Weiwei Zhu, MS
“I have a longstanding interest in using biostatistics to advance medical research. Working at KPWHRI gives me a great opportunity to contribute to challenging projects with rich, relevant data and make a national impact on health care systems.”
Weiwei Zhu, MS
Senior Collaborative Biostatistician, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Weiwei.Zhu@kp.org
206-442-5215
Biography
Weiwei Zhu, MS, joined Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute's Biostatistics Unit in 2009. She works closely with Senior Investigator Diana Miglioretti, PhD, to design studies, manage data, and conduct statistical analyses for the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC)—the National Cancer Institute’s seven-site network of mammography researchers. She has been a key member of the BCSC Statistical Coordinating Center for almost 10 years. Her work studying the breast screening benefits and risks played an essential role in an American Cancer Society screening guideline change in 2015.
Ms. Zhu also works with Senior Investigator Denise Boudreau, PhD, to quantify the serious risks of misuse, abuse, and addiction associated with long-term opioid use. This multi-site study will use electronic health record data and survey interviews to provide estimates of long-term opioid use risks in two cohorts.
After beginning her medical research career as an intern at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2007, Ms. Zhu served as a biostatistician at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Florida.
Research interests and experience
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Biostatistics
Correlated data analysis; longitudinal data; survival analysis
Medication Use & Patient Safety
Opioid misuse, abuse, and addiction
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Cancer
Biostatistics; breast cancer screening and surveillance
Recent publications
Onega T, Zhu W, Kerlikowske K, Miglioretti DL, Lee CI, Henderson LM, Tosteson ANA, Wernli KJ, diFlorio R, Weaver DL, Buist DSM. Preoperative MRI in breast cancer: effect of breast density on biopsy rate and yield. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2022 Jan;191(1):177-190. doi: 10.1007/s10549-021-06418-x. Epub 2021 Oct 22. PubMed
Yeung K, Zhu W, McCurry SM, Von Korff M, Wellman R, Morin CM, Vitiello MV. Cost-effectiveness of telephone cognitive behavioral therapy for osteoarthritis-related insomnia. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Oct 11. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17469. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Vitiello MV, Zhu W, Von Korff M, Wellman R, Morin CM, Yeung K, McCurry SM. Short-term improvements in insomnia or pain predict long-term improvements in sleep, pain, depression, and fatigue in older adults with co-morbid osteoarthritis pain and insomnia. Sleep. 2021 Sep 13:zsab231. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsab231. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Advani SM, Zhu W, Demb J, Sprague BL, Onega T, Henderson LM, Buist DSM, Zhang D, Schousboe JT, Walter LC, Kerlikowske K, Miglioretti DL, Braithwaite D. Association of breast density with breast cancer risk among women aged 65 years or older by age group and body mass index. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(8):e2122810. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22810. PubMed
McCurry SM, Zhu W, Von Korff M, Wellman R, Morin CM, Thakral M, Yeung K, Vitiello MV. Effect of telephone cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in older adults with osteoarthritis pain: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2021 Feb 22:e209049. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.9049. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Research
Roundup of 3 recent studies on breast cancer screening
New research spotlights overdiagnosis, MRI before surgery, and a new way of predicting breast cancer risk
Cancer screening
Breast density is a risk factor for older women, too
Findings in JAMA Network Open could help guide decision-making about breast cancer screening for women 75 and older.
Research
Phone therapy for insomnia shown to improve sleep
A study among KP members with sleep problems and osteoarthritis shows promise for overcoming obstacles to treatment.
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