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
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Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
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Appointments
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
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About
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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 410 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
ProfessorSecondaryStatistics
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- All Institutions
- 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
- 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
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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
2026
Ball Impurity: Measuring Heterogeneity in General Metric Spaces
Che M, Li T, Pan W, Wang X, Zhang H. Ball Impurity: Measuring Heterogeneity in General Metric Spaces. Journal Of The American Statistical Association 2026, ahead-of-print: 1-13. DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2025.2595733.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRegionalization of China’s PM2.5: A robust functional spatial clustering with angular depth
Wang T, Wang X, Guo X, Zhang H. Regionalization of China’s PM2.5: A robust functional spatial clustering with angular depth. The Annals Of Applied Statistics 2026, 20: 197-214. DOI: 10.1214/26-aoas2141.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAir quality managementEmission-control strategiesPM2.5 trendsPM2.5 datasetPollution patternsParticulate matterAerodynamic diameterNational scaleSpatial variationPM2.5Emission-controlScientific basisClustering frameworkClustering resultsPresence of outliersQuality managementSpatial similaritySpatial informationInput regionSpatial clusteringHeterogeneous patternCentrality measuresDepthGaussian caseTheoretical propertiesAssociation Between Prepregnancy Blood Pressure and Reproductive Outcomes of In Vitro Fertilization
Fang Y, Wang Z, Li Y, Shang X, Xu D, Zhao L, Niu Y, Zou J, Zhao D, Ouyang G, Xiao H, Li N, Yu Y, Liu Y, Liu C, Wang Y, Qin Y, Zhang H, Legro R, Wei D, Chen Z. Association Between Prepregnancy Blood Pressure and Reproductive Outcomes of In Vitro Fertilization. Hypertension 2026, 83: e25872. PMID: 41669843, PMCID: PMC13001900, DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.125.25872.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsIn vitro fertilization treatmentStage 2 hypertensionRate of live birthsAssociated with higher riskReproductive Medicine CenterStage 1 hypertensionNormal BPBlood pressureReproductive outcomesLive birthsElevated BPRisk of gestational hypertensionRisk of pregnancy complicationsAmerican CollegeHigher risk of gestational hypertensionHigher risk of pregnancy lossHigh riskRisk of pregnancy lossIn vitro fertilization cyclesStage 2 hypertension groupDiagnostic thresholdAmerican Heart Association guidelinesInitial embryo transferRetrospective cohort studyStage 1Identifying genome-by-childhood trauma interactions for depression using a forest-based approach in the UK Biobank and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study
Hu Y, Gruen J, Zhang H. Identifying genome-by-childhood trauma interactions for depression using a forest-based approach in the UK Biobank and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2026, 123: e2527955123. PMID: 41650220, PMCID: PMC12890833, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2527955123.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultAdverse Childhood ExperiencesBiological Specimen BanksBrainChildCognitionDepressionFemaleGene-Environment InteractionGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMachine LearningMaleMiddle AgedMultifactorial InheritancePolymorphism, Single NucleotideUK BiobankUnited KingdomConceptsGenome-wide interaction studySingle-nucleotide polymorphismsAdolescent Brain Cognitive Development StudyCognitive Development StudySNP-based heritabilityChildhood traumaGene-environment interactionsComplex gene-environmentRisk lociComplex gene-environment interactionsTrauma-exposed individualsUK BiobankTop genesGene-environmentGenetic riskGenesDevelopment studiesForest-based methodTrauma typesInteraction studiesDepressionEnvironmental factorsChildhoodForest-based approachHeritabilityReconstruct Ising Model With Global Optimality via SLIDE
Chen X, Zhu J, Zhu J, Wang X, Zhang H. Reconstruct Ising Model With Global Optimality via SLIDE. Journal Of The American Statistical Association 2026, ahead-of-print: 1-13. DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2025.2571245.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFitbit data in tracking exercise adherence in a clinical trial
Hu Y, Deng A, Jiang Y, Huang H, Thomas T, Hansen K, Steiner A, Coutifaris C, Cedars M, Eisenberg E, Santoro N, Diamond M, Legro R, Zhang H. Fitbit data in tracking exercise adherence in a clinical trial. Statistics And Its Interface 2026, 19: 101-112. DOI: 10.4310/sii.260107230550.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetric
2025
Zishen Yutai Pill increased live births in advanced maternal age women: a randomized clinical trial
Li Y, Gong F, Wang X, Hu L, Li H, Guan Y, Ye H, Fan L, Bai H, Wang Z, Huang W, Ma X, Yang D, Zhang H. Zishen Yutai Pill increased live births in advanced maternal age women: a randomized clinical trial. Nature Communications 2025, 17: 980. PMID: 41444477, PMCID: PMC12848059, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67714-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsZishen Yutai pillAssisted Reproductive TechnologyAMA womenLive birthsRandomized trialsAdvanced maternal age womenNeonatal adverse eventsAdvanced maternal ageLive birth rateIntention-to-treat analysisRandomized clinical trialsPost Hoc AnalysisTertiary-level hospitalBiochemical pregnancyDouble-blindPlacebo-ControlledEmbryo transferMaternal ageMenstrual cycleAdverse eventsClinical challengeClinical trialsPrimary outcomeHoc AnalysisAge womenASSOCIATION OF SLEEP CHARACTERISTICS AND PREGNANCY OUTCOMES: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF FIT-PLESE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL
Alur-Gupta S, Sun F, Sammel M, Zhang H, Legro R, Santoro N. ASSOCIATION OF SLEEP CHARACTERISTICS AND PREGNANCY OUTCOMES: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF FIT-PLESE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. Fertility And Sterility 2025, 124: e105-e106. DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2025.07.359.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAuthor Correction: Data-driven subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome and their association with clinical outcomes
Gao X, Zhao S, Du Y, Yang Z, Tian Y, Zhao J, Yuan X, Santos B, Wei D, Cui L, Yan J, Qin Y, Shi Y, Tang R, Sun Y, Hu J, Ding L, Song X, Ha L, Li J, Zhang H, Spritzer P, Yildiz B, Stener-Victorin E, Yong E, Ou X, Legro R, Zhao H, Chen Z. Author Correction: Data-driven subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome and their association with clinical outcomes. Nature Medicine 2025, 31: 4314-4314. PMID: 41266686, PMCID: PMC12705463, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-04113-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricData-driven subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome and their association with clinical outcomes
Gao X, Zhao S, Du Y, Yang Z, Tian Y, Zhao J, Yuan X, Santos B, Wei D, Cui L, Yan J, Qin Y, Shi Y, Tang R, Sun Y, Hu J, Ding L, Song X, Ha L, Li J, Zhang H, Spritzer P, Yildiz B, Stener-Victorin E, Yong E, Ou X, Legro R, Zhao H, Chen Z. Data-driven subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome and their association with clinical outcomes. Nature Medicine 2025, 31: 4214-4224. PMID: 41162652, PMCID: PMC12705455, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03984-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPolycystic ovary syndromeRisk of ovarian hyperstimulationHyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndromeHigher sex hormone-binding globulinHormone-binding globulinHeterogeneous endocrine disorderSubtype of polycystic ovary syndromeOvarian hyperstimulationRemission rateLow incidenceSecond-trimester pregnancy lossHigh riskLong-term metabolic healthLow incidence of diabetesTrimester pregnancy lossSevere metabolic complicationsIncidence of diabetesReproductive outcomesEndocrine disordersMetabolic complicationsClinical outcomesRisk stratificationDyslipidemia incidencePregnancy lossData-driven subtypes
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
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Activities
activity Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering
07/01/2025 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsCouncil Memberactivity Live Birth After Fresh Embryo Transfer Vs Frozen-thawed Embryo Transfer in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (FreFro-PCOS)
01/01/2012 - 01/01/2014ResearchDetailsJinan, 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).
Honors
honor Highly Cited Researcher in Cross Field
11/15/2023International AwardWeb of Sciencehonor Distinguished Achievement Award
08/09/2023International AwardInternational Chinese Statistical Associationhonor Neyman Award and Lecture
06/29/2022International AwardInstitute of Mathematical StatisticsDetailsUnited Stateshonor Royan International Research Award
09/08/2011International AwardRoyan InstituteDetailsUnited Stateshonor Medallion Award and Lecturer
03/03/2011International AwardInstitute of Mathematical Statistics
News
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News
- July 23, 2025
Digging into data science at the 38th Annual New England Statistical Symposium
- 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
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300 George Street
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New Haven, CT 06511