Faculty Profile for Dr. Jie Zhu

profile photo for Dr. Jie Zhu
Dr. Jie Zhu
Assistant Professor — School of Family & Consumer Sciences
FCS 101
phone: (512) 245-2135

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Dr. Zhu earned his B.S. in Clinical Medicine and M.D. from School of Medicine at Wuhan University. Thereafter, he earned his Ph.D. in Internal Medicine with a focus on Gastroenterology and Nutrition from The First Clinical Medical College at Wuhan University. After that, he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship in Human Nutrition at UNC Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Teaching Interests

Nutrient Metabolism; Nutritional Biochemistry; Nutrition and Health

Research Interests

Dr. Zhu’s research focuses on exploring how diet patterns/nutrients (especially one-carbon metabolism nutrients) and gene interactions affect human chronic diseases risk, and understanding inter-individual differences in nutrients metabolism through a systems biology approach which incorporates various assessments of biochemical, epidemiological, genetic, epigenetic, metabolomic and physiologic endpoints. The goal of this research work is to identify individual genetic factors contributing to diet-related disease risk, understanding inter-individual differences in nutrients metabolism, and exploring effective nutrition intervention programs, which will inform the development of personalized nutrients intake recommendations and ultimately promote human health as well as allow for more effective prevention and/or treatment of human chronic diseases. Dr. Zhu's research findings have been published in multiple high-quality peer-reviewed journals, such as Diabetes Care, JAMA Network Open, and Nutrients and he has been invited to present his significant findings at various international academic conferences.

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Zhu, J., Chen, C., Lu, L., Shikany, J., D’Alton, M. E., & Kahe, K. (2023). Folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 status in association to metabolic syndrome incidence. JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2250621. https://doi.org/doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.50621 Impact factor(2022): 13.353
  • Teoh, C. M., Cooper, A., Renteria, K., Lane, M., Zhu, J., & Koh, G. Y. (2022). Supplementation of methyl-donor nutrients to a high-fat, high-sucrose diet during pregnancy and lactation normalizes circulating 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol levels and alleviates inflammation in offspring. Metabolites, 12(12), 1252. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12121252
  • Zhu, J., Xun, P. C., Kolencik, M., Fly, A. D., Yang, K. F., & He, K. (2022). Do B vitamins enhance the effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular diseases? A systematic review of clinical trials. Nutrients, 14, 1608. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.3390/nu14081608 Impact factor (2021): 5.717
  • Zhu, J., Liu, Y.-H., He, X.-L., Kohlmeier, M., Zhou, L.-L., Shen, L.-W., … Wang, B. (2021). Dietary Choline Intake during Pregnancy and PEMT rs7946 Polymorphism on Risk of Preterm Birth: A Case-control Study. Ann Nutr Metab., 76(6), 431–440. https://doi.org/10.1159/000507472 Impact factor (2020): 3.374
  • Zhu, J., Chen, C., Lu, L., Yang, K., Reis, J., & He, K. (2020). Intakes of Folate, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 in Relation to Diabetes Incidence among American Young Adults: A 30-year Follow-up Study. Diabetes Care, 43(10), 2426–2434. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.2337/dc20-0828 Impact factor (2020): 19.112

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: The Chinese Health Policy and Management Society 2023 Summer Meeting Scholarship Award, The Chinese Health Policy and Management Society. July 8, 2023 - July 10, 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence, Scholarly/Creative Activities. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Grant Writing Program Competition Award. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Best Oral Presentation, The 7th Asian Congress of Dietetics. 2018
  • Award / Honor Recipient: The 6nd Academic English Speech Contest for Young Pediatric Medical Professionals in Shanghai, Shanghai, China. 2018

Selected Grants

  • Zhu, Jie (Principal). Community Health and Economic Resilience Research Fellowship Award, Texas State’s Translational Health Research Center (the 87th Texas Legislature), State, $90417. (Funded: June 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023). Grant.
  • Zhu, Jie (Co-Principal), Koh, Gar Yee (Co-Principal). Effect of maternal methyl-donor nutrients supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on the risk of cardiometabolic disorders among offspring, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $13370. (Funded: December 3, 2021 - June 30, 2023). Grant.
  • Zhu, Jie (Principal). Maternal Choline and Betaine Intakes during Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes, Miying (Shanghai) Cultural Creative Co., LTD, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $10000. (Funded: February 1, 2021 - December 30, 2023). Grant.
  • Zhu, Jie (Principal), Shen, Xiaoxi (Co-Principal), Bishop, Nicholas (Co-Principal), Metsis, Vangelis (Co-Principal). Exploring Interaction of One-carbon Metabolism Nutrients Intakes and Genetic Susceptibility on Risk of Metabolic Syndrome among Multi-ethnic US Adults with Diverse Socio-demographic, Biomedical, and Lifestyle Characters, Multidisciplinary Internal Research Grant (MIRG), Texas State University, $12000. (Funded: September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023). Grant.
  • Zhu, Jie (Principal), Shen, Xiaoxi (Co-Principal), Bishop, Nicholas Joseph (Co-Principal), Metsis, Vangelis (Co-Principal). Exploring Interaction of One-carbon Metabolism Nutrients Intakes and Genetic Susceptibility on Risk of Metabolic Syndrome among Multi-ethnic US Adults with Diverse Socio-demographic, Biomedical, and Lifestyle Characters, Texas State University Multidisciplinary Internal Research Grant, Texas State University, $12000. (Funded: August 24, 2022 - Present). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Member
Graduate Admissions Committee
January 22, 2021-Present
Member
Scholarship Awards Committee
September 2020-Present
Organizer
University translational science scholar showcase
September 2020-Present
Member
the SFCS Recruitment committee
October 2019-Present
Member
Grant Reviewer/School Representative, 2022 Research Enhancement Program
August 19, 2022-Present