CNIW Students Present at the 2025 American College of Epidemiology International Conference: Spotlight on Immigrant Health
By: Kieran Gill
From September 7 – 10, 2025, CNIW students and student board members represented our organization at the American College of Epidemiology 2025 Annual Meeting held in Pasadena, California. The theme of this year’s annual meeting was the advancement of epidemiology in a rapidly changing world. Through intensifying climate change, global demographic shifts, technological advancements, and evolving social dynamics, a path to improved population health remains.
CNIW Student team showcase their achievements at the conference, from left to right, Suky Zheng, Kieran Gill, Vita Zhuang, and Lisa Fang
A great strength of our organization is regular engagement in activities, such as knowledge translation or conference presentations, beyond research. These efforts were further recognized with one poster presentation, completed by Ms. Suky Zheng, being awarded second place in the poster competition. This is an impressive achievement at an international academic forum, underscoring the quality of work produced by our student researchers.
Suky Zheng — CNIW Summer Student (2023–2025), Student Board Member, Undergraduate Student, Department of Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, and Recipient of the 2024 Ontario Youth Volunteer Award
The following CNIW abstracts were presented:
- Zheng S, Lei N, Fang L, Xu A, Huang V, Jia I, Wang PP. Who Gets Left Behind? Family Doctor Access Gaps Among Chinese Immigrants in Canada and Implications for Health Equity. Poster presentation, American College of Epidemiology Annual Meeting, Hilton Pasadena, Pasadena, CA, September 7–10, 2025 .
- Zheng S, Lei N, Huang V, Guan L, Lu E, Wang PP. Age-Related Disparities and Colorectal Cancer Prevalence Among Chinese Immigrants in Canada. Poster presentation, American College of Epidemiology Annual Meeting, Hilton Pasadena, Pasadena, CA, September 7–10, 2025 .
- Gill K, Bhanji F, Xu A, Huang V, Li Y, Cao Y, Han X, Wang PP. Chinese Canadian Confidence Responding to Discrimination During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Poster presentation, American College of Epidemiology Annual Meeting, Hilton Pasadena, Pasadena, CA, September 7–10, 2025 .
- Gill K, Bhanji F, Xu A, Huang V, Li Y, Jia I, Cao Y, Han X, Wang PP. Vaccine Uptake and Attitudes Among Pregnant Chinese Canadian Women. Poster presentation, American College of Epidemiology Annual Meeting, Hilton Pasadena, Pasadena, CA, September 7–10, 2025
CNIW and its members remain committed to improving health outcomes, advancing health equity, and building invaluable professional connections that strengthen our growth as an organization. Several CNIW Health Research Summer Camp students also contributed to this work, highlighting the importance of nurturing young researchers. As Dr. Maggie Han, Summer Camp Coordinator, notes: “In the summer camp, students have opportunities to work on small research projects under the supervision of CNIW scholars. We are proud of our students’ achievements.”
Dr. Peter Wang, President of CNIW, emphasizes: “CNIW is committed to promoting the health and well-being of new immigrants and vulnerable populations in Canada through research, education, and service. Training the next generation of health professionals is of paramount importance, and we will continue to provide opportunities for young scholars to grow as researchers and leaders. By doing so, we ensure that advances in epidemiology and public health not only uphold scientific rigor and innovation, but also drive equity and meaningful improvements in people’s lives.”