Kai Chen, PhD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)DownloadHi-Res Photo
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Additional Titles
Co-Faculty Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
Environmental Health Sciences
60 College Street, PO Box 208034
New Haven, CT 06520-8034
United States
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)
Co-Faculty Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Biography
Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering in 2016 from Nanjing University in China. During 2014-2015, he served as a Visiting Scholar at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Yale School of Public Health faculty in July 2019, he was an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoc Fellow at Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Center for Environmental Health.
Dr. Chen’s research focuses on the intersection of climate change, air pollution, and human health. His work involves applying multidisciplinary approaches in climate and air pollution sciences, exposure assessment, and environmental epidemiology to investigate how climate change may impact human health. Much of this work has been done in China, Europe, and the U.S.
Last Updated on April 07, 2025.
Appointments
Environmental Health Sciences
Associate Professor on TermPrimarySchool of Nursing
Assistant ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Climate Change and Health
- Climate, Health, and Environment Nexus (CHEN) Lab
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Public Health Data Science and Data Equity
- Public Health Modeling
- School of Nursing
- Wu Tsai Institute
- Yale School of Public Health
Education & Training
- Humboldt Postdoc Fellow
- Helmholtz Zentrum München (2019)
- PhD
- Nanjing University, Environmental Science and Engineering (2016)
- BSc
- Nanjing University, Environmental Sciences (2011)
Research
Overview
Public Health Interests
Epidemiology Methods; Global Health; Pollution; Infectious Diseases; Climate Change; COVID-19; Environmental Health
ORCID
0000-0002-0164-1112- View Lab Website
CHEN Lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Kai Chen's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Kai Chen's research output by year.
Robert Dubrow, MD, PhD
Yiqun Ma
Lingzhi Chu
Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM
Yuan Lu, ScD
Erica Spatz, MD, MHS
76Publications
2,144Citations
Publications
2025
Fire Smoke Elevated the Carbonaceous PM2.5 Concentration and Mortality Burden in the Contiguous U.S. and Southern Canada
Jin Z, Ferrada G, Zhang D, Scovronick N, Fu J, Chen K, Liu Y. Fire Smoke Elevated the Carbonaceous PM2.5 Concentration and Mortality Burden in the Contiguous U.S. and Southern Canada. Environmental Science And Technology 2025, 59: 12196-12210. PMID: 40504638, PMCID: PMC12199464, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5c01641.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWildland fire smokeElemental carbonOrganic carbonContiguous U.S.Fire smokeSouthern CanadaImpact of fine particulate matterFine particulate matterBackground air qualityHealth impactsNon-accidental deathsPrescribed firePM2.5 concentrationsWildfire seasonFuture health burdenParticulate matterAir qualityWildlandMonetized damagesSouthwestern CanadaMonthly scaleFireModel resultsWildfireCanadaJoint Exposure to Ozone and Temperature and Acute Myocardial Infarction Among Adults Aged 18 to 64 Years in the United States.
Chu L, Wang R, Gross C, Wei J, Lu Y, Krumholz H, Ma X, Chen K. Joint Exposure to Ozone and Temperature and Acute Myocardial Infarction Among Adults Aged 18 to 64 Years in the United States. Circulation 2025 PMID: 40458867, DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.124.073614.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsIncident acute myocardial infarctionAcute myocardial infarctionIncreased oddsRisk of acute myocardial infarctionHigher risk of acute myocardial infarctionProbability of acute myocardial infarctionOccurrence of acute myocardial infarctionRandom-effects meta-analysisCase-crossover studyMultivariate random-effects meta-analysisExposure to ozoneRegion-specific estimatesMyocardial infarctionStatistical interaction termsAmbient ozone pollutionPrevention strategiesUnited StatesJoint exposureMeta-analysisAdult ageYoung adultsHigh riskAdultsOddsInteraction termsProlonged health risks following floods
Chu L, Chen K. Prolonged health risks following floods. Nature Water 2025, 3: 516-517. DOI: 10.1038/s44221-025-00442-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricEstimating the Effects of Hypothetical Ambient PM2.5 Interventions on the Risk of Dementia Using the Parametric g-Formula in the UK Biobank Cohort
Lin C, Liu R, Sutton C, DeWan A, Forastiere L, Chen K. Estimating the Effects of Hypothetical Ambient PM2.5 Interventions on the Risk of Dementia Using the Parametric g-Formula in the UK Biobank Cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives 2025, 133: 047007. PMID: 40062909, PMCID: PMC12010936, DOI: 10.1289/ehp14723.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsRisk of dementiaParametric g-formulaUK Biobank cohortG-formulaBiobank cohortLate lifeFree of dementiaUK Biobank participantsModifiable risk factorsParticulate matterAerodynamic diameter <Annual average standardBiobank participantsHypothetical interventionAmbient particulate matterNo interventionDementiaRisk differenceInterventionRisk factorsHealth benefitsPotential health benefitsCohortRiskParticipantsFloods and cause-specific mortality in the United States applying a triply robust approach
Chu L, Warren J, Spatz E, Lowe S, Lu Y, Ma X, Ross J, Krumholz H, Chen K. Floods and cause-specific mortality in the United States applying a triply robust approach. Nature Communications 2025, 16: 2853. PMID: 40122917, PMCID: PMC11930965, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58236-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCDC's National Center for Health StatisticsNational Center for Health StatisticsCause-specific mortality ratesCenter for Health StatisticsCause-specific mortalityHealth impacts of floodingExcess all-cause deathsLong-term health risksFlood daysLong-term associationDeath recordsHealth StatisticsConfounder adjustmentExternal causesStorm Events DatabaseAll-cause deathHealth impactsImpact of floodsPropensity scorePost‐flood yearMortality rateMyocardial infarctionPost-floodContiguous U.S.Respiratory diseaseShort-term exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter and cause-specific mortality: A causal modeling approach in four regions
Marb A, Ma Y, Nobile F, Dubrow R, Kinney P, Stafoggia M, Chen K, Peters A, Breitner S. Short-term exposure to ambient nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter and cause-specific mortality: A causal modeling approach in four regions. Environmental Pollution 2025, 372: 126059. PMID: 40089139, DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126059.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsParticulate matterAir pollutionDaily NO<sub>2</sub> anShort-term air pollution exposureNitrogen dioxideDaily air pollution dataExposure to NO<sub>2</sub>Effects of air pollutionShort-term exposure to NO<sub>2</sub> anFine particulate matterTwo-pollutant modelsExposure to ambient nitrogen dioxideAmbient air pollutionAmbient particulate matterAir pollution dataAir pollution exposureCause-specific mortality ratesAmbient nitrogen dioxideRural populationCause-specific mortalityRespiratory mortality ratesMortality rateCause-specific deathCardiovascular mortality ratesPollution exposureEffect of Air Pollution Reductions on Mortality During the COVID-19 Lockdowns in Early 2020.
Chen K, Ma Y, Marb A, Nobile F, Dubrow R, Stafoggia M, Breitner S, Kinney P. Effect of Air Pollution Reductions on Mortality During the COVID-19 Lockdowns in Early 2020. Research Report 2025, 2025: 1-47. PMID: 40551404, PMCID: PMC12185919.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAir pollution changesAir pollutionPollution changesShort-term exposure to PM<sub>2.5</sub>Air qualityExposure to PM<sub>2.5</sub>Natural-causeMeteorological normalization techniqueFine particulate matterDaily air pollutionImprove air qualityAir pollutant emissionsAir pollution reductionEmission control strategiesSouthern ItalyQuantify changesAir pollution-mortality relationshipPollution-mortality relationshipCOVID-19 lockdownShort-term exposureNOParticulate matterMeteorological impactsNitrogen dioxidePollution reductionShort‐Term Associations Between Ambient Ozone and Acute Myocardial Infarction Onset Among Younger Patients: Results From the VIRGO Study
Zhang S, Chu L, Lu Y, Wei J, Dubrow R, Chaudhry S, Spatz E, Krumholz H, Chen K. Short‐Term Associations Between Ambient Ozone and Acute Myocardial Infarction Onset Among Younger Patients: Results From the VIRGO Study. GeoHealth 2025, 9: e2024gh001234. PMID: 39968338, PMCID: PMC11833228, DOI: 10.1029/2024gh001234.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsAcute myocardial infarction subtypeShort-term associationsAcute myocardial infarctionAcute myocardial infarction onsetAMI riskEffect modificationAssociated with increased AMI riskParticipant's home addressNon-Hispanic blacksNon-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarctionNon-Hispanic whitesCase-crossover designType 1 AMIConditional logistic regressionIncreased AMI riskMyocardial infarction onsetType 2 AMIAcute myocardial infarction patientsST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarctionLifestyle factorsSociodemographic statusHome addressUS hospitalsStratified analysisSpatiotemporal deep learning approachEnvironMental Health: A Framework for an Emerging Field at the Intersection of the Environment and Mental Health Crises
Ratjen L, Goddard E, Gilcher E, Nguyen B, Kelley M, Feldman H, Akalaonu K, Nyhan K, Backhaus A, Lascurain M, Wyrtzen N, Smith S, Prabhu M, Lowe S, Chen K, Zimmerman J, Anastas P. EnvironMental Health: A Framework for an Emerging Field at the Intersection of the Environment and Mental Health Crises. GeoHealth 2025, 9: e2024gh001254. PMID: 39958831, PMCID: PMC11826329, DOI: 10.1029/2024gh001254.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsCognitive healthReview of reviewsMental health conditionsMental health crisisAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderBehavioral healthMental healthHealth conditionsHealthPublic healthEconomic burdenWell-beingNeuropsychological healthHealth crisisSocial factorsContextual needsAttention-deficit/hyperactivityEnvironmental factorsGreen spacesHealthcareDementiaFunding strategiesConceptual frameworkFundingBurdenLong-term drought and risk of infant mortality in Africa: A cross-sectional study
Wang P, Rogne T, Warren J, Asare E, Akum R, Toure N, Ross J, Chen K. Long-term drought and risk of infant mortality in Africa: A cross-sectional study. PLOS Medicine 2025, 22: e1004516. PMID: 39888958, PMCID: PMC11785314, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004516.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsRisk of infant mortalityInfant mortality riskCross-sectional studyInfant mortalityMortality riskIncreased risk of infant mortalityIncreased risk of neonatal mortalityIncreased riskRisk of neonatal mortalityHealth Surveys ProgramPost-neonatal mortalityCox regression modelsStatistically significant associationChild healthGlobal burdenNon-casesNeonatal mortalitySignificant associationImpact mortalityNon-exposureSurvival periodRegression modelsPregnancyMortalityHealth
News
News
- July 11, 2025Source: ABC News
Texas floodwaters can increase health risks that could last for months: Experts
- June 11, 2025
Two new studies from China on medical care, environmental mental health stressors
- June 03, 2025Source: Yale News
Insights & Outcomes: Star Music, Kavli Kudos, and Summertime Heart Risks
- May 27, 2025Source: Yale News
Yale Planetary Solutions Announces a New ‘Constellation’ of Grants
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Environmental Health Sciences
60 College Street, PO Box 208034
New Haven, CT 06520-8034
United States
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60 College Street
Academic Office
Fl 8th, Rm 824
New Haven, CT 06510