Yuan Zhang

Yuan Zhang is a tenured Associate Professor at the Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell. With expertise in Occupational Health and Health Promotion, her research focuses on sleep health, mental health, and workplace safety for healthcare workers, particularly night shift nurses.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Occupational Health and Health Promotion (2013) from UMass Lowell, a Post-Master's Certificate in Environmental Risk Assessment (2011), a Master of Science in Clinical Nursing and Nursing Education (2007) from Shandong University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2004) from the same institution.

Research highlights include pioneering work on Total Worker Health® interventions, funded by NIOSH and NIA. She has developed evidence-based strategies to address shift work sleep disorders, emotional labor in healthcare, and work-family conflict. Her publications span top journals like Sleep, JAMA, and Workplace Health & Safety.

Scientific Awards:

• 2025 AAOHN Fellows Award
• 2024 Teaching Excellence & ANA Massachusetts Nursing Research Awards
• 2017 MACN Early Career Award
• 2016 Sigma Theta Tau Travel Award

She serves as Co-Investigator for multi-million-dollar grants including NIOSH’s SHIFT Research Team and a NIA R01 on circadian disruption in older workers. Her work has been presented at over 40 national/international conferences including SLEEP, APHA, and AAOHN.