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, Gerontological Society of America

Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine

Fellow, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

Aging: Implications for the Oral Cavity

Wu, B. (2014). In P. Friedman (Ed.), Geriatric Dentistry: Caring for an Aging Population (1–, pp. 1-16). Wiley Blackwell.

Analysis of the elders’ long-term care arrangement and its influencing factors in rural China

Cao, Y., Wu, B., & Dai, J. (2014). Dalian Science and Technology University Journal: Social Sciences, 35(1), 117-123.

Long-term care policy in China: 15 years of development and its future direction

Peng, R., & Wu, B. (2014). Global Health Journal, 1(2), 29-36.

Mobile technology for health care in rural China

Ni, Z., Wu, B., Samples, C., & Shaw, R. J. (2014). International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 1(3), 323-324. 10.1016/j.ijnss.2014.07.003

Abstract

Abstract

With the proliferation of mobile technologies in China, the Chinese mobile medical applications market is growing rapidly. This may be particularly useful for Chinese rural populations who have limited access to quality medical care where mobile technologies can reach across geographic and socioeconomic boundaries and potentially increase access to care and improve health outcomes.

Racial and ethnic differences in obesity and overweight as predictors of the onset of functional impairment

Wei, L., & Wu, B. (2014). Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 62(1), 61-70. 10.1111/jgs.12605

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives To examine racial and ethnic differences in the effects of body mass index (BMI) on the onset of functional impairment over 10 years of follow-up. Design Longitudinal analyses of a cohort from a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling American adults. Setting Six waves (1996-2006) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Participants Two groups of HRS participants aged 50 and older without functional impairment at baseline (1996): 5,884 with no mobility difficulty and 8,484 with no activity of daily living (ADL) difficulty. Measurements Mobility difficulty was a composite measure of difficulty walking several blocks, walking one block, climbing several flights of stairs, and climbing one flight of stairs. ADL difficulty was measured as difficulty in dressing, bathing or showering, eating, and getting in and out of bed without help. The association between baseline BMI and risk of developing functional impairment was estimated using generalized estimating equation models. Results Overweight and obesity were significant predictors of functional impairment. Overweight and obese Hispanics were 41% and 91% more likely, respectively, to develop ADL disability than whites in the same BMI categories. Overweight and severely obese blacks were also more likely than their white counterparts to develop ADL disability. Risk of developing ADL difficulty was higher for Hispanics than for blacks in the obese category. No significant differences in onset of mobility difficulty were found between racial or ethnic groups within any BMI category. Conclusion Blacks and Hispanics were at higher risk than whites of ADL but not mobility impairment. In addition to weight control, prevention efforts should promote exercise to reduce functional impairment, especially for blacks and Hispanics, who are at higher risk.

Racial/ethnic disparities in preventive care practice among U.S. Nursing home residents

Luo, H., Zhang, X., Cook, B., Wu, B., & Wilson, M. R. (2014). Journal of Aging and Health, 26(4), 519-539. 10.1177/0898264314524436

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: To assess racial/ethnic disparities in preventive care practices among U.S. nursing home residents. Method: To implement the Institute of Medicine definition of health care disparity, we used the rank-and-replace adjustment method to assess the disparity in receipt of eight preventive care services among residents and evaluate trends in disparities. The sampling design (stratification and clustering) was accounted for using Stata 11. Results: The 2004 National Nursing Home Surveys data show White residents were more likely to have pain management, scheduled toilet plan/bladder retraining, influenza vaccination, and pneumococcal vaccination than Black residents. White residents were also more likely to have scheduled toilet plan/bladder retraining than residents of Other race/ethnicity. Significant Black-White disparities in receipt of influenza vaccination and pneumococcal vaccination were found. Time trend analysis showed that disparities were neither exacerbated nor reduced. Conclusion: Persistent racial/ethnic disparities in preventive care among nursing home residents exist. We urge the development and implementation of targeted interventions to improve the quality of preventive care in nursing homes.

Social Isolation and Cognitive Function in Appalachian Older Adults

DiNapoli, E. A., Wu, B., & Scogin, F. (2014). Research on Aging, 36(2), 161-179. 10.1177/0164027512470704

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: Investigating the relation between social isolation and cognitive function will allow us to identify components to incorporate into cognitive interventions. Method: Data were collected from 267 Appalachian older adults (M = 78.5, range 70-94 years). Overall cognitive functioning and specific cognitive domains were assessed from data of a self-assembled neuropsychological battery of frequently used tasks. Social isolation, social disconnectedness, and perceived isolation were measured from the Lubben Social Network scale-6. Results: Results indicated a significant positive association between all predictor variables (e.g., social isolation, social disconnectedness, and perceived isolation) and outcome variables (e.g., overall cognitive function, memory, executive functioning, attention, and language abilities). Perceived isolation accounted for nearly double the amount of variance in overall cognitive functioning than social disconnectedness (10.2% vs. 5.7%). Discussion: Findings suggest that social isolation is associated with poorer overall cognitive functioning and this remains true across varied cognitive domains.

Social stratification and tooth loss among middle-aged and older Americans from 1988 to 2004

Wu, B., Hybels, C., Liang, J., Landerman, L., & Plassman, B. (2014). Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 42(6), 495-502. 10.1111/cdoe.12116

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives: Tooth retention has improved over the past few decades, but it is not known whether these trends have been observed across all demographic/socioeconomic subgroups. We examined number of missing teeth among dentate individuals (n = 9, 113) as well as edentulism and systematically modeled their trends over time by using clinical examination data. Methods: We investigated the association between social stratification and trends in tooth retention among adults ages 50+ from 1988 to 2004, using four waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (n = 11 812). Results: The prevalence of edentulism declined from 24.6% in NHANES III (1988-1994) to 17.4% in 2003-2004, and the mean number of missing teeth declined from 8.19 to 6.50. Older participants, Blacks, the less educated and those with lower income were higher on both edentulism and number missing teeth. Both edentulism and number of missing teeth declined over time, but their patterns varied. For edentulism, age and socioeconomic related disparities decreased over time due to more decline among older and low-income participants. For missing teeth, there was less decrement among older and low-income participants, resulting in increased age and socioeconomic related disparities. Conclusions: Our study found disparities in trends of tooth loss across demographic/socioeconomic strata. Findings suggest that racial/ethnic disparities are partially explained by socioeconomic status. Interventions designed to improve oral health for older adults, particularly those with low levels of income, need special attention.

Social stratification, oral hygiene, and trajectories of dental caries among old americans

Liang, J., Wu, B., Plassman, B., Bennett, J. M., & Beck, J. (2014). Journal of Aging and Health, 26(6), 900-923. 10.1177/0898264314534891

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: This study analyzed how oral hygiene (i.e., brushing, rinsing, and flossing) influences the trajectories of dental caries (i.e., numbers of decayed, missing, and filled teeth) among older Americans within the context of social stratification. Method: Data came from Piedmont Dental Study that involved a sample of 810 older Americans who were dentate in 1988 with up to four repeated observations through 1994. Hierarchical linear models were used for data analysis. Results: Brushing, flossing, and rinsing were associated with the trajectories of dental caries in distinct ways. In addition, oral hygiene was correlated with race, education, household income, and use of dental care. The effects of brushing and flossing on decayed and missing teeth remained robust, even when socio-demographic and health attributes were controlled. Conversely, socioeconomic disparities in dental caries persisted, when oral hygiene was adjusted. Discussion: Both social stratification and oral hygiene need to be considered in promoting oral health.

Staff characteristics and care in Chinese nursing homes: A systematic literature review

Song, Y., Anderson, R. A., Corazzini, K. N., & Wu, B. (2014). International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 1(4), 423-436. 10.1016/j.ijnss.2014.10.003

Abstract

Abstract

The need for institutional long-term care (LTC) services, including nursing homes (NHs), is increasing in Mainland China in part due to the aging population and changing family structures. In developing NH staff training programs, a review is needed to synthesize knowledge about staff and resident characteristics, and care provided in NHs. This systematic review aims to describe, in Chinese NHs, 1) NH staff characteristics and the care they provide, 2) resident characteristics and care needs, and 3) the role of family members. The 45 articles included in this review covered both urban and rural areas of Mainland China. We found that staff in Chinese NHs were older and had lower education levels in comparison with those in western countries. Most direct caregivers in urban areas were migratory workers from rural area. Chinese NHs had few qualification standards for staff preparation for their roles in NHs. Also, functional levels of residents in Chinese NHs were higher compared to NH residents in western countries. In addition, family members played important roles in caring for NH residents. These findings suggest a need for staff development programs that tailor for lower educated NH staff and care needs of residents with widely varying levels in function from independent to bedbound in Mainland China. The findings also suggest that staff qualification standards require critically policy development to improve the capacity of Chinese NHs to provide competent and safe care.