InsideAPE: Zihao Liu and Emory School of Medicine

Zihao Liu is a rising second-year Epidemiology MSPH candidate who is spending his summer understanding patient-reported outcomes for sickle cell disease with Dr. Nitya Bakshi and Emory School of Medicine. His primary interests include infectious disease, specifically rotavirus, vaccine distribution, and patient-centered outcomes research. Read more about Zihao and his experience below!

Tell us about your APE project. 

For my APE, I am working with Dr. Nitya Bakshi from Emory School of Medicine on a project evaluating the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for an acute vaso-occlusive episode in sickle cell disease patients using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) under different demographic and clinical characteristics; this is part of the result of phase II clinical trial of intervenous arginine therapy in sickle cell disease. I will be conducting a systematic review, data analysis, and drafting a manuscript.

How did you find your APE project?

My APE is a continuation of my REAL job. I began working for Dr. Bakshi primarily as a data analyst for another sickle cell disease project. After finishing it in the Spring semester, we started my current project, and I have been working on it for my APE since then.

What has the experience been like so far?

My experience so far has been fantastic. It was a challenging and rewarding process to start the project, from conducting the literature review to spending months coding and conducting data analysis, then finally writing the result into a manuscript. But, more importantly, working on the APE is a precious learning experience for me.

How have you been spending your free time this summer?

I have been spending my free time this summer trying different restaurants in Atlanta and binge-watching “The Office” over and over again.

What are 3 fun facts that you want people to know about you?

1. I came from northeastern China, where the temperature usually gets to -30℉ in winter and sometimes still snows in April. Coming to Atlanta is the first time in my life where I don’t live with any snow in winter.

2. I adopted a cat named Crew when I came to Atlanta.

3. I have been volunteering at a local crisis hotline for 4 years and am still doing it during the weekend.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Zihao! Stay tuned to The Confounder for the next InsideAPE feature.