Zhao Ni, PhD, BMed, RN, FAAN, FAHA

About

Dr. Ni’s research focuses on using mobile technologies to prevent cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS. He has conducted international research at the interface of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and mobile health in the U.S., China, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cameroon. His current projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and focused on developing artificial intelligence chatbots to promote HIV testing and prevention in Malaysia among populations at high risk for HIV/AIDS. Dr. Ni is also a faculty lead of the Yale Office of Global Affairs & Planetary Health and serves as the Director of International Academic Partnerships and Programs.

Before joining Yale School of Nursing, Dr. Ni was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Yale School of Medicine. His postdoctoral training was supported by an NIH-funded R01 project in which he conducted research at the interface of HIV and mobile health. Specifically, Dr. Ni adopted mobile technologies to eliminate health disparities in healthcare among HIV/AIDS key populations, such as sexual minorities and people who inject drugs. Dr. Ni is a multiple PI (contact) and the project director of a R21/R33 project and a R21 project, respectively. He continues to conduct international research at the interface of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and mHealth in the U.S., China, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cameroon, and the Philippines. He is also a PI of several mHealth research projects aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease in these countries.

Dr. Ni attended Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Yunnan Province, China, and earned his Bachelor of Medicine degree with the highest distinction. Additionally, he received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University School of Nursing and in 2019, he received his Certificate in College Teaching, PhD Degree in Nursing, and Doctoral Certificate in Global Health from Duke University. His dissertation entitled “An mHealth-Based Medication Reminder Program for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease” won the Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Awards & Recognition

Over the years, Dr. Ni has received several awards for his academic work including Outstanding Graduate of Yunnan Province, Yunnan Provincial Scholarship (awarded to the top 1% of students), Best Intern Award, Outstanding Student Leader Award, International Dissertation Research Travel Award, FLAGS Research Award, Meritorious and Citation Award, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award, and recognition by the Chinese Nursing Association for one of his 2020 papers as one of the most excellent papers. He gained clinical experiences as an RN in the Cardiovascular and Emergency Departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, the largest medical center in Yunnan Province. Dr. Ni has published in leading peer-reviewed journals in the field of mobile health, served as a journal reviewer for 31 international, peer-reviewed, scientific journals, and presented his research work in the U.S., China, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Germany, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia.

Dr. Ni is a member of the American Heart Association’s national committee, an Editorial Review Board member for SAGE Open Nursing, and an Associate Editor for three peer-reviewed scientific journals: PLOS Digital Health, Frontiers in Public Health, and JMIR mHealth and uHealth. In recognition of his achievements, he was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2023 and a Fellow of the American Heart Association in 2024.