Bei Wu

Dr. Wu is Dean’s Professor in Global Health and Vice Dean for Research at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is an inaugural Co-Director of the NYU Aging Incubator. Prior to joining NYU, she was the Pauline Gratz Professor of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. Prof. Wu is an internationally-known leader in gerontology.

As a principal investigator, Prof. Wu has led numerous projects supported by federal agencies and private foundations, including the NIH and CDC. She is currently leading several NIH-funded projects including a clinical trial to improve oral health for persons

with cognitive impairment, and a large secondary data analysis to examine how the co-occurrence of diabetes and poor oral health may lead to the development of dementia and cognitive decline. She co-leads the newly funded Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity. Through this center, she also leads a 5-year intervention study that focuses on supporting Chinese and Korean dementia caregivers who are at increased risk for high blood pressure and diabetes due to the physical and emotional demands of caregiving. She is a director of the Research and Education Core for the NIA-funded Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR).

As a scholar, Prof. Wu is an internationally known leader in gerontology. Her scholarship has been distinguished by interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers in various disciplines, including nursing and dentistry, in the US and abroad. Her research areas cover a wide range of topics related to aging and global health, including oral health, long-term care, dementia, and caregiving. She is one of the first in the nation to study the linkages between oral health and cognitive decline in older adults. Her research has also addressed knowledge gaps in the linkages between oral health and diabetes.

Prof. Wu has devoted much of her time to training the next generation of aging and nursing scientists from dozens of academic institutions in the U.S. and abroad. She has mentored hundreds of faculty members, visiting scholars, and students from various disciplines, including nursing, gerontology, dentistry, medicine, social work, demography, public health, sociology, public policy, geography, and economics. She is successful in mentoring several dozens of early-stage faculty members in receiving competitive funding from NIH, Robert Wood Johnson Scholars, the Alzheimer’s Society (UK), National Science Foundation of China, China Medical Board, National Medical Research Council (Singapore), and many others.

Prof. Wu is a productive researcher. She has published more than 600 peer-reviewed papers, books, reports, and conference abstracts. Her extensive publications cover a wide range of topics related to aging and global health. She has delivered presentations at hundreds of conferences as an invited speaker. Her work has been widely recognized in the field. Research findings from her team have been featured by the National Institute on Aging, and in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, BBC, U.S. News and World Report, MarketWatch, CBS News, Reuters, AARP Bulletin, China Daily, Daily Mail, South China Morning Post, and Financial Review.

Her achievement has been recognized by many international and national organizations and she is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the New York Academy of Medicine. She is an honorary member of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and is the former president of the Geriatric Oral Research Group of the International Association for Dental Research. She has served on a number of NIH review panels and is a frequent reviewer for multiple international funding agencies. She was honored as the 2017 IADR Distinguished Scientist in Geriatric Oral Research. She is the recipient of the 2022 Wei Hu Inspiration Award from the China Health Policy and Management Society.

PhD - Gerontology Center, University of Massachusetts, Boston

MS - Gerontology Center, University of Massachusetts, Boston

BS - Shanghai University

Gerontology

Global

Honorary Member, Sigma Theta Tau International - Honor Society of Nursing

Distinguished Scientist Award for Geriatric Oral Research, International Association for Dental Research (2017)

Pauline Gratz Professorship, Duke University School of Nursing (2014)

J. Morita Junior Investigator Award in Geriatric Oral Health, International Association for Dental Research (2007)

Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine

Fellow, Gerontological Society of America

Fellow, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Accessing High-Quality Home Health Care among Older Adults with and Without Dementia

Ma, C., Wu, B., & Brody, A. A. (2025). In Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (Vols. 26, Issues 5). 10.1016/j.jamda.2025.105539

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Objectives: Home health care (HHC) plays a pivotal role in serving millions of US adults aging in place. Although the HHC population is growing rapidly in both size and diversity, driven by an aging US population and a changing demographic profile, there are increasing concerns of equity in HHC, particularly regarding how vulnerable populations are affected under current HHC practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the variations in accessing high-quality HHC in racial and ethnic minority groups and persons living with dementia. Design: Cross-sectional, secondary analysis. Setting and Participants: Older adults who received HHC in 2016 from agencies with a star rating of overall care quality from the Home Health Compare program. Methods: Start of care data from the 2016 HHC Outcome and Assessment Information Set was linked to Master Beneficiary Summary File, Home Health Compare, and Provider of Services file to address the aim. Multinomial regressions were used in analysis when risk-adjusting for individual and agency characteristics. Results: Our risk-adjusted estimates, based on data from 574,682 older adults aged ≥65 years served by 8634 HHC agencies nationwide (2290 offering high-quality care, 4023 providing moderate-quality care, and 2321 delivering low-quality care), revealed significant disparities. Non-Hispanic Blacks (relative risk ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.61–0.64) and Hispanics (relative risk ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.70–0.74) were significantly less likely to receive care from high-quality agencies. Additionally, having dementia exacerbated disparities in accessing high-quality HHC between racial and ethnic minorities and white Americans. Conclusions and Implications: Racial and ethnic minority individuals face significant disadvantages in accessing high-quality HHC, with persons living with dementia from these groups being the most disadvantaged. Further research is warranted to investigate the referral and admission processes for HHC. Our findings highlight the need for actions from clinicians and policymakers to tackle potential biases in the aforementioned care processes.

Racial and ethnic disparities in the burden of non-obese type 2 diabetes using different anthropometric measurements

Sui, J., Wu, B., Zheng, Y., Mo, Z., Dong, Q., Ðoàn, L. N., Yi, S. S., & Qi, X. (2025). In Obesity Medicine (Vols. 53).

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Racial and ethnic disparities in the burden of non-obese type 2 diabetes using different anthropometric measurements

Sui, J., Wu, B., Zheng, Y., Mo, Z., Dong, Q., Ðoàn, L. N., Yi, S. S., & Qi, X. (2025). In Obesity Medicine (Vols. 53). 10.1016/j.obmed.2024.100573

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AIMS: Compare racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of non-obese type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the proportion of non-obese individuals among T2D patients.METHODS: This cross-sectional study used ICD-9/10 codes to ascertain T2D. Participants were classified as non-obese by BMI (

Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Joint Effect of Edentulism and Diabetes on All-Cause Mortality Risks : A 12-Year Prospective Cohort Analysis

Qi, X., Tan, C., Luo, H., Plassman, B. L., Sloan, F. A., Kamer, A. R., Schwartz, M. D., & Wu, B. (2025). In Journal of public health dentistry. 10.1111/jphd.70000

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Objectives: Edentulism and diabetes mellitus (DM) are frequently seen among older adults. However, the joint effect of edentulism and DM on mortality was understudied. We aim to examine the joint effect of edentulism and DM on all-cause mortality and to what extent the joint effect varies by race/ethnicity. Methods: Analysis of US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data (2006–2018) included 11,813 non-Hispanic Whites, 2216 non-Hispanic Blacks, and 1337 Hispanics aged ≥ 50 years old. Mortality data came from the National Death Index or HRS surveys. Edentulism was self-reported and DM was determined by self-reported diagnosis, medication use, or glycosylated hemoglobin. Cox proportional-hazard models with inverse probability treatment weighting were applied. Results: During mean follow-up of 9.6 years, 2874 Whites, 703 Blacks, and 441 Hispanics died. DM was associated with higher mortality across all groups (Whites: HR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.25–1.64; Blacks: HR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.28–2.04; Hispanics: HR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.07–1.99). However, edentulism predicted higher mortality only in Whites (HR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.51–1.80). Having both conditions showed highest mortality risk in all groups (Whites: HR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.56–3.42; Blacks: HR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.45–2.59; Hispanics: HR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.16–2.70), with a significant additive interaction observed only in Whites (relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.22, p < 0.05). Conclusions: DM and edentulism pose an additive risk for mortality in Whites, and there are racial/ethnic differences in edentulism-related mortality.

Reflections on The Lancet's Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care

Qi, X., Luo, H., & Wu, B. (2025). In The Lancet (Vols. 405, Issues 10479, p. 625). 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00149-7

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Relationship between depression and oral microbiome diversity : analysis of NHANES data (2009–2012)

Qiu, X., Xu, T., Huang, Y., Wei, C., Wang, L., & Wu, B. (2025). In BMC Oral Health (Vols. 25, Issue 1). 10.1186/s12903-025-06274-x

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Background: While the association between the gut microbiome and depression is well studied, the association between the oral microbiome and depression is less well characterized. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the association between depression and diversity of oral microbiome using data from the 2009–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The gene sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA was adopted for the profiling of oral microbiome. Alpha diversity, quantified by the observed number of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), and beta diversity, assessed using Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, were evaluated to represent oral microbiome diversity. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale, with alpha diversity as the primary predictor. Weighted logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between depression and microbial alpha diversity. Threshold effect analysis was performed to explore potential nonlinear relationships between the observed ASVs and depression. Subgroup analysis indicated that smoke, excessive alcohol consumption, and oral treatment influenced the association between oral microbiology and depression, with interaction effects observed across gender and racial groups. Beta diversity differences were evaluated using Bray–Curtis dissimilarity and visualized via non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Results: A total of 15,018 participants were included, with an average age of 42.25 ± 15.2 years. In the fully adjusted model, the alpha diversity of oral microbiome was significantly negatively correlated with depression (OR = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.79—-0.23, P = 0.003). Threshold analysis also revealed a nonlinear association in this relationship, with a significant inflection point as Log10ASVs of 2.32. Furthermore, beta diversity of the oral microbiome differed significantly between the normal and depression groups (p = 0.001). Sensitivity analyses showed that the relationship between depression and oral microbial diversity observed in this research was particularly pronounced among non-Hispanic Whites (OR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.07–0.35) and men (OR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06–0.30). Additionally, significant differences in oral microbiome beta diversity were observed between the normal and depression groups (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the diversity of oral microbiome is negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Hence, oral dysbiosis may serve as a therapeutic target or biomarker of depression. However, the underlying mechanisms require further investigation.

Social context matters : Neighborhood environment as a moderator of the longitudinal relationship between edentulism and cognitive function among older adults in the United States

Liu, R., Qi, X., Mao, W., Luo, H., Xu, Z., & Wu, B. (2025). In Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics (Vols. 133). 10.1016/j.archger.2025.105806

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Trajectory of Cognitive Decline Across Different Racial/Ethnic Groups : The Role of Edentulism

Liu, R., Qi, X., Luo, H., & Wu, B. (2025). In Research on Aging. 10.1177/01640275251315850

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This study examines whether age-related cognitive decline varies by race/ethnicity and how edentulism moderates these effects. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006–2020), including 23,669 respondents aged 51 and above across 189,352 person-wave observations were analyzed. Of all respondents, 13.4% were edentulous at baseline, with 65.4% identified as non-Hispanic White, 20.5% non-Hispanic Black, and 14.18% Hispanic. Results from linear mixed-effect models indicated that compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black participants exhibited lower baseline cognition scores but slower cognitive decline with age. For edentulous Hispanic participants, this slower rate of decline was attenuated by 0.03 units per year (95% CI: −0.06, −0.01, p =.049). The findings highlighted the need for targeted interventions and policies to improve oral health, particularly for Hispanic populations. Addressing oral health disparities could help mitigate cognitive decline in this group and reduce cognitive health disparities across racial/ethnic groups.

Trends of Oral Health Status of Older Adults by Immigration Status in the United States : 1999–2018

Luo, H., Wu, B., Qi, X., & Moss, M. E. (2025). In Journal of public health dentistry. 10.1111/jphd.12679

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Introduction: This study examined oral health trends of older immigrants in the US from 1999 to 2018 and disparities between immigrants and non-immigrants across different races/ethnicities. Methods: Data were from the 1999–2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES). Outcome variables were self-reported poor oral health and significant tooth loss (i.e., < 20 permanent teeth). Participants were categorized into three groups as US natives, naturalized citizens, or noncitizen residents. The analytical sample comprised 13,424 older adults (ages 60+), including 10,087 US natives, 2280 naturalized citizens, and 1057 noncitizen residents. We assessed the trends in poor oral health and significant tooth loss across the three groups and conducted analyses stratified by race/ethnicity to examine within-group disparities. Results: From 1999 to 2018, noncitizen residents consistently showed higher rates of poor oral health and significant tooth loss compared to US natives and naturalized citizens. Multiple logistic regression model results showed that naturalized citizens were less likely (AOR = 0.79, p = 0.03) to report poor oral health. Stratified analyses by racial/ethnic groups showed that among Blacks, naturalized citizens were less likely to report poor oral health (AOR = 0.59, p = 0.02) than Blacks who were born in the US. Conclusion: While overall oral health improved among older immigrants from 1999 to 2018, oral health disparities persisted, especially between noncitizen residents and US natives. There were significant differences in oral health between Black immigrants and their US-born counterparts. Future research is needed to corroborate these findings and monitor the trend of oral health disparities.

Unequal Effects of the Lockdown on Mental Health in Shanghai : The Moderating and Mediating Role of Neighborhood Environment and Online Social Connections

Pei, Y., Qi, X., Li, G., Tang, W., Huang, K., Hall, B. J., & Wu, B. (2025). In Journal of Community Psychology (Vols. 53, Issue 1). 10.1002/jcop.23177

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The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted population mental health worldwide. Few studies examined how the neighborhood environment and online social connections might influence the social gradient in mental health during the pandemic lockdown. We aim to examine the moderating and mediating role of neighborhood environment and online social connections in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of 3763 Shanghai residents during the COVID-19 lockdown between April 29 and June 1, 2022. Employing OLS linear regression analyses, our findings reveal that SES was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (B = 0.173, p < 0.001) and anxiety (B = 0.147, p < 0.001). The findings supported our hypotheses that this disparity in mental health was partially mediated by neighborhood social capital, community management, and the extent of online social connections measured by the frequency of social connection through the social media WeChat (all p < 0.05). Additionally, neighborhood social capital, community management, and online social connections also mitigated SES-driven mental health inequalities (all p < 0.05). The study underscores the significance of the neighborhood environment and online social interactions in amplifying SES-related mental health effects, offering valuable insights for urban planning and health equity strategies.