Faculty

Zhenmei Zhang received her Ph.D. degree from the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Zhang’s areas of expertise include life course and aging, family and health, and social demography. Specifically, her research has focused on the effects of social relationships (parental and marital history) on both physical and mental health in later life and the role of gender in moderating the impact of social relationships on health. Another line of her research examines racial/ethnic differentials in a variety of health outcomes, including chronic health problems, functioning problems, and active life expectancy. She is particularly interested in how socioeconomic status over the life course contributes to racial/ethnic health disparities. She is also investigating the risk factors of cognitive impairment among the oldest old in China. Dr. Zhang’s research has appeared in Journal of Marriage and Family, Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, The Gerontologist, and Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences among others.

Selected Publications:

Zhang, Zhenmei and Mark D. Hayward. 2006. “Gender, the Marital Life Course, and Cardiovascular Health in Late Midlife.” Journal of Marriage and Family 68(3): 639-657.

Zhang, Zhenmei. 2006. “Gender Differentials in Cognitive Impairment and Decline of the Oldest Old in China.” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 61B: S107-S115.

Zhang, Zhenmei. 2006. “Marital History and the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Midlife.” The Gerontologist 46: 266-270.

Hayward, M. D., E. M. Crimmins, and Zhenmei Zhang. 2007. “Consequences of Educational Change for the Burden of Chronic Health Problems in the Population.” In Riding the Age Waves: Allocating Public and Private Resources across Generations, edited by Anne H. Gauthier, Cyrus Chu, and Shripad Tuljapurkar. New York: Springer.

Zhang, Zhenmei and M. D. Hayward. 2001. “Childlessness and the Psychological Well-Being of Older Persons.” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 56B:S311-320.

Hayward, M. D. and Zhenmei Zhang. 2001. "The Demographic Revolution in Population Aging: A Century of Change, 1950-2050." Pp. 69-85 in the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, Fifth Edition, edited by Robert K. Binstock and Linda K. George. New York: Academic Press.

Curriculum Vitae

434C Berkey Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
(517) 355-7545
zhangz12@msu.edu