Xiang Qi

Faculty

Xiang Qi headshot

Xiang Qi

PhD RN

Assistant Professor

1 212 992 5797

433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States

Accepting PhD students

Xiang Qi, PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. A nurse-scientist with interdisciplinary training in gerontology and neurobiology, Prof. Qi’s research program operates at the critical intersection of geriatric oral health, social epidemiology & psychiatry, and dementia caregiving, with the goal of reducing disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among older populations in the U.S. and globally. Qi is an expert in data science and advanced quantitative methods, including machine learning, multilevel modeling, and causal inference. He has extensive experience analyzing large-scale population health datasets and electronic health records to map the social determinants of health.

Qi is currently the principal investigator of an NIH-funded R01 project investigating the social and biological pathways linking poor oral health to dementia subtypes. His research challenges the historical separation of dental and medical care, providing robust evidence that oral health is a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. His landmark research established a strong relationship between poor oral health and dementia risk, a finding that has reshaped clinical conversations around preventative oral care. Furthermore, his advocacy for including oral health in global dementia prevention guidelines was published in The Lancet.

In parallel, Qi is a leading voice in Asian American health research. He leads multiple NIH-funded studies (NIMHD P50, NIA P30) that utilize data disaggregation to reveal hidden disparities in cardiometabolic disease, mental health, and cognitive aging among diverse Asian American subgroups. Prior to his faculty appointment, Qi served as a postdoctoral research scientist at the Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Excellence, where he contributed to a community-based participatory intervention to support Chinese and Korean family caregivers of people with dementia.

His research has been featured by major media outlets such as CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Science News, and The Toronto Star. He serves on the Editorial Boards of Innovation in Aging and Discover Public Health. He has also held key roles within the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Oral Health Interest Group, contributing to reports that advocate for expanded Medicare dental coverage. He further serves on advisory boards for community organizations like CaringKind and VNS Health, helping to bridge research with real-world improvements in dementia care.

PhD in Nursing Research and Theory Development, New York University
Exchange Program in Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California, Davis
BS, Fudan University
Gerontology
Oral-systemic health
Public and Global Health
Underserved populations
Alzheimer’s Association International Society
New York Academy of Medicine
Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society
Gerontological Society of American
Eastern Nursing Research Society
Research Poster Award, Health Equity Action Network (2024)
Minority Issues in Gerontology Student Poster Award, Gerontological Society of American (2023)
2022-2023 Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (2023)
The Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization – Best Poster Award, Gerontological Society of American (2022)
Minority Issues in Gerontology Student Poster Award, Gerontological Society of American (2022)
The Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization – Carol Schutz Student Travel Award, Gerontological Society of American (2022)
FIRE Doctoral Student Research Leadership Award, New York Academy of Medicine (2022)
Douglas Holmes Emerging Scholar Paper Award, Gerontological Society of American (2022)
Student Registration Award, Gerontological Society of American (2021)
Excellent Graduate of Shanghai, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2019)
National Undergraduate Scholarship, Ministry of Education of China (2018)
Research and Innovation Award, Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (2018)
Overseas Exchange Outstanding Student Scholarship, Fudan University, China (2017)
The First Prize Scholarship, Fudan University, China (2016)
Excellent Student Leader, Fudan University, China (2015)

Maintaining daily living activities in older adults : The impact of a functional exercise program in long-term nursing homes. A single-group pre-post intervention

Mugica-Errazquin, I., Irazusta, J., Kortajarena, M., Elosegi, S., Wu, B., Qi, X., Rodriguez-Larrad, A., & Rezola-Pardo, C. (2024). In Geriatric Nursing (Vols. 60, pp. 215-224). 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.09.003
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Objective: To evaluate the impact of a function-focused multicomponent exercise program on long-term nursing home (LTNH) residents’ ability to maintain activities of daily living (ADL), physical performance, cognitive function, quality of life, and frailty. Methods: This multicenter single-group pre-post quasi-experimental study involved 148 participants from 16 LTNHs in Gipuzkoa, Spain. Participants underwent a twice-weekly, 6-month function-focused multicomponent exercise program and were assessed both before and after the intervention. Results: Following the intervention, participants significantly maintained ADL ability, improved physical performance and quality of life, and reduced frailty (all p < 0.05). Cognitive function showed a positive trend. Subgroup analysis showed consistent improvements across demographics and health variables. Conclusions: The exercise program effectively maintained or improved ability to perform ADL, cognitive function, physical performance, and quality of life while reducing frailty in LTNH residents, irrespective of individual characteristics. This highlights the importance of exercise interventions to preserve overall function and wellbeing in this population.

The mitigating role of social capital on the association between food insecurity and psychological distress among Chinese adults

Qi, X., Pei, Y., Li, G., Liu, Y., Tang, W., Hall, B. J., & Wu, B. (2024). In International Journal of Social Psychiatry (Vols. 70, Issues 8, pp. 1542-1551). 10.1177/00207640241277152
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Background: Food insecurity, a pervasive global issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes. However, the role of social capital in mitigating this relationship remains understudied, particularly in the Chinese context. Aims: This study investigated the associations between food insecurity and psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and examined the potential moderating effects of bonding and bridging social capital among Chinese adults in Shanghai. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,220 Chinese adults (mean age: 34.45; 51.5% male) in Shanghai. Food insecurity was assessed using the modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, psychological distress was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and social capital was evaluated using the Revised Personal Social Capital Scale. Results: Multivariable linear regression analyses revealed that food insecurity was significantly positively associated with both depressive (β = 0.449, SE = 0.024) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.391, SE = 0.022), after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and COVID-19-related factors. Higher levels of bonding and bridging social capital were significantly associated with fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. Significant interactions (p

Psychological distress in Asian American informal caregivers : an analysis by disaggregated ethnic groups

Qi, X., Wang, K., Pei, Y., Ðoàn, L. N., Yi, S. S., & Wu, B. (2024). In Ethnicity and Health. 10.1080/13557858.2024.2430287
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Background: Despite Asians being the fastest-growing ethnic group in the US, most studies have focused on Asian Americans as an aggregate racial/ethnic group. The burden of mental health problems is increasing among caregivers due to population aging, yet little is known about the distress experienced by Asian caregivers when examined by disaggregated ethnic groups. Methods: Using 2019–2020 California Health Interview Survey data, we examined disparities in psychological well-beings between non-Hispanic White and Asian American adult caregivers, with an emphasis on understudied Asian ethnic groups. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler 6 scale, with scores ≥6 indicating mental distress and ≥13 indicating serious mental illness. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for socio-demographics, physical health, caregiving relationship, intensity of care, and care recipients’ characteristics. Results: The study included 8,722 caregivers (mean age, 58.7 years; 61.3% women; 14.1% Asian [379 Chinese, 260 Filipino, 167 Japanese, 138 South Asian, 105 Korean, 101 Vietnamese, 78 other Asian], 85.9% White). Overall, 26.8% had mental distress, and 8.5% had serious mental illness. Compared to White caregivers, Korean American caregivers had higher odds of mental distress (Odds Ratio [OR], 2.37; 95% CI, 1.47–3.82) and serious mental illness (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.17–3.92), while Chinese (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55–0.95) and Japanese (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45–0.99) American caregivers had lower odds of mental distress. Korean American caregivers had the highest prevalence of mental distress (43.1%) and serious mental illness (15.3%), compared with White and other Asian American caregivers. Conclusion: Disaggregating data reveals significant mental health disparities among ethnic subgroups of Asian American caregivers. Tailored resources should address the distinct needs of ethnic subgroups of Asian American caregivers, considering language barriers, acculturation, and cultural norms that may exacerbate psychological distress.

Relationship Between Primary Caregiving Type and a Peaceful End-Of-Life Experience Among Older Adults in China

Gong, X., Wang, X., Qi, X., & Wu, B. (2024). In Journal of Aging and Social Policy. 10.1080/08959420.2024.2422653
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Few studies have compared pain management provided by informal and formal caregivers of older adults in China at the end of life. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the association between formal and informal care and painfulness at the end of life among older adults in China. Specifically, the study focuses on the influence of various types of informal care. Data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted from 2002 to 2018, which is the largest nationally representative study of older adults in China, with a sample size of 21,849 deceased participants. Results from multiple logistic regressions suggest that informal care is associated with a more painful end-of-life experience compared to formal care, with care provided by adult children being a more favorable option within informal care. These findings underscore the urgent need to prioritize education on death and dying, improve the formal care system, and enhance professionalism within informal care.

Age differences in the effects of multi-component periodontal treatments on oral and metabolic health among people with diabetes mellitus: a meta-epidemiological study

Zhu, Z., Qi, X., Zheng, Y., Pei, Y., & Wu, B. (2023). In Journal of Dentistry (Vols. 135).
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Association Between Types of Family Support and Glycemic Control for Adults With Cognitive Impairment

Zheng, Y., Lawrence, K., Fletcher, J., Qi, X., & Wu, B. (2023). In Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (Vols. 9, p. 23337214231218800).
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Mechanisms of Change in Cognitive Function Domains Among Older Adults in Cognitive Deterioration and Improvement Groups: Evidence From Phenotypic Network Structure

Zhu, Z., Zwerling, J. L., Qi, X., Pei, Y., Zheng, Y., & Wu, B. (2023). In Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (Vols. 24, Issues 12, pp. 2009-2016).
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Prevalence and incidence of mild cognitive impairment in adults with diabetes in the United States

Zheng, Y., Ma, Q., Qi, X., Zhu, Z., & Wu, B. (2023). In Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice (Vols. 205).
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Socioeconomic Status Disparities in Cognitive and Physical Functional Impairment among Older Adults : Comparison of Asians with other Major Racial/Ethnic Groups

Wang, K., Zhu, Z., & Qi, X. (2023). In Journal of Urban Health (Vols. 100, Issues 4, pp. 839-851). 10.1007/s11524-023-00768-1
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This study investigated to what extent socioeconomic status (SES) disparity associates with cognitive and physical impairment within older Asian Americans in comparison with other races/ethnicities. Data were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2018 that included 3,297 White, 1,755 Black, 1,708 Hispanic, and 730 Asian Americans aged ≥ 60. Physical functioning was measured by activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Memory and language fluency were evaluated using the Alzheimer's Disease Word List Memory Task and Animal Fluency Tests, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the association between SES and physical and cognitive impairment within racial/ethnic groups, and seemingly unrelated regressions compared coefficients across subgroups. Asians with ≤ high school education had the highest prevalence of age- and sex-adjusted memory impairment among all races/ethnicities, while no difference was observed for those with > high school education. ADL/IADL disability odds did not differ between Asians and Whites, but Asians were more likely to exhibit impaired verbal fluency. Education disparity for ADL disability (OR, 3.40; 95% CI, 2.20–5.25) and memory impairment (OR, 11.57; 95% CI, 6.59–20.31) were largest among Asians compared to Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. Income disparity for function impairment showed no significant difference across racial/ethnic groups (all P > 0.05). Asians experienced the highest burden of physical functioning and memory impairment due to education disparity. Efforts should focus on strengthening research infrastructure and creating targeted programs and services to improve cognitive and physical health for racially/ethnically underrepresented older adults with lower education attainment.

Addressing Health Disparities Among Older Asian American Populations: Research, Data, and Policy

Wu, B., Qi, X., & Kaskie, B. (2022). In Public Policy &amp; Aging Report. 10.1093/ppar/prac015
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