Zhiwen Li

Title: Professor

Major: Epidemiology and Biostatistics

E-mail: lizw@bjmu.edu.cn

Address: 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian district, Beijing, China

Personal profile

08/2017- present Professor, Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China

06/2016-07/2007 Associate Professor, Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China

08/2004-07/2007 Assistant Professor, Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China

09/2001 - 07/2004 PhD in Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China

09/1996 - 07/1999 MS in Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Norman Bethune Medical University, Changchun, P.R. China

08/1992- 08/2001 Lecturer and Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, P. R. China

09/1987 - 07/1992 BS, School of Preventive Medicine, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, P.R. China              

My research interests are mainly focused on effects of environmental, nutritional, or lifestyle factors on adverse pregnancy outcomes such as birth defects, preterm birth, and women's health. As the principal investigator, I have presided 8 projects from National or Provincial Natural Science Funding, national or provincial key research and development projects in China, and participated in 2 national key research and development projects as key investigator. As the first or corresponding author, I have published more than 120 academic papers in international authoritative journals, e.g., J Hazard Mater, Environ Int, Int J Epidemiol. I teach the undergraduate course "birth defects and prevention" and the postgraduate course "Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology" and “Typical research examples in the field of reproductive and child health”. I served as Chairman of professional committee on environment and reproductive health, Chinese Association of Eugenic Science; Vice Chairman of professional committee on environment and reproductive health, Chinese Environmental Mutagen Society; Vice Chairman of professional committee on Child Brain Science and Brain Health Promotion, China Maternal and Child Health Care Association. I won the Second Prize of Science and Technology of Beijing Preventive Medicine Association. I have also been granted one Chinese invention and two utility model patent rights.

Main research directions

Epidemiology of Birth defects, Environment and pregnancy outcome, Environment and women’s health

Representative scientific research projects

(1) National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 82373582, The role of maternal CYP1 enzyme metabolic capacity, and BPDE-DNA adduct levels in maternal and offspring tissues in the occurrence of neural tube defects induced by benzo(a)pyrene, 2024/01-2027/12，490,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

(2) Key Research and Development Program of Tibet Autonomous Region, Research and development of key technologies for early diagnosis and treatment of maternal and fetal cardiovascular diseases in plateau region and construction of risk prediction model, 2024/01-2026 /12, 900,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

(3) National Natural Science Foundation of China-Joint Key project of Regional Innovation and Development, U23A20420, Research on important environment, genetic factors and pathogenic mechanism and early intervention of folic acid non-responsive neural tube defects in Shanxi, 2024/01-2027/12, 832,000 RMB, Key Investigator.

(4) Beijing Natural Science Foundation, 7222248, Association of serum copper level in early pregnancy with lipid metabolism and risk of spontaneous preterm birth (No:). Role: Principle Investigator, 2022/01-2024/12, 200,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

(5) National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 81973056, Synergistic effect and toxicity mechanisms of combined exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on the fetal neural tube defects, 2020/01-2023/12，500,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

(6) Chinese National Key Research and Development Program- Emergency Project, 2020YFC0846300, Effects of prenatal COVID19 infection on pregnancy outcomes, 2020-2021, 670,000 RMB, Role: Principle Investigator.

(7) National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 81673177, The inductive effect and mechanisms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on spontaneous preterm births and the prevention of folic acid, 2017/01-2020/12，550,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

(8) National Natural Science Foundation of China (China-UK cooperation), 2015-2017, 81511130088, Environmental and genetic determinants of neural tube defects, 98,000 RMB, Principle Investigator.

(9) National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 81373014, The effect of maternal passive smoking during early pregnancy on risk of neural tube defects in offspring and the potential mechanisms, 2014/01-2017/12, 700,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

(10) National Key Research and Development Program of China, 2021YFC2701001, The role of environmental and epigenetic changes in occurrence of structural birth defects and their pathogenic mechanisms, 2021/12-2024/11, Key Investigator.

10 Representative papers

(1) Lin N, Zhang Y, Su S, Feng Y, Wang B, Li Z*. Exposure characteristics of legacy and novel per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in blood and association with hypertension among low-exposure population. J Hazard Mater. 2023 Jul 29;459:132185.

(2) Chen H#, Zhang Y#, Zhang L, Liu J, Jin L, Ren A, Li Z*. Indoor air pollution from coal combustion and tobacco smoke during the periconceptional period and risk for neural tube defects in offspring in five rural counties of Shanxi Province, China, 2010-2016. Environ Int. 2023 Jan 2; 171:107728.

(3) Wang B, Pang Y, Li K, Jiang J, Zhu Y, Li Z, Pan B, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Ye R, Li Z*. First evidence on the adverse effect of maternal germanium exposure on fetal neural tube defects, Environ Sci Technol Lett. 2023, 10: 192–197.

(4) Xu R, Meng X, Pang Y, An H, Wang B, Zhang L, Ye R, Ren A, Li Z*, Gong J*. Associations of maternal exposure to 41 metals/metalloids during early pregnancy with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth: Does oxidative stress or DNA methylation play a crucial role? Environ Int. 2022 Jan;158:106966.

(5) Jin M, Chen H, Na J, An H, Li Z*, Li N*.Passive smoking and insomnia in rural Chinese nonsmoking housewives: An environmental and genetic perspective. Environ Int. 2022 Oct 6;170:107569.

(6) Wang W#, Li Z#, Lu Q*, Zhang L, Lu D, Yang H, Yang X, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Liu Q, Wang B*, Guo Y, Ren A, Jiang G. Natural copper isotopic abnormity in maternal serum at early pregnancy associated to risk of spontaneous preterm birth. Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 5:157872.

(7) Liu Q, Li G, Zhang L, Liu J, Du J, Shao B, Li Z*.Effects of household cooking with clean energy on the risk for hypertension among women in Beijing. Chemosphere. 2022 Feb;289:133151.

(8) Jia X#, Zhang L#, Zhao J, Ren M, Li Z, Wang J, Wang S, Liu Y, An H, Li Y, Yan L, Li Z*, Liu X*, Pan B*, Ye R. Associations between endocrine-disrupting heavy metals in maternal hair and gestational diabetes mellitus: A nested case-control study in China. Environ Int. 2021 Dec;157:106770.

(9) Liu J, Li Z*, Ye R, Ren A, Liu J. Folic acid supplementation and risk for congenital limb reduction defects in China. Int J Epidemiol. 2019 Dec 1;48(6):2010-2017.

(10) Li Z, Mei Z, Zhang L, Li H, Zhang Y, Li N, Ye R, Ren A, Liu JM, Serdula MK. Effects of Prenatal Micronutrients Supplementation on Spontaneous Preterm Birth: Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial in China. Am J Epidemiol. 2017 Aug 1;186(3):318-325.

Note：*Corresponding author, #Co-first author