Bei Wu

Faculty

Bei Wu headshot

Bei Wu

FAAN FGSA PhD

Dean's Professor in Global Health
Vice Dean, Research
Affiliated Professor, Ashman Department of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry
Co-director, NYU Aging Incubator

1 212 992 5951

433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States

Accepting PhD students

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, Gerontological Society of America
Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine
Fellow, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

Self-reported diabetes education among Chinese middle-aged and older adults with diabetes

Xu, H., Luo, J., & Wu, B. (2016). Journal of Global Health, 6(2). 10.7189/jogh.06.020402
Abstract
Abstract
Background To compare self-reported diabetes education among Chinese middle-aged and older adults with diabetes in three population groups: urban residents, migrants in urban settings, and rural residents. Methods We used data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The sample included 993 participants age 45 and older who reported having diabetes diagnosed from a health professional. We performed multilevel regressions to examine the associations between characteristics and different aspects of diabetes education received. Findings Our study shows that 20.24% of the participants received no diabetes education at all. Among those who received information, 46.82% of respondents with diabetes received weight control advice from a health care provider, 90.97% received advice on exercise, 60.37% received diet advice, 35.12% were spoken to smoking control, and only 17.89% of persons were informed of foot care. After controlling socioeconomic factors, life style, number of comorbidities and community factors, we found that compared with migrant population and rural residents, urban residents were more likely to receive diabetes education on diet. Urban residents were also more likely to obtain diabetes education and more aspects of diabetes education in comparison with migrants and rural residents. Conclusions Our study suggests diabetes education is a serious concern in China, and a significant proportion of the participants did not receive advice on smoking control and foot care. Rural residents and migrants from rural areas received much less diabetes education compared with urban residents. Efforts to improve diabetes education are urgently needed in China.

Severity of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Nursing Home Residents

Helvik, A. S., Engedal, K., Wu, B., Benth, J. Šaltyte, Corazzini, K., Røen, I., & Selbæk, G. (2016). Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra, 6(1), 28-42. 10.1159/000442250
Abstract
Abstract
We aimed at assessing time shift in the severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in nursing home residents between 2004/2005 and 2010/2011 and associations between NPS and socio-demographic variables, physical health status, dementia severity, and the use of psychotropic drugs. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory Nursing Home Version was used in 2004/2005 (n = 1,163) and 2010/2011 (n = 1,858). Linear mixed model analysis was applied. There was no time shift in the severity of apathy, psychosis, and affective symptoms, but agitation did exhibit a time shift. Agitation was less severe in 2010/2011 than in 2004/2005 in residents with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) sum of boxes score ≤4, and more severe in residents with a CDR sum of boxes score >16. Higher CDR sum of boxes scores and use of psychotropic medication were associated with more severe apathy, agitation, psychosis, and affective symptoms. Poor physical health was associated with more severe apathy, psychosis, and affective symptoms. Women had more severe agitation and less severe affective symptoms than men. A longer stay in a nursing home was associated with more severe agitation and less severe affective symptoms. In conclusion, agitation was less severe in 2010/2011 than in 2004/2005 among nursing home residents with a milder degree of dementia, and more severe in residents with severe dementia.

Trajectories of depressive symptoms and oral health outcomes in a community sample of older adults

Hybels, C. F., Bennett, J. M., Landerman, L. R., Liang, J., Plassman, B. L., & Wu, B. (2016). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 31(1), 83-91. 10.1002/gps.4292
Abstract
Abstract
Objective Adverse outcomes associated with chronic depressive symptoms are of clinical importance. The objective was to identify subgroups of older adults based on their trajectories of depressive symptoms over a 10-year period and determine if these subgroups predicted oral health outcomes. Methods The sample was 944 adults aged 65+ who participated in the oral health module of the the Health and Retirement Survey in 2008. Depressive symptoms were measured with a modified version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Latent class trajectory analysis was used to identify distinct subgroups of elders based on their CES-D scores from 1998-2008. Group membership was used to predict self-rated oral health, overall mouth condition (problems with bleeding gums, gum sensitivity, and food avoidance), and edentulism in 2008. Results Three distinct subgroups were identified using zero-inflated Poisson regression models: (i) minimal depressive symptoms over the study period (43%), (ii) low but generally stable level of depressive symptoms (41%), and (iii) moderate symptoms and higher CES-D scores than the other groups over the 10 years (16%). Controlling for demographic and health variables and edentulism status, having a trajectory of moderate symptoms was associated with poorer mouth condition (p < 0.0001) and poorer self-rated oral health (p = 0.0003) compared with those with minimal symptoms. Having low levels of depressive symptoms was not significantly associated with these two outcomes. Group membership was not significantly associated with the probability of edentulism. Conclusions Chronic moderate depressive symptoms are associated with poorer oral health in older adults.

Trends in decayed teeth among middle-aged and older adults in the United States: socioeconomic disparities persist over time

Hybels, C. F., Wu, B., Landerman, L. R., Liang, J., Bennett, J. M., & Plassman, B. L. (2016). Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 76(4), 287-294. 10.1111/jphd.12153
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives: While trends in tooth loss among older adults have been well documented and show a decline over the last few decades, little is known about trends in tooth decay which may lead to tooth loss. The study aim was to examine trends in tooth decay among adults ages 50 years and older in the United States and determine whether these trends were consistent across demographic and socioeconomic subgroups of middle-aged and older adults. Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected through detailed oral health examinations in the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) surveys 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. Tooth decay was measured as active caries. Multivariable associations were estimated using negative binomial regression models. Results: Averaged over time, the mean number of decayed teeth was 0.54. Rates of decay remained stable over time. Males, non-Hispanic Blacks, Mexican-Americans, and those of other race/ethnicity as well as those with fewer years of education and lower levels of income had more decayed teeth. The increased number of decayed teeth for Mexican-Americans and those of other race/ethnicity was due in part to differing levels of education and income. Trends over time did not vary by any of these demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Trends in the number of decayed teeth did not meaningfully change when the numbers of missing and filled teeth were controlled. Conclusions: Although studies have shown the number of middle-aged and older Americans experiencing tooth loss has decreased over time, trends in tooth decay have remained relatively stable, with socioeconomic disparities persisting over time.

Validating a scale of health beliefs towards in regular check-ups among Chinese older adults

Xu, H., Zhen, Z., Pan, W., Feng, Q., Straughan, P., & Wu, B. (2016). Journal of Transcultural Nursing. 1043659616661392

Adaptive Leadership Framework for Chronic Illness: Framing a Research Agenda for Transforming Care Delivery

Anderson, R. A., Bailey, D. E., Wu, B., Corazzini, K., McConnell, E. S., Thygeson, N. M., & Docherty, S. L. (2015). Advances in Nursing Science, 38(2), 83-95. 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000063
Abstract
Abstract
We propose the Adaptive Leadership Framework for Chronic Illness as a novel framework for conceptualizing, studying, and providing care. This framework is an application of the Adaptive Leadership Framework developed by Heifetz and colleagues for business. Our framework views health care as a complex adaptive system and addresses the intersection at which people with chronic illness interface with the care system. We shift focus from symptoms to symptoms and the challenges they pose for patients/families. We describe how providers and patients/families might collaborate to create shared meaning of symptoms and challenges to coproduce appropriate approaches to care.

Association between Elder Mistreatment and Suicidal Ideation among Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults in the USA

Dong, X., Chen, R., Wu, B., Zhang, N. J., Mui, A. C. Y. S., & Chi, I. (2015). Gerontology, 62(1), 71-80. 10.1159/000437420
Abstract
Abstract
Elder mistreatment and suicidal ideation are important public health concerns among aging populations. However, very few studies have been conducted to explore the association between elder mistreatment and suicidal ideation. Objectives: To examine the association between elder mistreatment and suicidal ideation among Chinese older adults in the USA. Methods: Guided by a community-based participatory research approach, in this study we conducted in-person interviews with Chinese older adults aged 60 years and older in the Greater Chicago area from 2011 to 2013. Elder mistreatment was assessed by a 10-item instrument derived from the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST) and the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS). Suicidal ideation was assessed by the ninth item of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Geriatric Mental State Examination-Version A (GMS-A). Results: Overall, 3,159 Chinese older adults participated in this study, and their mean age was 72.8 years. After controlling for age, gender, education, income, medical comorbidities, depressive symptoms, and social support, elder mistreatment was significantly associated with 2-week suicidal ideation (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.52-4.01) and 12-month suicidal ideation (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.62-3.73). With respect to gender differences, the study found that the association remained significant for older women but not for older men after adjusting for all confounding factors. Conclusion: As the largest epidemiological study conducted among Chinese older adults in the USA, this study suggests that elder mistreatment is significantly associated with 2-week and 12-month suicidal ideation in older women but not in older men. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to explore the mechanisms through which elder mistreatment links with suicidal ideation.

Association between tooth loss and cognitive function among 3063 Chinese older adults: A community-based study

Luo, J., Wu, B., Zhao, Q., Guo, Q., Meng, H., Yu, L., Zheng, L., Hong, Z., & Ding, D. (2015). PloS One, 10(3). 10.1371/journal.pone.0120986
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Oral health has been found to be associated with cognitive function in basic research and epidemiology studies. Most of these studies had no comprehensive clinical diagnosis on cognitive function. This study firstly reported the association between tooth loss and cognitive function among Chinese older population. Methods: The study included 3,063 community dwelling older adults aged 60 or above from the Shanghai Aging Study. Number of teeth missing was obtained from self-reporting questionnaire and confirmed by trained interviewers. Participants were diagnosed as "dementia", "mild cognitive impairment (MCI)", or "cognitive normal" by neurologists using DSM-IV and Petersen criteria. Multivariate logistic regression model was applied to examine the association between number of teeth missing and cognitive function. Results: The study participants had an average of 10.2 teeth lost. Individuals with dementia lost 18.7 teeth on average, much higher than those with MCI (11.8) and cognitive normal (9.3) (p<0.001). After adjusted for sex, age, education year, living alone, body mass index, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, anxiety, depression, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and APOE-ε4, tooth loss of >16 were significantly associated with dementia with an OR of 1.56 (95%CI 1.12-2.18). Conclusion: Having over 16 missing teeth was associated with severe cognitive impairment among Chinese older adults. Poor oral health might be considered as a related factor of neurodegenerative symptom among older Chinese population.

Changes of Health Status and Institutionalization among Older Adults in China

Peng, R., & Wu, B. (2015). Journal of Aging and Health, 27(7), 1223-1246. 10.1177/0898264315577779
Abstract
Abstract
Objective: To examine rates of institutionalization of Chinese older adults aged 65+ and the impact of changes in health status on the likelihood of institutionalization. Method: Using data from the 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), admission rates for each 3-year interval between waves were calculated. Logistic regression models were used to assess the changes of five health status variables as risk factors. Results: Between the first (2002-2005) and third (2008-2011) intervals, the institutionalization rate increased from 0.5% to 0.8%. Risk of institutionalization increased 70% for respondents with declining ability to perform activities of daily living, 53% for those with declining cognitive function, and 44% for those with increasing number of chronic diseases. Discussion: Development of policies and programs to improve older adults' health status is essential to delay institutionalization. Quality of workforce is also critical in meeting the care needs.

Dental Care Utilization Among Caregivers Who Care for Older Adults

Wu, B., Luo, H., Flint, E., & Qin, L. (2015). Research on Aging, 37(4), 388-412. 10.1177/0164027514537082
Abstract
Abstract
The goal of this study was to investigate individual and contextual factors associated with dental care utilization by U.S. informal caregivers. The sample included all 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System respondents who completed the caregiver module and reported providing care for 1 year or more to an individual aged ≥ 50 years or older (n = 1,196). Multiple logistic regressions were used to examine associations of caregiver and care characteristics and county-level contextual characteristics (from Area Resource File data) with two outcomes: dental visits and dental cleaning during previous year. Caregivers with health insurance coverage and higher education were more likely to use dental care; those who had lost more teeth and who were spouse caregivers were less likely to do so. Community characteristics were not correlated with caregivers’ use of dental care. Our findings suggest that better access to dental care could improve dental care utilization by caregivers.