Crean College Welcomes Dr. Zhen Cong as the new Chair of the Health Sciences Program

Zhen Cong is a Professor and the new Chair of the Department of Health Sciences here at Chapman. Previously she served as Professor and Director of the Climate and Health Initiative in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Additionally she was on the faculty of Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Arlington; for the latter, she also served as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs as well as Ph.D. program director.

She is an inaugural cohort member of the National Institutes of Health Climate and Health Scholars and a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. She serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. She is the Associate Editor of Statistics for Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Marriage and Family and that of Research on Aging. She is also serving as a committee member of the National Academies Committee on State-of-the-Science and the Future of Cumulative Impact Assessment. She received Ph.D. in gerontology from the School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California.

What led you to Chapman?

Chapman University provides top educational opportunities, which is very attractive for an educator like him. In addition, Southern California is like my second hometown, since I lived in LA for 5 years and received my Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Southern California. I love the people here, I love the community, and I love the weather!

Can you tell us a more about your research?

My research focuses on using convergent integrated frameworks and approaches to examine older adults’ vulnerability and resilience to disasters and community resilience as well as social, health, and environmental disparities related to disasters. I have conducted a series of research projects related to hurricanes and tornadoes to address critical issues such as exposure to risks, risk perception and communication, access and response to warnings, preparation, mitigation behaviors, and the recovery process associated with disasters.I plan to expand my studies to include wildfires. I am looking for opportunities to start collaboration with colleagues at Chapman and to actively engage students and local community partners including residents, non-profit organization, government officials in public health and emergency management, and other stakeholders and partners.

What are you looking forward to most in this new position?

I am in a powerful position to support students, faculty, and colleagues, and I am very much looking forward to it.

How are you enjoying Chapman and California so far?

The Chapman community is more than I expected. I feel at home, and I fully enjoy every day and every interaction with students and colleagues. They are just amazing and very supportive.

Welcome Dr. Cong!!