Kai Chen, PhD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)DownloadHi-Res Photo
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Faculty Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
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Environmental Health Sciences
60 College Street, PO Box 208034
New Haven, CT 06520-8034
United States
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Titles
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)
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
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Overview
Public Health Interests
Pollution; COVID-19; Global Health; Infectious Diseases; Climate Change; Environmental Health; Epidemiology Methods
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.
Lingzhi Chu
Robert Dubrow, MD, PhD
Yiqun Ma
Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM
Yuan Lu, ScD
Emma Zang, PhD
94Publications
2,553Citations
Publications
2025
Federal Inspection Timing, Not Compliance, Associated with Nursing Home Post-Disaster Outcomes
Festa N, Alexovitz K, Phadke M, O’Leary J, Davis-Plourde K, Zang E, Chen K, Kelly J, Dosa D, Cohen A, Gill T. Federal Inspection Timing, Not Compliance, Associated with Nursing Home Post-Disaster Outcomes. Health Affairs Scholar 2025, qxaf244. DOI: 10.1093/haschl/qxaf244.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricHealth effects of wildfire PM2.5 in Latin American cities: A rapid systematic review and comparative synthesis
Malagón-Rojas J, Chen K. Health effects of wildfire PM2.5 in Latin American cities: A rapid systematic review and comparative synthesis. Biomédica 2025, 45: 41-55. PMID: 41325566, DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.8068.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsWildfire PM2.5Systematic reviewHealth burdenSite-specific cancersHealth effectsLand-use changeRisk of bias assessmentMeta-analysisNewcastle-Ottawa ScaleAll-Cause MortalityBurden of morbidityWildfire activityLatin American citiesPM2.5 exposureWildfire smokeAssociated with mortalityPM2.5Land-usePremature mortalityRespiratory mortalityPopulation subgroupsBias assessmentHealth risksWildfireDisproportionate riskThe role of cardiovascular disease as a mediator in mitigating the impact of ambient PM2.5 on dementia risk
Lin C, Zhang Y, DeWan A, Forastiere L, Chen K. The role of cardiovascular disease as a mediator in mitigating the impact of ambient PM2.5 on dementia risk. Environmental Epidemiology 2025, 9: e436. PMID: 41200148, PMCID: PMC12588692, DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000436.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCardiovascular disease hospitalizationRisk of dementiaDementia riskCardiovascular diseaseImpact of ambient PM2.5Longitudinal targeted maximum likelihood estimationUK Biobank cohortControlled direct effectDementia burdenDementia diagnosisBiobank cohortHypothetical interventionCardiovascular healthAmbient particulate matterDementiaInterventionAmbient PM2.5HospitalParticipantsParticulate matterAerodynamic diameterTotal effectRiskLimited studiesHealthHeat- and Cold-Related Mortality Burden in the US From 2000 to 2020
Chu L, Dubrow R, Chen K. Heat- and Cold-Related Mortality Burden in the US From 2000 to 2020. JAMA Network Open 2025, 8: e2542269. PMID: 41201802, PMCID: PMC12595540, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42269.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCause of deathMortality burdenLogistic regression of mortalityOdds ratioNational Center for Health StatisticsCenter for Health StatisticsAnnual deathsAssociated with odds ratiosDemographic factorsCase-crossover designPublic health strategiesCalendar time trendsExcess annual deathsRegression of mortalityExposure-response functionsOdds of deathAll-Cause MortalityDeath recordsHealth strategiesMinimum mortality temperatureHealth StatisticsCirculatory diseasesAll-CauseMain OutcomesMarital statusCross‐Sectional Association of Ground‐Level Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide With Cardiac Mechanics Using Speckle‐Tracking Echocardiography in the Cardiovascular Health Study
Chang A, Kaufman J, Shah S, Tan A, Patel R, Margolis H, Psaty B, Gardin J, Al‐Kindi S, Austin T, Bell M, Chen K, Odden M. Cross‐Sectional Association of Ground‐Level Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide With Cardiac Mechanics Using Speckle‐Tracking Echocardiography in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Echocardiography 2025, 42: e70330. PMID: 41146536, PMCID: PMC12664112, DOI: 10.1111/echo.70330.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCross-sectional associationsAssociated with subclinical markersGround-level ozoneCommunity-dwelling older adultsLeft atrial reservoir strainSpeckle-tracking echocardiographyCardiovascular Health StudyGaseous air pollutants exposureAir pollution exposureNitrogen dioxideHealth StudyBaseline heart diseaseOlder adultsPollution exposureLogistic regressionStrain abnormalitiesBinary outcomesCardiovascular diseaseLongitudinal strainMarker of diastolic dysfunctionEarly diastolic strain rateAir pollutionDisparities in NO2-related health burden prevalent across race-ethnicity and income groups in the United States
Chu L, Ma Y, Zang E, Huang L, Chen K. Disparities in NO2-related health burden prevalent across race-ethnicity and income groups in the United States. One Earth 2025, 8: 101387. DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101387.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsHigh-income countiesRace-EthnicityNon-Hispanic black populationHealth burdenRacial-ethnic disparitiesRace-ethnic groupsIncome groupsLow-income countiesQuasi-Poisson regressionRacial-ethnic minoritiesMortality disparitiesUnited StatesHealthcare strategiesMortality burdenDescriptive statisticsRelative riskDisparitiesBlack populationNO2 exposureBurdenMortality rateCountyIncomeTargeted policiesMortalityA Hypothetical PM2.5 Intervention for the Risk of Hospitalization for Cardiovascular Diseases
Lin C, Chu L, Liu R, Gasparrini A, DeWan A, Forastiere L, Chen K. A Hypothetical PM2.5 Intervention for the Risk of Hospitalization for Cardiovascular Diseases. JAMA Network Open 2025, 8: e2539862. PMID: 41148138, PMCID: PMC12569718, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.39862.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsRisk of hospitalizationParticipants' residential locationsAbsolute risk reductionRisk differencePM2.5 exposureCardiovascular diseaseAbsolute riskPrimary diagnosis of strokePrimary diagnosisCardiovascular health impactsUK Biobank cohortUK Biobank participantsLongitudinal targeted maximum likelihood estimationMyocardial infarctionPopulation-based studyDiagnosis of strokePM2.5 standardBiobank cohortBiobank participantsUK BiobankCVD outcomesMain OutcomesHospitalization riskCohort studyHeart failureMortality risk and burden associated with non-optimum temperatures in Puerto Rico
Díaz-Collado F, Chu L, Carrión D, Méndez-Lázaro P, Chen K. Mortality risk and burden associated with non-optimum temperatures in Puerto Rico. Environmental Research Letters 2025, 20: 104032. PMID: 40932903, PMCID: PMC12419553, DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ae013e.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsNon-optimum temperaturesMortality riskConditional quasi-Poisson regressionRisk of all-cause mortalityDaily mortality countsHealth impactsRobust epidemiological evidenceQuasi-Poisson regressionTime-series studyAll-Cause MortalityTemperature-related deathsTime riskMortality fractionsMinimum mortality temperatureMortality burdenPuerto RicoRelative riskEpidemiological evidenceMortality countsMortality temperatureDeath rateSmall Island Developing StatesCaribbean Small Island Developing StatesVulnerable municipalitiesHeat-related death ratesDiscrepancies between Personal and Ambient Temperatures at Hourly Scale: Insights from Wearable Sensors and Environmental Modeling
Meng X, Lee M, Chu L, Nam S, Chen K. Discrepancies between Personal and Ambient Temperatures at Hourly Scale: Insights from Wearable Sensors and Environmental Modeling. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2025, 12: 1154-1161. DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00672.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPersonal exposureHourly scaleAssessment of personal exposureHour of dayLinear mixed-effects modelsCooler monthsDiurnal biasHealth impactsAmbient exposureHourly differencesEarly afternoonEnvironmental modelsMixed-effects modelsSolar radiationDiurnal patternEnvironmental factorsTemperature modelHigh-resolutionAccurate assessmentAmbient temperatureTemperature differenceExposurePerson's temperatureAmbient temperature modelRacial and ethnic disparities in exposure to short-term NO2 air pollution in California during 1980–2022
Liu R, Chu L, Rogne T, Ma X, Chen K. Racial and ethnic disparities in exposure to short-term NO2 air pollution in California during 1980–2022. Journal Of Hazardous Materials 2025, 496: 139309. PMID: 40695125, DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139309.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsShort-term NO2 exposure anChemical transport model outputExposure to ambient nitrogen dioxideNO2 air pollutionAmbient nitrogen dioxideTransport model outputAir pollutionNitrogen dioxideSpatiotemporal variationsIsland groupsCoefficient of determinationStudy periodModel outputAlaskaConcentrationGeospatial dataExposureCaliforniaEnvironmental justice literaturePollution
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News
- November 07, 2025
Warming U.S. climate linked to rising deaths from heat
- October 21, 2025
Lone star ticks, nitrogen dioxide pollution, and a dementia care study highlight this month's research roundup
- October 06, 2025
Building resilience in the face of extreme climate
- September 18, 2025Source: The New York Times
Wildfire smoke will kill thousands more by 2050, study finds
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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
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Fl 8th, Rm 824
New Haven, CT 06510