Contact
Email: dzheng@miami.edu
Roles
Research Asst. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
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Biography
D. Diane Zheng, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She received her B.S. in Health Management from Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, her M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Minnesota, and her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Miami.
Dr. Zheng’s research focuses on sensory impairment, cognitive aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in older adults. Her work examines how visual, hearing, and multisensory impairments are associated with cognitive decline, dementia risk, depressive symptoms, social isolation, functional outcomes, and mortality. She has extensive experience using large population-based cohort studies, longitudinal data analysis, and advanced statistical methods to understand the mechanisms linking sensory and chronic health conditions with cognitive and functional outcomes in aging populations.
Dr. Zheng is the Principal Investigator of an NIA K01 award focused on visual impairment and cognitive decline, as well as a pilot award from the Southeast Collaborative for Innovative and Equitable Solutions to Chronic Disease Disparities Center/NIMHD examining sensory impairments and cognitive decline among older Hispanic and African American adults. She also serves as a Multiple-PI on a University of Miami Mental Health Team Science award focused on the detection and referral of depression and anxiety among patients with visual impairment in real-world ophthalmic practice.
Dr. Zheng has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications in journals including JAMA Ophthalmology, JAMA Network Open, American Journal of Ophthalmology, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, PLOS ONE, and Innovation in Aging. Her recent work includes studies on visual impairment and cognitive function, plasma biomarkers and cognitive challenge tests for predicting functional decline, and sensory impairment in Hispanic/Latino and African American older adults. She is an active member of professional organizations including the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference community. -
Education & Training
Education
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Research Interests
My research interests focus on understanding how sensory impairment and comorbid conditions influence cognitive aging, functional decline, and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), with a particular emphasis on understudied and diverse older adult populations. As an epidemiologist with prior training in biostatistics, including structural equation modeling and longitudinal data analysis, I use large population-based cohorts, primary data collection, and advanced statistical methods to examine the biological, behavioral, and social pathways linking chronic health conditions with cognitive and functional outcomes.
A central theme of my research is multimorbidity in aging. My doctoral work examined patterns of multiple chronic conditions and their associations with visual impairment, health-related quality of life, healthcare use, and mortality. This work has informed my broader interest in how comorbid conditions shape aging trajectories and may influence the interpretation and performance of emerging Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers.
My current research builds on this foundation by focusing on sensory impairment, including visual, hearing, and multisensory impairment, as potentially modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. Through my NIA K01 Career Development Award, I am leveraging large population-based datasets to examine the longitudinal relationship between sensory impairment and cognitive decline in aging adults. I am also leading an NIMHD-funded pilot study collecting primary data to examine sensory impairments and cognitive decline among older African American and Hispanic adults.
In addition, my recent work examines how plasma biomarkers and cognitive challenge tests can improve prediction of functional decline among older adults with early cognitive impairment. My long-term goal is to become an independent investigator who conducts rigorous, prospective longitudinal studies to clarify how sensory impairment, multimorbidity, and health disparities contribute to AD/ADRD risk and progression. Ultimately, I aim to generate evidence that improves early detection, supports more accurate interpretation of blood-based biomarkers, and informs prevention strategies to delay cognitive decline and dementia in diverse aging populations. -
Publications
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