Our Team

Yufeng is a visiting scholar in Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. He obtained his doctoral degree from Sun Yat-sen University and is currently a colorectal surgeon at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, specializing in the treatment of colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. His current research focuses on screening strategies and interventions for colorectal neoplasia using large-scale data and cohorts, as well as targeted approaches to overcome treatment resistance in colorectal cancer. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and photography.

Dr. Yue Ma is a postdoctoral fellow and assistant researcher in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital. She holds bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees from Tianjin Medical University. Dr. Ma’s research centers on epidemiology and health management, with a specific focus on pharmacoepidemiology and the development of strategies to prevent cancer and other significant chronic diseases.

Qiang’s journey in medicine began in 2014 as a medical student, with clinical training at Beijing Hospital (Peking University) and the National Cancer Center (Peking Union Medical College). From 2019 to 2022, he worked as a surgical resident, primarily treating cancer patients in frontline clinical practice, which has significantly shaped his commitment to healthcare. He is passionate about surgery and cancer research and resonates strongly with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health slogan, “Powerful ideas for a healthier world.” Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Oncology at Peking Union Medical College, his research interests focus on clinical and translational epidemiology of cancer. He has worked extensively on identifying risk factors, understanding cancer pathways and prognosis, and studying survivorship through large-scale observational studies and electronic health records.

Markus is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo, Norway. He earned his Ph.D. focusing on lifestyle factors and colorectal cancer screening at the Cancer Registry of Norway. He also has an academic background in human nutrition from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In his current research, Markus aims to personalize colorectal cancer screening to enhance both primary and secondary prevention. He has been instrumental in developing a concise lifestyle and dietary questionnaire, which is set to be tested in the Norwegian national colorectal cancer screening program.

Since January 2020, Markus has been collaborating with the Song Lab on multiple projects. These include studying lifestyle changes following initial colonoscopy screenings, examining the use and compliance of surveillance colonoscopies for high-risk polyp patients, and developing a risk prediction model for post-polypectomy colorectal cancer. Additionally, his work explores the risk of colorectal cancer incidence and mortality after negative colonoscopy results and the relationship between lifestyle changes and the risk of colorectal cancer and major chronic diseases. For these projects, Markus utilizes data from prominent cohorts such as the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), NHS II, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Colonoscopy Cohort.

Mengxi is passionate about studying diet/lifestyle as modifiable factors for cancer prevention and control, as well as translating epidemiologic evidence into cost-effective interventions and clinical practices to benefit at-risk populations and cancer patients. As a Research Associate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, she leads research assessing the role of diet/lifestyle, the gut microbiome, and metabolome in colorectal cancer development and survivorship, leveraging biomarker-based cohort studies and clinical trials. Mengxi earned her PhD in Nutrition and Cancer Epidemiology from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, where her doctoral research focused on translating nutrition evidence into policy interventions for cancer prevention in the United States. She also completed clinically focused dietetic training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has been a Registered Dietitian since 2018. Outside of her work, Mengxi enjoys immersing herself in nature, discovering new hiking trails, meditating in the yoga studio and swimming pool, and experimenting with wholesome recipes in the kitchen.

Ana Nogal is a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, researching the relationship between diet, the gut microbiome, and colorectal cancer incidence and survivorship. She completed her PhD in Bioinformatics at King’s College London, where she investigated the role of metabolites, particularly short-chain fatty acids, in the interplay between gut microbiota and cardiometabolic health. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and practicing spinning.

Kai Wang is a research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH, focusing on integrating the gut microbiome into cancer epidemiological studies. His research includes examining how lifestyle factors—such as diet, exercise, and medication use—impact the microbiome and may contribute to colorectal cancer development. He also investigates whether the gut microbiome mediates the relationship between environmental exposures and colorectal cancer outcomes, providing insights into the biological pathways involved. Additionally, Kai explores how gut microbiome data can be used to tailor preventive strategies or treatment approaches for colorectal cancer, based on each individual’s unique microbial profile. In his free time, Kai enjoys listening to music, learning languages, and playing soccer.

Scott has worked as a programmer/data steward in the Song lab since April 2019. He received his Masters degree in Biostatistics/Epidemiology from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and his Bachelors degree in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is responsible for transforming the raw data from the Mass General Brigham network into usable datasets for Song Lab investigators. In addition, he also curates colon cancer and colon polyp datasets in Nurses Health Study I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Outside of work, Scott enjoys walking, hiking, and playing board games.

Heather is the Project Manager for the Song Lab. She has spent the last five years researching modifiable lifestyle factors related to health, well-being, and cognition. In addition to her research experience, Heather brings over a decade of expertise in nonprofit programming and development, where she honed her skills in project management, grant funding, and community engagement. Before joining the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, she coordinated the design and implementation of research protocols for the longitudinal Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI) at the HMS-affiliated Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research. She also served as a psychometrist at the Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, where she administered neuropsychological assessments and created personalized reports to improve brain health. In addition to her professional work, Heather is deeply committed to community service. She has volunteered as a crisis counselor, facilitated English conversation groups for immigrants, and contributed to initiatives focused on building sustainable healthcare systems in Haiti.

Yujia is a PhD student in Cancer Epidemiology at Harvard University. Before pursuing her doctoral studies, she completed a Master of Science in Epidemiology at Harvard. Her research aims to uncover cancer etiology and prognosis by investigating the synergistic effects and interplay between diet, body composition, gut microbiome, host metabolomics and genetics. She is also dedicated to developing clinically accessible evaluation tools and identifying novel microbial or metabolite-based signatures or biomarkers through machine learning techniques, contributing to cancer prevention and control. In her free time, Yujia enjoys practicing yoga, pilates, and exploring Boston’s diverse food scene.

Gigi is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at Harvard University. Before moving to the US, she graduated from the medical school of Peking University in China. Her doctoral research focuses on cancer prevention through lifestyle-targeted interventions and precision screening based on a wide range of data and quantitative models. She is passionate about generating evidence-based insights and translating scientific advances into clinical practice through interdisciplinary collaboration. In her free time, she enjoys exploring restaurants and watching mystery/detective TV shows.

Sunjeong is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She completed her Bachelor and Doctor of Korean Medicine at Kyung Hee University’s College of Korean Medicine. Following her doctoral studies, Sunjeong earned a Master of Science in Epidemiology from Harvard, where she honed her skills in research methodologies and data analysis. Her research interests focus on personalized nutrition strategies, the gut microbiome, and metagenomics.

Xiawei is an MPH candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with a focus on clinical and translational epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly pancreatic cancer. After earning his Medical Doctor degree from Zhejiang University, Xiawei completed his residency in surgery and is currently pursuing a fellowship in hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HBP) surgery. His previous research centers on building clinical models to predict early recurrence of pancreatic cancer following radical surgery, aiming to improve patient outcomes through more precise intervention strategies. In addition to his academic and clinical work, Xiawei enjoys portraiture and landscape photography, which allows him to explore creativity beyond the medical field. He also finds balance by playing tennis and spending time outdoors.

Yueyang Zhang is a second-year Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology student at Harvard University, with undergraduate degrees in medicine, applied mathematics and finance. His research interest focuses on cancer prevention and precision screening, biomarker monitoring, metabolomics and genomics, clinical translation of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and the application of artificial intelligence in medicine. He is dedicated to translating scientific advances into clinical practice. Outside of his studies, Yueyang is a nationally ranked professional tennis player and coach, as well as an accomplished pianist.

Derek is a first-year master’s student studying epidemiology at HSPH. During his undergraduate, he majored in public health policy and minored in health informatics. Through different research experiences in epidemiology labs, he identified strong research interests in cancer epidemiology and biomarker surveillance. During his free time, he enjoys running, going to the gym, and exploring different bookstores in Boston.

Chen Wang, a medical graduate from Taiwan, is a second-year Master of Science in Epidemiology student at Harvard School of Public Health. She aims to become a Gastroenterologist, and use epidemiologic methods to uncover disease causes, provide evidence for better treatments, and promote preventive healthcare.

Xinyu is a first-year Master of Science student in Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She received her Bachelor’s degrees in Medicine and Economics from Peking University. Her research focuses on multi-omics in relation to cancers and cardiometabolic diseases and aims to translate epidemiological findings into clinical practice. In her spare time, she enjoys making coffee, cooking, and traveling with friends.

Sookyung is a Master of Public Health student in Quantitative Methods at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She earned her MD from Dankook University in South Korea. Her research interests focus on the clinical epidemiology of cancer and all aspects of cancer prevention, especially in early detection and risk reduction through modifiable factors. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, swimming, and exploring new places.

Emily completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Buffalo, Honors College. She is currently studying at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, pursuing a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology with concentration in Cancer Prevention. Her goal as a master’s student is to learn a broad overview of cancer epidemiological methods, including methods to identify high risk groups for cancer and to use observational and randomized clinical trial data to support cancer prevention and interventional approaches tailored to high-risk groups. A more recent interest is in pharmacoepidemiology. Her goal is to learn pharmacoepidemiologic methods to assess drug safety and efficacy.

Angela is an MS student in Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a pediatric gastroenterologist at National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch. She earned her MD from Taipei Medical University in 2017. Her research interests focus on the impact of early life exposures on colorectal cancer, the drivers of childhood obesity, and the role of the gut microbiome.

Stephanie is a visiting PhD student from the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, where her work focuses on examining the impacts of the Nordic diet on multiple factors, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, exposure to food contaminants, and environmental sustainability. She is taking part in a research visit investigating the gut microbiome in relation to dietary factors under the supervision of Associate Professor Mingyang Song.