Li Zhang

Li Zhang is a Full Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She is also an associate member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC), where she contributes significantly to cancer research through biostatistical and epidemiological methodologies.

Her research is centered on cancer epidemiology and immunoinformatics, with a focus on applying statistical methods to high-throughput sequencing data, clinical trials, and basic science studies in oncology. Dr. Zhang has developed advanced computational approaches to unravel immune receptor sequencing in the context of cancer immunotherapy, contributing to a deeper understanding of immune responses.

The recent publications highlight a strong interdisciplinary trend, spanning prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, diabetes, and global health, with methodologies rooted in biostatistics, machine learning, and molecular diagnostics. Her work frequently appears in high-impact journals such as The Lancet Oncology, JAMA Network Open, and Clinical Cancer Research.

Dr. Zhang has received numerous honors, including:

• CTSI Impact Award (2022)
• Prostate Cancer Pilot Project Award, UCSF (2021)
• Outstanding Service Award, American Statistical Association (2019)
• Movember Foundation-Challenge Award (2016)
• Innovator Award, Cleveland Clinic (2005)

She has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on multiple NIH-funded grants, including R01, R21, and U54 awards, covering areas such as immunotherapy response, hyperpolarized MRI, and radiotracer development. She actively mentors students and junior researchers, including Phi Le, Xingyue Gong, Leah Ung, Hai Yang, and Bridget P. Keenan. Dr. Zhang is also involved in leadership roles, such as serving on the Global Action Plan 6 Project Steering Committee and as a statistical reviewer for the Movember Foundation.

Her research is conducted within collaborative teams across UCSF and international sites, particularly in global oncology initiatives in Tanzania and other resource-limited settings.