Xinhua Liu, PHD MS

  • Professor of Biostatistics at the Columbia University Medical Center
Profile Headshot

Overview

Dr. Xinhua Liu has collaborated with epidemiologists, bio-pharmacists, clinical psychologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other medical professionals. Widely published in many areas, Dr. Liu has proposed a method for modeling functional decline and applied it to study the progression of Alzheimer's disease, in addition to identifying predictors among patients with mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Liu also has investigated risk behaviors of HIV infection and HIV related neurological disease progression in studies of gay and bisexual men as well as among intravenous drug users. In the area of environment health, Dr. Liu was involved in studies on the effects of lead exposure on children's development in Yugoslavia; water arsenic and water manganese exposure on children's intellectual function in Bangladesh; association between folate intake during pregnancy in Mexico and sporadic retinoblastoma. Dr. Liu's interests also include studies in mental health, investigating risk factors of suicide and suicidal attempts, the impact of alcohol policies on alcohol dependence, effects of major depression in relation to substance use disorders, effects of major depression on remission, and relapse of substance dependence. As a biostatistician at the Columbia Center for Environment Health in Northern Manhattan, Dr. Liu provides statistical consultation to center members, tutoring to students, and teaches a biostatistics course.

Academic Appointments

  • Professor of Biostatistics at the Columbia University Medical Center

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • MS, 1982 Shanghai Medical College
  • PhD, 1991 Johns Hopkins University

Research

Research Interests

  • Aging
  • Biostatistical Methods
  • Child and Adolescent Health
  • Chronic disease
  • Environmental Health
  • Food Policy and Obesity
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Mental Health
  • Substance Use

Selected Publications

Hall M.N., Liu X., Slavkovich V., Ilievski V., Alam S., Factor-Litvak P., Pilsner J.R., Graziano J.H. and Gamble M.V. Folate, Cobalamin, Cysteine, Homocysteine, and Arsenic Metabolism among Children in Bangladesh Environmental Health Perspectives 117 (5) 825-831 2009

Pilsner J.R., Liu X., Ahsan H., Ilievski V., Slavkovich V., Levy D., Factor-Litvak P., Graziano J.H., and Gamble M.V. Folate Deficiency, Hyperomocystinemia and Hypomethylation of Genomic DNA are Risk Factors for Arsenic-Induced Skin Lesions: A Nested Case-Control Study in Bangladesh Environmental Health Perspectives 117 (2) 254-260 2009

Liu X. and Zhezhen Jin Z. A Non-Parametric Approach to Scale Reduction for Uni-Dimensional Screening Scales International Journal of Biostatistics 5 (1) Article 7 2009

Wu P., Liu X., Fang Y., Fan B., Guan Z., Fuller C.J., Yao Z., Kong J., Lu J., Wang Q. Alcohol Abuse/Dependence Symptoms Among Hospital Employees Exposed to a SARS Outbreak Alcohol and Alcoholism 43(6) 706-712 2008

Devanand D.P., Liu X., Tabert M.H., Pelton G.H., Pradhaban G., Bell K., de Leon M.J., Doty R., Stern Y., Cuasay K. Combining Early Markers Strongly Predicts Conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's Disease Biological Psychiatry 64 (10) 871-879 2008

Wasserman G.A., Liu X., Factor-Litvak P., Gardner J.M., Graziano J.H. Developmental Impacts of Heavy Metals and Nutrition Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology 102 212-217 2008

Lamb M.R., Janevic T., Liu X., Cooper T., Kline J., Factor-Litvak P. Environmental Lead Exposure, Maternal Thyroid Function, and Childhood Growth Environmental Research 106 (2) 195-202 2008

Devanand D.P., Pradhaban G., Liu X., Khandji A., De Santi S., Segal S., Rusinek H., Pelton G.H., Honig L, Mayeux R., Stern Y., Tabert M.H., de Leon M.J. Hippocampal and Entorhinal Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Prediction of Alzheimer Disease Neurology 68 828-836 2007

Liu X. and Jin Z. Item Reduction in A Scale for Screening. Statistics in Medicine 26 4311-4327 2007

Gamble M.V., Liu X., Slavkovich V., Ilievski V., Pilsner J.R., Factor-Litvak P., Islam M., Alam S., Parvez F., Ahsan H., Graziano J.H. Folic Acid Supplementation Lowers Blood Arsenic American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 86 (4) 1202-1209 2007

Global Health Activities

Bangladesh