I completed a Bachelor's in Biology and a Master's in Social Sciences (MAPSS) at the University of Chicago. After my graduate studies, I returned to my hometown of Minneapolis, and obtained my MD medical degree from the University of Minnesota. Subsequently, I completed an internal medicine internship and neurology residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, followed by a fellowship in Aging & Dementia at Columbia University Medical Center. As part of the NIH-funded T32 program, I also completed a Master's in Neuro-Epidemiology.

After fellowship, I was faculty at Penn State and subsequently at UC Davis. I saw dementia patients in clinic and I also conducted epidemiological research. My primary research interest was the identification of lifestyle risk and protective factors for dementia (e.g. diet, sleep, exercise, cognitive activities, early life factors, environmental exposures including infection) using data sets. Born in Beijing, I emigrated to the US when I was six. I have observed firsthand how lifestyle modifiable risk factors for dementia can vary dramatically across ethnic and socioeconomic groups and are strongly impacted by cultural norms. Accordingly, I also have an interest in social determinants of health and enjoy caring for under-served communities to address healthcare disparities.