Zhiyuan Chen has split his career between China and the United States, working as a public health physician in Shanghai, China as well as for the CDC within the HIV/AIDS and TB departments. He has also worked in a research position at the Yale School of Public Health, studying gene expression in mouse models and providing evidence for the prevention of chronic diseases.
With the emergence of COVID-19, Chen became increasingly aware of the need for emergency preparedness. He decided to continue to broaden his horizons in public health by pursuing his master’s at NYU with the intention of taking his experience back to China to help change public health practices and improve emergency responses.
To learn more about Zhiyuan Chen, we spoke with the master’s student about his public health experience, what diseases he would cure and why, and his next steps after graduating. Read our Q&A with Chen below!
Q: What draws you to the field of public health?
A: I used to be a medical student and always wanted to help people around me. When I was an intern in a hospital, a colleague told me that if you are a doctor, you can save 20 people in a day, but if you go into public health, you can save thousands of people in a day. It may be hyperbole, but I realized that wouldn’t it be cool to improve people’s health before they get sick and make fewer people sick? Although in China, many people are not willing to invest in health and are only willing to change when they are sick, I believe that in the era of global connectivity, people will increasingly believe in the power of public health.
Q: What interests you specifically in the field of emergency preparedness and response?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought home to us that many disasters are not the business of one country. Whether it’s a virus, a tsunami, a flood, or an earthquake, it can affect any part of the world where people live. Everyone needs emergency preparedness and public health workers should initially have it. In most disasters, the right measures can save the lives of those around them.
Q: Can you describe a project or experience that helped you in making a decision to pursue a career in this particular field?
A: I once interviewed a gay man with HIV while working on an HIV/AIDS patient program. In China, where same-sex marriage is illegal and homosexuality is shunned in many places, HIV infection is taboo. What I saw in the interview was a sense of despair, and pain of being abandoned by society. After that, I studied psychology and took the psychological counseling certificate. I knew that I needed it more in my future public health career.
Q: Who do you consider to be vulnerable populations and why?
A: I think people of low social economic status are most vulnerable. There are so many things that economic conditions can determine, such as education, living environment, eating patterns, personal space, and so on. All of which are basically related to health. Even when sick, people with lower social economic status may not get wards and medicines, which is more common in resource-scarce developing countries.
Q: What is a current emergency or disaster that you believe is critical to address?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic. People don’t really understand it yet, but its influence on mankind is profound. Unfortunately, most countries failed to deal with the virus, either at the beginning or in the middle or late stages.
Q: How do you handle stress and pressure?
A: I like listening to music, working out and playing video games. I thought it would be nice to intersperse them with work and study. Oh, and I love movies, it’s my second life!
Q: If you could cure a disease which would it be and why?
A: Cancer. Because a man who can cure cancer must be superman! So far, most diseases have good cures or control means, the challenge is unequal resources. But if cancer is conquered, a human being will be transformed.
Q: Who is your favorite public health figure and why?
A: Perhaps John Snow? I am a fan of detective novels, I think he was the first detective in the field of epidemiology.
Q: What is next for you after you complete your MPH degree?
A: It is highly likely that I will go back to China to continue my career in public health after completing my program work. China has made a lot of efforts to contain COVID-19, but it has also exposed a lot of bureaucratic problems. For example, the lockdown at the source of COVID-19 was delayed in the early days of the outbreak, because of the delayed emergency response. I also hope to improve the many bad hygiene practices in our country, such as eating wild animals, drinking culture, and so on. I will apply the knowledge I have learned to help establish a regulatory mechanism for epidemic outbreaks, in a timely and transparent manner, to avoid and reduce the pressure and influence of bureaucracy.