Ziming Xuan
Profiles

Ziming Xuan, ScD, SM, MA

Professor, Community Health Sciences - Boston University School of Public Health

617-358-1376
zxuan@bu.edu
Crosstown Center - CT426
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Biography

Ziming Xuan is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences and the Department of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is a faculty member of the Primary Care Academic Fellowship Program, and a faculty member of the Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. He is a faculty member of the Injury Prevention Center, and a member of the Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center. He is a Frederick Pardee Faculty Research Fellow at Boston University.

He is a social epidemiologist who is interested in understanding the influence of social-contextual determinants, especially policy determinants on health, particularly among vulnerable populations (i.e., youth, patients with substance abuse, and women). He is also interested in the methodologies involved in social-behavioral interventions to promote healthy behavioral changes and enhance community well-being. His research interests include health policies related to alcohol, marijuana, other substance use and guns, youth health, alcohol advertising, impaired driving, substance use disorders, mental health and addiction. He received his Doctor of Science Degree (Sc.D.) in public health in 2010 and Master’s Degree (S.M.) in Biostatistics in 2008 from Harvard University.

He has led multiple R01 studies examining policy determinants on substance use and injury outcomes in the United States, and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Justice, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Cancer Society. He has co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Xuan is currently serving as a member of the SPH Appointments and Promotions Committee. His prior university activities include serving the Director of Health Communication and Promotion certificate for the MPH program, a member of the Faculty Senate, and the Boston University Faculty Council Nominating Committee. At Boston University School of Public Health, he has been teaching SB822: Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation. He is the Director of the Program on Adolescent Behavior & Health at SPH.

Dr. Xuan has provided research expertise to various health agencies including the World Health Organization, and Innovations for Poverty Action among others. His research has been featured by Reuters, CNN, US News & World Report, and the Boston Globe among others. Dr. Xuan has served in study sections of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, including special study section on COVID-19 and Consequences of Alcohol Use. Currently he is serving on the editorial board for the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs and the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Other Positions

  • Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health

Education

  • Harvard University, ScD Field of Study: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Harvard University, SM/ScM Field of Study: Biostatistics
  • University of Connecticut, MA Field of Study: Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Nanjing University, BA Field of Study: English

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHPH845
  • SPHPH851
  • SPHSB822

Publications

  • Published on 10/6/2025

    Ramanadhan S, Mahtani SL, D'Costa M, Mandal G, Jagiasi D, Chawla R, Minsky S, Xuan Z, Mulhern Lopez M, Gupte H. Adaptation drivers of evidence-based brief advice/counselling for tobacco use in high-reach, low-resource settings in Mumbai: a qualitative exploration with patients, practitioners and policymakers. BMJ Open. 2025 Oct 06; 15(10):e101969. PMID: 41057188.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/6/2025

    Ranker LR, Katz-Wise SL, Gordon AR, Korkodilos R, Xuan Z, Nelson KM. Sexual orientation identity and attraction changes among youth: prospective versus retrospective measurement. Ann Epidemiol. 2025 Oct 06. PMID: 41061832.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/10/2025

    Walley AY, Wang J, To C, Duska M, Murray S, Wiggins M, Rolles A, Yan S, Kosakowski S, Bagley SM, Xuan Z, Hyde J, Formica SW. Post-overdose outreach programs in Massachusetts before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2025 Sep 10; 179:209799. PMID: 40939693.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/1/2025

    Xuan Z, Xuan WY, Kaplan MS. Sex Differences in Trends of Firearm Suicide Among Older Adults, 2014 to 2023. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Aug 01; 8(8):e2528709. PMID: 40853663.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/13/2025

    Haley DF, So-Armah K, Justice AC, Kidwai-Khan F, Xuan Z, Sayko Adams R, Fox MP, Edelman EJ, Wrona A, Silverberg MJ, Satre DD, Trickey A, Ingle SM, McGinnis KA. Cannabis Use Disorder Among People With and Without HIV. J Addict Med. 2025 May 13. PMID: 40358026.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/21/2025

    Ran H, Lu J, Li Q, Shi Y, Zheng G, He Y, Liu S, Xiang Y, Xuan WY, Xiao Y, Xuan Z. Exposure to childhood parental bereavement and risk of school bullying victimization. J Affect Disord. 2025 Jul 01; 380:87-93. PMID: 40120953.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/2/2025

    Ranker LR, Korkodilos R, Conti J, Nelson KM, Xuan Z, Gordon AR, Katz-Wise SL. One-in-ten adolescents and young adults report changes in their sexual orientation identity over 2-month follow-up: Results from a longitudinal cohort study. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2025 Jan 02. PMID: 41048463.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/21/2024

    Austad K, Thai C, Zavatti A, Nguyen N, Bautista-Hurtado D, Kenney P, Lugo N, Lee JH, Lanney H, Xuan Z, Cordova-Ramos EG, Drainoni ML, Jack B. Tools to improve discharge equity: Protocol for the pilot TIDE trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2025 Feb; 43:101419. PMID: 39810841.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/29/2024

    Wu J, Ranker LR, Origgi JM, Ma J, Hao D, Benjamin EJ, Cornacchione Ross J, Xuan Z, Wijaya D, Fetterman JL, Hong T. Protecting historically marginalized groups or targeted marketing? A computational analysis of individuals engaging with public and protected cigar-branded tweets. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Jan 01; 266:112516. PMID: 39689499.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/12/2024

    Ranker LR, Tofu DA, Lu M, Wu J, Bhatnagar A, Robertson RM, Wijaya D, Hong T, Fetterman JL, Xuan Z. Concurrent Mentions of Vaping and Alcohol on Twitter: Latent Dirichlet Analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2024 Nov 12; 26:e51870. PMID: 39531640.

     Read At: PubMed

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