TREND Community is honored to announce the addition of Enming Zhang as a data scientist on our team. Enming received her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Xi’an Jiaotong University and her Master of Science in statistics from Purdue University. She is currently a PhD candidate in health informatics at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
Enming’s passion for chronic and rare disease grew out of both personal and professional inspirations. When her father was battling cancer, she decided to change career paths to apply her knowledge and skills to chronic and rare diseases. This personal connection with life-changing chronic illness is reflected in her topic choice for her PhD thesis: the social lives of those living with obesity.
Statistical analysis can provide glimpses into the quantifiable complexities of a medical condition; however, to truly understand that condition’s impact, it is essential to ask questions about social and mental health to see the big picture. The pathophysiologies of chronic conditions are oftentimes well documented, but less is known about the myriad ways that living with rare and chronic diseases affects people socially and emotionally. Enming is working to address the unmet needs of rare disease communities and to reduce the stigma for those living with chronic conditions. Her focus is on improving world and community health through patient-centered care.
“Connecting the dots,” per se, with rare and chronic diseases requires as much creativity as it does scientific ingenuity. Enming’s focus on the social and emotional aspects of rare disease is a reflection of both her ingenuity and creativity. She uncovers new insights by following individuals’ comments across open groups, allowing her to see more than known disease-specific symptoms. In gaining an understanding of the complex social and emotional impacts of rare disease, TREND sees the person behind the condition.
Outside her work as a data scientist working toward her PhD, Enming enjoys spending time with her two daughters. Her passions of baking, cooking, and crafting are reflections of the creativity she brings to the team at TREND Community.