XUE ZHANG
XUE ZHANG
Assistant Professor
Department of Biobehavioral Health
Penn State University.
Research Fields
Social and structural determinants of health, rural health disparity, socioecological framework, mixed methods
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My interdisciplinary training spans regional science, urban planning, and population health, which together shape my research on how social and structural environments influence health across the life course. I earned my PhD in Regional Science, where I focused on spatial inequality, regional development, and quantitative modeling of complex social problems. During my postdoctoral training in urban planning, I examined how age-friendly and healthy communities can support well-being for people of all ages, particularly children and older adults. I later completed postdoctoral training in population health, focusing on the social and structural determinants of health and health disparities.
My current research agenda examines how multilevel social and structural environments—including neighborhood conditions, social relationships, community infrastructure, and policy contexts—shape behavioral health, healthy aging, and health disparities. Guided by socioecological and life course perspectives, my work focuses on understanding how environmental and contextual factors influence mental health, substance use, healthcare utilization, and healthy aging among vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly rural communities.
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