Heping Zhang, PhD
Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Biostatistics, Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive SciencesCards
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
About
Titles
Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Biostatistics, Professor in the Child Study Center and Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Biography
Dr. Zhang published over 390 research articles and monographs in theory and applications of statistical methods and in several areas of biomedical research including epidemiology, genetics, child and women health, mental health, substance use, and reproductive medicine. He directed a training program in mental health research that was funded by the NIMH. He directs the Collaborative Center for Statistics in Science that coordinates the Reproductive Medicine Network to evaluate treatment effectiveness for infertility. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and a fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. He was named the 2008 Myrto Lefokopoulou distinguished lecturer by Harvard School of Public Health and a Medallion Award and Lecturer by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. In 2011, he received the Royan International Award on Reproductive Health. Dr. Zhang was the president of the International Chinese Statistical Association in 2019. He is a former-editor of the Journal of the American Statistical Association - Applications and Case Studies. He was the recipient of the 2022 Neyman Award and Lecture by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award by the International Chinese Statistical Association. He was selected as a 2023 Highly Cited Researcher in cross field by Web of Science.
Appointments
Biostatistics
ProfessorPrimaryChild Study Center
ProfessorSecondaryObstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
ProfessorSecondaryStatistics
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale
- Biostatistics
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Child Study Center
- Collaborative Center for Statistics in Science (C2S2)
- Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics
- Global Health Studies
- High Performance Computation
- Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
- Public Health Data Science and Data Equity
- Statistics
- Stress & Addiction Clinical Research Program
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Institute for Global Health
- Yale School of Public Health
- Yale Ventures
- YSPH Global Health Concentration
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Mathematical Science Research Institute (1991)
- PhD
- Stanford University (1991)
Research
Overview
- Analysis of Genomic Data for Complex Traits
- Data Coordination Center for Reproductive Medicine
- Clinical Trials for Infertility Treatments
Medical Research Interests
Public Health Interests
ORCID
0000-0002-0688-4076- View Lab Website
Collaborative Center for Statistics in Science
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Fangbai (Janet) Sun, MPH
Hao Huang, MD, MPH
James Leckman, MD, PhD
Uma Reddy, MD, MPH
Hugh Taylor, MD
Xingguang Luo, MD
Pregnancy
Infertility
Computational Biology
Genomics
Publications
2025
Evaluating the Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) in Reducing Folate Levels in Reproductive Aged Women by MTHFR and DHFR Genotype in Combination With Letrozole or Clomiphene
Johnson J, Siblini H, Al‐Hendy A, Segars J, González F, Taylor H, Singh B, Carson S, Christman G, Huang H, Dangi B, Zhang H. Evaluating the Effect of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) in Reducing Folate Levels in Reproductive Aged Women by MTHFR and DHFR Genotype in Combination With Letrozole or Clomiphene. Clinical And Translational Science 2025, 18: e70189. PMID: 40077973, PMCID: PMC11903501, DOI: 10.1111/cts.70189.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsEpigallocatechin-3-gallateFolate levelsUterine fibroidsClinical trialsGreen tea extractAssociated with folate deficiencyPresence of MTHFRWomen of childbearing ageSerum folate levelsReduced folate levelsActive clinical trialsReproductive-age womenEffect of epigallocatechin gallateDhfr genotypeDHFR polymorphismTea extractDaily doseClomiphene citrateUnexplained infertilityFolate deficiencyChildbearing ageClinical studiesTreated womenFibroidsLetrozoleIdentifying Genetic Variants for Brain Connectivity Using Ball Covariance Ranking and Aggregation
Dai W, Zhang H. Identifying Genetic Variants for Brain Connectivity Using Ball Covariance Ranking and Aggregation. Journal Of The American Statistical Association 2025, ahead-of-print: 1-19. DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2025.2450837.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSingle nucleotide polymorphismsDetect single nucleotide polymorphismsGene-based analysisControlling false discovery rateControlling false discoveriesSNP setsFunctional connectivityFalse discovery rateGenetic architectureNovel genesGenetic basisNucleotide polymorphismsGenetic variantsUK Biobank dataPsychiatric disordersDiscovery rateBrain functionFalse discoveriesBiobank dataCorrelations of neural activityBrain regionsBiological etiologyBrain connectivityEQTLNeural activitySex‐Specific Association Between Polymorphisms in Estrogen Receptor Alpha Gene (ESR1) and Depression: A Genome‐Wide Association Study of All of Us and UK Biobank Data
Hu Y, Che M, Zhang H. Sex‐Specific Association Between Polymorphisms in Estrogen Receptor Alpha Gene (ESR1) and Depression: A Genome‐Wide Association Study of All of Us and UK Biobank Data. Genetic Epidemiology 2025, 49: e70004. PMID: 40007508, PMCID: PMC11924109, DOI: 10.1002/gepi.70004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsGenome-wide association studiesSingle-nucleotide polymorphismsAssociation studiesAlpha geneEstrogen receptor alpha geneGenetic risk factorsRisk lociGenomic associationsMajor depressive disorderMDD phenotypesGenetic studiesGenetic associationRisk factors of MDDGenesESR1 geneUK BiobankESR1Participant genotypesPolymorphismSex-specificSex-specific associationsDepressive disorderRacial/ethnic disparitiesFindings lack consistencyLength of lifeEmpowering genome-wide association studies via a visualizable test based on the regional association score
Jiang Y, Zhang H. Empowering genome-wide association studies via a visualizable test based on the regional association score. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2025, 122: e2419721122. PMID: 39999171, PMCID: PMC11892588, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2419721122.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and Concepts
2024
A re-look at the relevance of TSH and thyroid autoimmunity for pregnancy outcomes: Analyses of RCT data from PPCOS II and AMIGOS
Kuokkanen S, Seungdamrong A, Santoro N, Lieman H, Sun F, Wild R, Zhang H, Pal L. A re-look at the relevance of TSH and thyroid autoimmunity for pregnancy outcomes: Analyses of RCT data from PPCOS II and AMIGOS. Fertility And Sterility 2024 PMID: 39672366, DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.12.005.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsThyroid-stimulating hormoneRandomized controlled trialsTPO-AbThyroid autoimmunityPregnancy outcomesAssessment of Multiple Intrauterine GestationsRetrospective cohort analysis of dataRisk of pregnancy lossEarly preterm birthMaternal TSH levelsThyroid peroxidase antibodyCohort analysis of dataRetrospective cohort analysisBody mass indexDuration of infertilityAnalysis of RCT dataPolycystic ovary syndromeIntrauterine gestationPreterm birthTSH levelsPeroxidase antibodiesOvarian stimulationLive birthsPPCOS IIStimulating hormoneEffect of single blastocyst-stage versus single cleavage-stage embryo transfer on cumulative live births in women with good prognosis undergoing in vitro fertilization: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Ma X, Wang J, Shi Y, Tan J, Guan Y, Sun Y, Zhang B, Zhao J, Liu J, Cao Y, Li H, Zhang C, Chen F, Yi H, Wang Z, Xin X, Kong P, Lu Y, Huang L, Yuan Y, Liu H, Li C, Mol B, Hu Z, Zhang H, Chen Z, Liu J. Effect of single blastocyst-stage versus single cleavage-stage embryo transfer on cumulative live births in women with good prognosis undergoing in vitro fertilization: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Nature Communications 2024, 15: 7747. PMID: 39237545, PMCID: PMC11377718, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52008-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsLive birth rateIn vitro fertilizationCumulative live birth rateCumulative live birthBlastocyst transferBlastocyst-stageCleavage-stageEmbryo transferLive birthsHigher preterm birth rateBlastocyst-stage groupBlastocyst-stage transferCleavage-stage groupCleavage-stage transferPreterm birth rateYear of randomizationMulticenter randomized controlled trialPrognosis womenRandomized controlled trialsPregnancy outcomesCounseling patientsRandomized trialsNon-inferiorityPrimary outcomeSecondary outcomesAN INTEGRATIVE NETWORK-BASED MEDIATION MODEL (NMM) TO ESTIMATE MULTIPLE GENETIC EFFECTS ON OUTCOMES MEDIATED BY FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY.
Dai W, Zhang H. AN INTEGRATIVE NETWORK-BASED MEDIATION MODEL (NMM) TO ESTIMATE MULTIPLE GENETIC EFFECTS ON OUTCOMES MEDIATED BY FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY. The Annals Of Applied Statistics 2024, 18: 2277-2294. PMID: 39640845, PMCID: PMC11616023, DOI: 10.1214/24-aoas1880.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenetic variantsFunctional connectivityEffects of multiple genetic variantsMediation modelBehavioral outcomesEffects of genetic variantsMultiple genetic variantsCumulative genetic effectsFluid intelligenceUnivariate mediatorImpact of geneticsCognitive behaviorVisual networkGenetic effectsNeural circuitsNetwork mediatorsFunctional networksYoung adultsVariantsVariant Selection and Aggregation of Genetic Association Studies in Precision Medicine
Hu J, Wang S, Zhang H. Variant Selection and Aggregation of Genetic Association Studies in Precision Medicine. ICSA Book Series In Statistics 2024, 423-451. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-50690-1_17.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAssociation studiesGenetic association studiesPrecision medicineTests of associationHeterogeneous drug responsesDisease risk predictionVariant identificationSignal variantsControl of type I errorDisease riskDrug responseGenomic profilingType I errorRisk predictionGenetic biomarkersVariantsPharmaceutical interventionsMarginal testsAssociation methodAssociationMedicineInterventionIdentificationReplicationDiseaseThe effect of improved metabolic syndrome parameters on live birth
Spitzer T, Diamond M, Wild R, Legro R, Zhang H, Sun F, Ling S, Santoro N. The effect of improved metabolic syndrome parameters on live birth. Fertility And Sterility 2024, 122: 373-375. PMID: 38641159, DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.04.020.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetabolic syndrome Z-scoreLifestyle interventionLive birthsLive birth rateMetabolic syndrome parametersZ-scoreMetabolic syndromeUnexplained infertilityIntrauterine inseminationOvarian stimulationSyndrome parametersMetabolic parametersObese WomenBirth outcomesLive birth outcomesIntervention phaseImprove metabolic syndromeSecondary analysisFisher's exact testStudy participantsZ-score differenceLifestyle modificationStudent's t-testBirth rateLogistic regressionTENSOR QUANTILE REGRESSION WITH LOW-RANK TENSOR TRAIN ESTIMATION.
Liu Z, Lee C, Zhang H. TENSOR QUANTILE REGRESSION WITH LOW-RANK TENSOR TRAIN ESTIMATION. The Annals Of Applied Statistics 2024, 18: 1294-1318. PMID: 38682044, PMCID: PMC11046526, DOI: 10.1214/23-aoas1835.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTensor trainCoefficient tensorRate of convergenceLow-rankQuantile regression frameworkApproximation-based methodVariation penaltyHuman intelligenceQuantile regression modelEstimation algorithmMRI image dataAsymptotic normalityArray of imagesScalar outcomeEmpirical performanceImage dataTrained estimatorDimensionalityNumerical studyMagnetic resonance imaging imagesQuantile regressionTensorRegression frameworkTT estimationImages
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
FRIEND study- Fibroids and Unexplained Infertility Treatment with Epigallocatechin Gallate; A Natural CompounD in Green Tea
HIC ID2000032871RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date05/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderFemaleAge18 years - 40 yearsPharmacokinetics and Hepatic Safety of EGCG
HIC ID2000029129RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date09/30/2021Recruiting ParticipantsGenderFemaleAge18 years - 40 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
honor Highly Cited Researcher in Cross Field
International AwardWeb of ScienceDetails11/15/2023honor Distinguished Achievement Award
International AwardInternational Chinese Statistical AssociationDetails08/09/2023honor Neyman Award and Lecture
International AwardInstitute of Mathematical StatisticsDetails06/29/2022United Statesactivity Live Birth After Fresh Embryo Transfer Vs Frozen-thawed Embryo Transfer in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (FreFro-PCOS)
ResearchDetails01/01/2012 - 01/01/2014Jinan, Shandong Sheng, ChinaAbstract/SynopsisFrom http://Clinicaltrials.gov: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women of childbearing age. However, the optimal infertility treatment for PCOS patients is still a matter of controversy. Despite producing more follicles and more oocytes than other women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation during an IVF cycle, women with PCOS have comparable or lower pregnancy rates. Additionally women with PCOS patients undergoing IVF have a higher risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which may be aggravated by pregnancy after an embryo transfer in a fresh cycle. Further women with PCOS are thought to have higher rates of later pregnancy complications including spontaneous abortion, pre-eclampsia, and preterm labor that may be related to impaired implantation in the superovulated endometrium. We propose a randomized clinical trial of elective embryo cryopreservation followed by a programmed cycle of endometrial preparation and frozen embryo transfer (FET) compared to fresh embryo transfer in women with PCOS undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).
honor Royan International Research Award
International AwardRoyan InstituteDetails09/08/2011United States
News
News
- September 30, 2024
Pepper Center Awards Drive Aging and Dementia Studies
- August 17, 2023
Biostatistics leaders honored by ICSA
- November 28, 2022
Yale Biostatistician Heping Zhang Delivers Prestigious Neyman Lecture
- August 19, 2022
Yale Biostatistician Heping Zhang Delivers Prestigious Neyman Lecture
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Locations
300 George Street
Academic Office
Ste 523
New Haven, CT 06511