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 faculty member at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). She earned her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University. Currently, her research focuses on applying remote sensing techniques, machine learning algorithms, and low-cost sensors to assist in assessing the health impacts of air pollution and climate change. She is a PI member with the NASA Applied Sciences Equity and Environmental Justice Program, a member of the NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team, and a contributor to the Lancet Countdown.
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.
Uma Govindswamy
PhD Student (2024-), MPH Student (2024)
Uma is an MPH candidate in the Global Environmental Health at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. She graduated from Duke University with dual majors in Biology and Global Health. She brings a strong technical background in international development. Her current research focuses on using spatial and statistical technologies to understand the intersection of heat stress, climate change, mental health, substance abuse, the built environment, and resource allocation and utilization. She is passionate about advancing health outcomes and equity for vulnerable and marginalized populations.
Zhengyi Cui
PhD Student (2024-)
Zhengyi is an incoming PhD student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (EOHS) at UTHealth. Currently, he is an MPH candidate 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!
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.
Edward Zhang
PhD Student (2024-), Researcher (2023-24)
Edward is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, holding 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 are centered around the practical applications of technologies at the intersection of computer graphics and vision. Currently, he is engaged in research focused on encoding semantic information into neural scene representations for downstream applications in model prediction. Specifically, he is employing machine learning approaches to integrate satellite images and drone observations for predicting wildfires in the US.
Ethan Li
MPH Student (2023-24)
Ethan is a Master of Public Health candidate in the Environmental Health and Epidemiology program at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with a BS in Genetics and Genomics. He is currently a Research Assistant exploring connections between environmental factors, especially climate-related exposures, and health disparities. He utilizes satellite remote sensing to uncover these links and empower underserved communities. In the future, he hopes to earn an MD degree and become a practicing physician. Outside of academics, Ethan enjoys cooking, writing, and exploring the Atlanta bar scene.
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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