Research

Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities

Racial/Ethnic Disparities 

• Lin Z, Ye J, Allore H, Gill T, Chen X. "Early-Life Circumstances and Racial Disparities in Cognition among Older Adults in the US." JAMA Internal Medicine. 2024; 184(8): 904-914. [Conferences & Proceedings: ASHEcon, PAA, AcademyHealth, Alzheimer's Association, GSA, IZA] (Dissertation Chapter 1) (Link)

  • • • • Awards:  YSPH "PhD Research Prize 2024" for Outstanding Dissertation Research 

        • Editorial: Durant RW. "Early-Life Education Quality and Quantity." JAMA Intern Med. 2024; 184(8): 872. (Link)

        • Media Featured by: The BMJ, MedPage Today, YSPH, YSPH News, AAAS, AlphaGalileo, MedicalXpress

• Lin Z, Wang Y, Gill T, Chen X. "Exposure to School Racial Segregation and Late-Life Cognitive Outcomes." JAMA Network Open. 2025; 8(1): e2452713. [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA, PAA, IZA] (Link)

  • • • • Media Featured by: HealthDay, Yale News, AAAS, Drugs.com, McKnights Long-Term Care News, MedPage Today, MedicalXpress, McKnights Senior Living, Physician's Weekly

• Lin Z, Sun R, Ross J, Lau K, Stumpf S, Chen X. "Racial and Ethnic Reporting and Representation in Alzheimer’s Disease Phase III Clinical Trials in the US." (Under Review) [Conferences & Proceedings: PAA] 

• Lin Z, Zai X. "The Upward Intergenerational Effect of Opioid Epidemic on Children’s Support and Caregiving for Older Parents." (Working Paper)

• Lin Z, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Chen X. "National Trend in Crime Against Older Adults and its Racial/Ethnic and Geographic Disparities in the United States." (Work-in-Progress)

• He J*+, Lin Z*, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Chen X. "Crime Exposure, Dementia Risks, and Racial and Ethnic Disparities Among Older Americans." (*Co-first authors with equal contribution; + Student mentee)  [Conferences & Proceedings: PAA] (Work-in-Progress)

• He J*+, Lin Z*, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Chen X. "Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Crime Exposure and Associations With Older Americans’ Mental Health." (*Co-first authors with equal contribution; + Student mentee) (Work-in-Progress)

Sociodemographic Disparities 

• Lin Z, Qian Y, Gill T, Hou X, Allore H, Chen S, Chen X. "Absence of Care Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Dementia and Functional Limitations." Nature Aging. 2025. [Conferences & Proceedings: PAA, GSA] (Link)

  • • • • Nature Aging Featured Article

        • Awards: Asghar Rastegar Global Health Medical Education & Capacity Building Award (Global Health Research Award)

        • Editorial Research Highlight: "Alarmingly large care deficits globally for people living with dementia and disability." Nature Aging. 2025. (Link)

        • Media Featured by: ASPPH, McKnights Senior Living

• Lin Z, Chen X. "Adverse Childhood Circumstances and Cognitive Function in Middle-aged and Older Chinese Adults: Lower Level or Faster Decline?" Social Science & Medicine - Population Health. 2021; 14: 100767. [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA, IZA] (Link)

• Lin Z, Ba F, Allore H, Chen X. "Health Care Utilization and Costs for Hospitalized Dementia Patients in China." [Conferences & Proceedings: Global Labor Organization, CHPAMS, GSA] (Working Paper)

• Lin Z, Ba F, Allore H, Chen X. "In-hospital Mortality among Dementia Patients in China: Evidence from Hospital Administrative Data." [Conferences & Proceedings: Global Labor Organization, CHPAMS, GSA] (Working Paper)

Geographic Disparities

• Lin Z, Chen X. "Place of Birth and Cognitive Function among Older Americans: Findings from the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol." Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 2024; 79(9): gbae126. [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA, PAA, IZA] (Link)

• Chen S*, Lin Z*, Wang X*, Xu X*. "Pandemic and Insurance Purchase: How Do People Respond to Unprecedented Risk and Uncertainty?" China Economic Review. 2023; 79: 101946. (*Co-first authors with equal contribution; The authors were ordered alphabetically) (Link)

• Lin Z, Ba F, Allore H, Liu GG, Chen X. "Geographic Variation in Inpatient Care Utilization, Outcomes and Costs for Dementia Patients Aged 65 Years or Older — China, 2017–2019." China CDC Weekly. 2022; 4: 1–5. [Conferences & Proceedings: Global Labor Organization, IZA, CHPAMS; Media Coverage: GLO News] (Link)

• Lin Z, Chen X. "How Can Early-Life Place of Residence Explain the Later-Life Disparities in Cognition: Evidence from Residential History Data." [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA] (Working Paper)

Long-Term Care 

• Lin Z, Qian Y, Gill T, Hou X, Allore H, Chen S, Chen X. "Absence of Care Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Dementia and Functional Limitations." Nature Aging. 2025. [Conferences & Proceedings: PAA, GSA] (Link)

  • • • • Nature Aging Featured Article

        • Awards: Asghar Rastegar Global Health Medical Education & Capacity Building Award (Global Health Research Award)

        • Editorial Research Highlight: "Alarmingly large care deficits globally for people living with dementia and disability." Nature Aging. 2025. (Link)

        • Media Featured by: ASPPH, McKnights Senior Living

• Lin Z, Chen X. "Long-term Services and Supports and Disease Management among Older Chinese Adults in Different Stages of Cognitive Impairment." The Journal of the Economics of Ageing. 2022; 23: 100405. [Conferences & Proceedings: PAA, IWSER, IZA] (Link)

• Lin Z, Yin X, Levy B, Yuan Y, Chen X. "Association of Family Support with Lower Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia among Cognitively Impaired Older Adults." The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2024; 32(10): 1187-1199. [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA, IZA] (Link)

  • • • • Editorial: Blazer D. "The Importance of Social Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline." The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2024; 32(10): 1200-1202. (Link)

• Lin Z, Chen X. "Deciphering the Upward Spillover Effect of Children’s Education on Parental Cognitive Aging: Evidence from the Compulsory Schooling Law in China." [Conferences & Proceedings: ASHEcon, PAA, AEA/ASSA, AcademyHealth, GSA] (Dissertation Chapter 2; Under Review)

• Qian Y, Chen S, Lin Z, Yu Z, Wang M, Hou X, Chen X. "Silver Opportunity: Case Studies - The Growing Gap of Unmet Need: Assessing the Demand for, and Supply of, Home-Based Support for Older Adults with Disabilities in Thirty-One Countries." World Bank Group; 2024. [Conferences & Proceedings: IZA] (Link)

• Qian Y, Chen S, Hou X, Lin Z, Yu Z, Wang M, Chen X. "The Unmet Need: Assessing the Demand for and Supply of Home-Based Support for Older Adults with Disabilities in European Countries and Comparators." In: Silver Opportunity - Case Studies: Experiences with Building Integrated Services for Older Adults around Primary Health Care. World Bank Group; 2024. (Link)

• Lin Z, Zai X. "The Upward Intergenerational Effect of Opioid Epidemic on Children’s Support and Caregiving for Older Parents." (Work-in-Progress)

• Lin Z*, Lin Z*†. "Social Isolation and Unmet Care Needs among Older Adults in the United States." (*with equal contribution; † Corresponding author) [Conferences & Proceedings: PAA] (Working Paper)

• Long C, Lin Z, Swearinger H, Ailshire J, Qian Y, Hou X, Wu B, Yang W, Chen X, Chen S. "Unmet Daily Care Needs for End-of-Life Individuals with Physical Functional Limitations: A Multi-Country Population Study in 33 Nations" (Working Paper)

The Behavioral and Health Impact of Cognitive Aging

• Lin Z, Chen X. "The Long-term Impacts of Dementia on Preventive Care Utilization and Health Behaviors." [Conferences & Proceedings: NBER, ASHEcon, GSA, Alzheimer's & Dementia, AcademyHealth, PAA] (Dissertation Chapter 3; Under Review; Preprint: medRxiv)

• Lin Z, Fu M, Chen X. "Self-Perceived Memory Is Negatively Associated with Chronic Disease Awareness: Evidence from Blood Biomarker Data." Social Science & Medicine - Population Health. 2023; 22: 101361. [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA, IAGG, IZA] (Link)

• Lin Z, Schlesinger M, Chen X. "The Fatal Conceit? Cognitive Misperception, Disability, and Mortality among Older Adults: Evidence from US and England." [Conferences & Proceedings: ASHEcon, GSA, PAA] (Working Paper) (PAA 2024 Poster Winner)

• Lin Z, Schlesinger M, Chen X. "Cognitive Misperception in 25 Countries: A Cross-National Assessment." [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA]  (Work-in-Progress)

• Lou Y, Lin Z, Chen X. "Cognitive Misperception and Advance Care Planning among American Older Adults." [Conferences & Proceedings: GSA] (Work-in-Progress)

Other Topics on Economics and Public Policy

• Chen S*†, Lin Z*†, Xu X*, Yin Y*. "The Power of Words: Adult Literacy Campaign and Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital." (*Co-first authors with equal contribution; the authors are ordered alphabetically; † Corresponding author) (Working Paper; Under Review)

• Chen S*†, Lin Z*†, Xu X*, Yin Y*. "Tying Your Hands: How Stringency of Funding Systems Shapes Academic Productivity and Behaviors." (*Co-first authors with equal contribution; the authors are ordered alphabetically; † Corresponding author) (Working Paper; Under Review)