Q&A with CUAFA President-Elect, Dr. Ying Wei
May is Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month. As we reflect on building and sustaining a strong CUAFA community, we had a Q&A with Dr. Ying Wei, our president-elect for 2024-2026.
In this conversation, Ying shares what inspired her to step into leadership, the values that guide her, and how her research and lived experiences inform her vision as a leader. We also asked a few light-hearted questions—because building community means getting to know the person behind the title.
Q: What inspired you to take on the role of President-Elect?
I have been fortunate to serve as the Secretary/Treasurer of CUAFA for six years, ever since the organization was founded. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to witness CUAFA grow, evolve, and serve our community in meaningful ways. In many respects, I’ve grown up with this community—both personally and professionally. Stepping into the role of President-Elect felt like a natural progression and a chance to give back even more. I’m deeply inspired by the mission of CUAFA and the dedication of our members, and I’m excited to help shape its future.
Q: What values or principles guide your leadership?
Three core values have consistently guided me throughout my career: science, freedom, and recognition. Science reflects my belief in the power of evidence, knowledge, and discovery to create impact. I lead with a commitment to rigor, integrity, and intellectual curiosity, and I bring that mindset to my role in supporting our faculty community. Freedom speaks to the importance of academic independence and personal agency. I believe leadership should empower others—not impose direction but create space for diverse voices, ideas, and aspirations to thrive. CUAFA, to me, is a platform for enabling that freedom, especially for those who may not always feel seen or heard. Recognition reminds me that we all need to be valued—for our work, our contributions, and our identities. Uplifting others and advocating for fair recognition has always been central to how I lead—whether it’s in research, mentorship, or community building.
Q: How do you see the CUAFA supporting Asian-identifying faculty in the current academic landscape?
We are certainly navigating a time of great uncertainty in academia—shifting institutional priorities, the changing landscape of research infrastructure and support, and broader social and geopolitical tensions that often affect Asian-identifying communities in complex ways. But amidst all this change, one thing remains certain: the shared purpose that brings us to academia, and to Columbia—the pursuit of excellence and freedom in research, education, and leadership.
In this context, CUAFA plays a vital role. It offers a space of connection and support, where Asian-identifying faculty can feel seen, heard, and valued. That has always been the core mission of CUAFA since it was founded. Along this line, new initiatives and supporting programs will continue to be developed under the leadership of our current president Anil Lalwani and the executive council.
I encourage all members to stay engaged—read the newsletter, join our events, and let us hear your voices. Building on this momentum, I believe CUAFA can continue to be a source of strength, solidarity, and inspiration for our community.
Q: Could you share one exciting research project that you are working on?
One project I’m particularly excited about is my NIH-funded R01 titled “Statistical Framework for Unraveling Age-Dependent Genetic Landscape in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia: Harnessing Large-Scale EHR and Biobank Data.”
In this project, we aim to build an age-dependent phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) framework for Alzheimer’s disease—recognizing that genetic contributions to the disease are complex and can vary significantly across the lifespan. Our work moves beyond traditional static PheWAS approaches by incorporating temporal dynamics and cross-phenotype dependency. By integrating large-scale electronic health records (EHR) and biobank data—including UK Biobank and All of Us—we hope to uncover nuanced, time-specific genetic signals that have been overlooked by conventional methods.
What excites me most is the translational potential: these discoveries not only deepen our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease biology, but also pave the way for precision risk stratification and early interventions tailored to individual trajectories. It’s a true convergence of statistical innovation, AI, and public health impact.
This is a deeply collaborative effort. I feel fortunate to work with a brilliant team that includes Iuliana Ionita-Laza in Biostatistics, Kaizheng Wang in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, James Noble from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and Dan Belsky at the Columbia Aging Center. It is also a cross-institutional collaboration with Tianxi Cai at Harvard and Xuming He at Washington University in St. Louis. I’m continually inspired by the creativity and dedication of this team.
Q: Can you share a past initiative or project you're proud of and how it shaped your leadership approach?
One initiative I hold closely to my heart is founding the Translational AI Laboratory (TRAIL4Health) at the Mailman School of Public Health. I launched TRAIL4Health to create a collaborative space where AI, statistics, and public health could intersect—bridging disciplinary silos and promoting responsible, impactful data science for health research.
Establishing TRAIL required vision, persistence, and coalition-building. It meant bringing together researchers from diverse backgrounds, creating a shared language around translational AI, and building trust across departments. We’ve since hosted interdisciplinary events, supported student training, and launched collaborative projects that address real-world health challenges.
This experience shaped my leadership approach in several ways. It taught me the importance of listening closely to others' perspectives and ideas, creating infrastructure that empowers rather than controls, and being both strategic and adaptable. It also reinforced the value of inclusion—not just in representation, but in shaping the research questions we ask and the communities we serve.
TRAIL4Health has been a reminder that leadership isn’t about authority—it’s about enabling people to do their best work, together.
Now, a few fun questions.
Q: What’s a fun or surprising fact people may not know about you?
Most people know me as a biostatistician, but few realize that I majored in journalism in college. During my senior year, I interned at the Xinhua News Agency, where my main job was to identify and translate exciting Chinese news—especially scientific discoveries and breakthroughs—into English and send them to a shared portal used by major news agencies around the world.
It was a unique experience that taught me the power of clear communication and the global reach of science.
Q: What book, movie, or quote has inspired you recently?
A moment that deeply resonated with me comes from Harry Potter. After Harry has a frightening encounter with a dementor, Professor Lupin calmly offers him a piece of chocolate and says, “Eat it. It’ll make you feel better.” It’s a simple gesture, delivered in a quiet voice, but it carries so much—warmth, care, trust, and steady support. Lupin doesn’t raise his voice or try to take over; instead, he offers something small but deeply reassuring. That moment reminded me of the kind of leadership I aspire to: not always loud or visible, but grounded, compassionate, and quietly dependable.
Q: What's one food you have to have at a celebration?
I have a friend who bakes the best chocolate cake in the world—rich, moist, and perfectly balanced between sweetness and depth. Having her cake is my dream for all celebrations. It is more than just dessert, it is the friendship, and shared moments that make every occasion feel special.
Q: How do you unwind after a long day at work?
My way to unwind is pretty simple: I usually cook dinner—it helps me transition out of work mode—and then my daughter and I watch an episode of Modern Family or a Korean drama together. It’s a small routine, but one that brings comfort, connection, and a lot of laughter.
Q: If you could invite any 3 people (living or historical) to a dinner party, who would they be and why?
Yo-Yo Ma – His music transcends cultural and disciplinary boundaries, and his belief in the power of art to foster empathy and connection deeply resonates with me. I imagine he would bring warmth, humility, and profound reflections—not to mention the possibility of an unforgettable after-dinner performance.
Ailing Zhang (Eileen Chang) – She is my favorite novelist. Her sharp eye and tongue cut into human nature with remarkable precision, especially from a woman’s perspective. Her writing captures the complexity of emotion and the quiet tensions of history, identity, and solitude. I would be fascinated to hear her thoughts on love, loss, and storytelling in today’s world, and what it means to write truthfully in turbulent times.
Xuming He – My PhD advisor, a lifelong mentor, and a dear friend. Xuming is not only intellectually brilliant but also incredibly fun to talk with. He always brings fresh, creative perspectives to any conversation. His guidance has shaped my path as a scholar and as a leader, and I would love to share a table where joy, intellect, and curiosity all meet.
It would be an evening full of music, insight, and layered conversation—across cultures, generations, and ways of seeing the world.
