Health-Atmosphere Nexus Group
Our Health-Atmosphere Nexus Group members are highly accomplished with diverse culture and training backgrounds. We believe that interdisciplinary collaborations are crucial as they enrich the breadth of perspectives, enhance the quality of research, and ensure opportunities for all members, ultimately driving greater innovation and success.
Yun Hang, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
Dr. Hang is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, jointly appointed with the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth). She obtained her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. Her research begins with atmospheric science and remote sensing, extending to combine this knowledge with machine learning and low-cost sensor technology to study population health impacts related to climate change, air pollution, natural disasters, and more.
John Nally, MD
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Resident (2023-)
Dr. Nally is a resident in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at UTHealth. He is a two-time veteran of the US military and a retired FAA air traffic controller who had a 26-year-long career keeping the skies safe for travelers. While working full-time, he decided to return to school and completed his MD degree at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. He did his intern year in Internal medicine, with the US Air Force at the San Antonio Military Medical Center. He has more than 11 years of clinical and occupational medicine experience. Dr. Nally has always been fascinated by space technology and the effects of pollution on people.
Sulong Zhou, PhD, MS
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2024-)
Dr. Zhou is a postdoctoral researcher co-mentored by GeoSAT at Texas A&M. He holds a PhD in Environment & Resources and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research synergizes GeoAI and citizen science to enhance decision-making in disaster response. His extensive experience as a senior software engineer, UI/UX designer, and data scientist enables him to blend academic insights with practical industry applications, developing solutions that bolster community resilience to climate change.
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Fun Facts: Dr. Zhou is a professional dancer who has performed in over 100 national and international events, including the air pollution-themed show Smog. He received the Olympic Advanced Individual Prize in recognition of his outstanding contributions to culture.
Zhengyi Cui, MPH
PhD Student (2024-)
Zhengyi is a PhD student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (EOHS) at UTHealth. Prior to his PhD journey, he earned an MPH in Epidemiology at New York University. His research interests lie in infectious diseases and the application of machine learning and deep learning in exposure modeling and epidemiological studies.
Fun Facts: Zhengyi was a professional poker player from 2020 to 2022 and participated in the World Series of Poker main event in 2022. His favorite pastime is playing Yu-Gi-Oh!
Uma Govindswamy, MPH
PhD Student (2024-), MPH Student (2024)
Uma is a PhD student at UTHealth EOHS. She joined HANG during her time as an MPH student in Global Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She holds dual majors in Biology and Global Health from Duke University and brings a strong technical background in international development. Her research focuses on using spatial and statistical technologies to understand the intersection of heat stress, extreme weather, mental health, substance abuse, the built environment, and resource allocation and utilization. She is passionate about advancing health outcomes for vulnerable and marginalized populations.
Aodong Mei, MPA
PhD Student (2024-)
Aodong is a PhD student in EOHS at UTHealth. She completed her MPA from the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University. Her current research focuses on investigating the health impacts of environmental factors on infectious diseases using spatial and statistical analysis.
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Fun Facts: Aodong enjoys sports and has been playing hockey and rock climbing for many years. She has obtained a certificate from Cornell Lindseth Climbing Center.
Yue Zhang, MS
MS Student (2024-)
Yue is an MS student in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science at UTHealth. She holds an MS in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests focus on applying spatial and statistical methods to investigate the relationship between air pollution, extreme heat, and their health impacts, with a particular emphasis on disparities in health outcomes for disadvantaged communities.​
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Fun Facts: The name of Yue’s cat is “MiZi” which means cat.
Kathryn Phung
MPH Student (2024-)
Kathryn is a senior undergraduate student at Rice University pursuing an accelerated MPH through the Rice-UT Public Health Scholars Program. She is a Chemistry major with a concentration in Organic Chemistry, and her current research at Rice focuses on analyzing the carbon stability and sequestration potential of commercial composts using 13C solid-state NMR for applications in carbon markets. At UTHealth, she hopes to continue her work in the science-policy interface and apply her analytical skills to advancing actionable climate change and environmental health initiatives.
Yating Zeng, MS
PhD Student (2023)
Yating is currently pursuing a PhD in Biostatistics at UTHealth and serves as a Research Assistant at the Center for Spatial‑Temporal Modeling for Applications in Population Sciences. She earned her MS in Biostatistics from the University of Southern California and has four years of experience in health-related biostatistics research, with roles at a hospital, health institute, and pharmaceutical information center. She is proficient in statistics, modeling, and programming, with a strong background in software tools. Her research interests involve applying satellite remote sensing and statistical modeling to investigate the health effects of extreme heat in Texas.
Ethan Li, MPH
MPH Student (2023-24)
Ethan was a graduate research assistant with HANG during his MPH in Environmental Health and Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University. Prior to his MPH, he earned a BS in Genetics and Genomics from the University of California, Davis. His research explores connections between environmental factors, especially climate-related exposures, and health disparities. He utilizes satellite remote sensing to uncover these links and empower underserved communities. After completing his MPH, Ethan became an MD candidate at the University of Colorado. In the future, he hopes to become a practicing physician.
Edward Zhang
Researcher (2023-24)
Edward was a researcher at HANG and is now a PhD student co-mentored at the University of Pennsylvania with support from an NSF fellowship. He holds a BSE in Visual Computing from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and a BS in Economics with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton Business School. His research interests lie in the practical applications of technologies at the intersection of computer graphics and vision. Specifically, he is employing machine learning approaches to integrate satellite images and drone observations for predicting wildfires in the US.
Huanchun Huang, PhD, MS
Research Associate (2024)
Dr. Huang holds a PhD in Urban Planning from Tianjin University and completed his postdoctoral training at Nanjing University. He was an Associate Professor at Nanjing Forestry University and a visiting scholar at the University of Florida and the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research focuses on the health risks of extreme heat and the benefits of green space, emphasizing urban ecological planning, therapeutic landscape design, and urban simulation. He has successfully obtained extramural funding for projects on optimizing urban green spaces to mitigate the urban heat island effect and AI-based urban heat island predictions.
Our Collaborations and Affiliations
We have had the fortunate opportunity to collaborate with world-class climate scientists, environmental engineers, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, clinical doctors, and community leaders from a diverse array of universities, non-profit organizations, and federal government agencies.
Cici Bauer, PhD, MS
Dr. Bauer is a tenured faculty member at UTHealth and holds the James W. Rockwell Professorship in Public Health. She earned her PhD in Statistics from the University of Washington, Seattle with a research focus on spatial and spatiotemporal data science. Currently, she directs the Center for Spatial-Temporal Modeling for Applications in Population Sciences and co-directs the UTHealth-MD Anderson Population Health Initiative. Prior to joining UTHealth, she was an Associate Director of Early Clinical Development Research at Pfizer Inc. and an Assistant Professor at Brown University. More information about Dr. Bauer's work can be found HERE.
Associate Professor
Qian Xiao, PhD, MPH
Dr. Xiao is a tenured faculty member at UTHealth and a PI member of NASA's Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team. She obtained her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, and was a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute. Her current research focuses on understanding the health consequences of sleep deficiency and circadian dysfunction by integrating factors at the individual, biological, and contextual levels. She has conducted epidemiological investigations on sleep deficiency in relation to obesity, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Before joining UTHealth, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa.
Associate Professor
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