S, Mushi BP, Zhang L, Sama G, Nyagabona SK, Ng D, Muya S, Malango AE, Richard E, Ha P, Yom SS, Massawe W, Mmbaga EJ, Van Loon K, Nkya A. Treatment initiation and completion among head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients in Tanzania. BMC Res Notes. 2024 Dec 23; 17(1):380.  View on PubMed
  12. Bhasin N, LeBlanc DM, Yates S, Eichbaum Q, Pham A, Sharma D, Zhang L, Vichinsky EP, Sarode R. Physician perspectives about the diagnosis and management of acute chest syndrome. Transfusion. 2024 Nov; 64(11):2095-2103.  View on PubMed
  13. Field J, Fenton C, Zhang L, Brickman C, Mahadevan U. Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Risk of Anal Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions and Anal Cancer in Men Who Have Sex With Men. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2024 10 03; 30(10):1796-1800.  View on PubMed
  14. Ng DL, Vuhahula E, Kimambo AH, Ndayisaba MC, Philipo GS, Mushi BP, Ho KE, Paciorek A, Illonga Z, Zhang L, Vohra P, Weidler J, Bates M, Mmbaga EJ, Van Loon K. Xpert Breast Cancer STRAT4 Assay using fine-needle aspiration biopsy samples in a resource-constrained setting: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study. Lancet Oncol. 2024 Nov; 25(11):1440-1452.  View on PubMed
  15. Flowers E, Stroebel B, Lewis KA, Aouizerat BE, Gadgil M, Kanaya AM, Zhang L, Gong X. Longitudinal associations between microRNAs and weight in the diabetes prevention program. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024; 15:1419812.  View on PubMed
  16. Margaret R. Stedman, Salem Dehom, Mario A. Davidson, Li Zhang, Robert H. Podolsky, Ryan T. Pohlig, Todd Coffey. Empowering collaborative statisticians: The impact of the American Statistical Association's Pathways to Promotion Committee. Stat. 2024; 13(3):e716.  View on PubMed
  17. Parikh AR, Chee BH, Tsai J, Rich TA, Price KS, Patel SA, Zhang L, Ibrahim F, Esquivel M, Van Seventer EE, Jarnagin JX, Raymond VM, Corvera CU, Hirose K, Nakakura EK, Corcoran RB, Van Loon K, Atreya CE. Minimal Residual Disease using a Plasma-Only Circulating Tumor DNA Assay to Predict Recurrence of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Curative Intent Treatment. Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jul 15; 30(14):2964-2973.  View on PubMed
  18. Diwanji D, Carrodeguas E, Seo Y, Kang H, Soe MH, Chiang JM, Zhang L, Liu C, Behr SC, Flavell RR. Comparative Uptake Patterns of Radioactive Iodine and [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in Metastatic Differentiated Thyroid Cancers. J Clin Med. 2024 Jul 06; 13(13).  View on PubMed
  19. Hekmatjah N, Turner CH, Mesfin Y, Zhang L, Han Y, O'Brien KS, Oatts JT. Factors associated with pediatric ophthalmology follow-up adherence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. J AAPOS. 2024 Aug; 28(4):103963.  View on PubMed
  20. Lewis KA, Stroebel BM, Zhang L, Aouizerat B, Mattis AN, Flowers E. MicroRNAs Associated with Metformin Treatment in the Diabetes Prevention Program. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 23; 25(11).  View on PubMed

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