Yuan Zhang

Yuan Zhang, Ph.D., RN

Associate Professor

College
Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Department
Susan and Alan Solomont School of Nursing
Phone
978-430-9312
Office
Health and Social Sciences Building, Room 285
Email
yuan_zhang@uml.edu
Links

Expertise

Occupational Health and Health Promotion, Shift Work and Sleep Health, Musculoskeletal and Mental Health Promotion, Health-care Workforce

Research Interests

Occupational health and health Promotion; Total Worker Health®, shift work sleep disorders; sleep intervention for night shift workers; workplace safety and health; work organization and health outcomes; intention to turnover and turnover in healthcare; healthy workplace participatory interventions.

Education

  • Ph.D.: Occupational Health and Health Promotion, (2013), University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 
    • Dissertation/Thesis Title: Sleep duration and health outcomes of formal caregivers in skilled nursing facilities: The contribution of the work environment
  • Post-Master Certificates: Nursing Education Certificate, Environmental Risk Assessment Certificate, (2011), University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
  • M.S.: Clinical Nursing and Nursing Education, (2007), Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China
  • BS: Nursing, (2004), Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China 

Biosketch

Yuan Zhang, Ph.D., RN, is a tenured associate professor in the Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research focuses on promoting sleep and mental health of healthcare workers through evidence-based workplace participatory interventions. She is a pioneer nurse scientist working on the Total Worker Health® Center of Excellence, funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, 2006-2026). Collaborating with the Brigham Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, her research team field-tested a sleep-timing intervention to improve night shift performance and sleep quantity/quality of older nurses, funded by a R01 from the National Institute on Aging (2019-2023). 
Zhang’s innovative research advances organization change and behavior improvement of healthcare workers, leading to successive impacts on the quality of care and patient safety. Her work has broad-reaching influence with 1,200+ citations to affect policy/practice through 45+ data-based manuscripts published in top interdisciplinary journals and 70+ presentations at 40+ leading national/international conferences. Zhang also serves as an editorial board member of Workplace Health and Safety, the Official Journal of the American Association of Occupational Health Nursing.

Selected Awards and Honors

  • 2024 Teaching Excellence Award, Solomont School of Nursing, UMass Lowell
  • 2024 American Nurses Association (ANA) Massachusetts Excellence in Nursing Research Award 
  • 2017 Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN) Faculty Early Career Award 
  • 2016 Teaching Excellence Award, Solomont School of Nursing, UMass Lowell 
  • 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Eta Omega Chapter Travel Award 
  • 2014 John A. Hartford Institute Geriatric Nursing Scholar 
  • 2010 Outstanding Graduate Student Award, UMass Lowell

Selected Publications

  • Nobrega, S., Zhang, Y., Hendrickson-Lohmeier, J., & Cavallari, J. (2024). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Total Worker Health skill scale. Annals of Work Exposures and Health. 68(5), 466-475. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxae030
  • Lai, Y-J., Tsai, E-Y., Jarustanaput, P., Wu, Y-S., Chen, Y-H., O’Leary, S.E., Manachevakul, S., Zhang, Y., Shen, J., & Wang, Y. (2024). Optimism and mental health in college students: The mediating role of sleep quality and stress. Frontiers in Psychology. 15, 1403146. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1403146.
  • Barger, L., Zhang, Y., Lammers-van der Holst, H., Snoep, D., Murphy, A., Desnoyers, B., & Duffy, J. (2024). Feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability of an afternoon-evening sleep schedule in older nightshift workers. SLEEP Advances, 5(1), zpae010. doi:10.1093/sleepadvances/zpae010
  • Siddique, S., Gore, R., Zhang, Y., Punnett, L., & SHIFT Research Team. (2024). Emotional exhaustion in healthcare workers: Moving beyond coping skills to improve organizational conditions. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003063
  • Nobrega, S., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Let’s learn together! A mixed methods study to assess readiness for interprofessional education on Total Worker Health practice. Workplace Health & Safety. doi:10.1177/21650799231217320
  • Lammers-van der Holst, H.M., Quadri, S., Murphy, A., Ronda, J., Zhang, Y., Barger, L., & Duffy, J. (2023). Evaluation of sleep strategies between night shifts in actual shift workers. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation. doi:10.1015/j.sleh.2023.08.025
  • Zhang, Y., Murphy, J., Lammers-van der Holst, H.M., Barger, L., Lai, Y-J., & Duffy, J. (2023). Interventions to improve sleep of nurses: A systematic review. Research in Nursing and Health, 46(5), 462-484. doi:10.1002/nur.22337 
  • Essien, Y., Zhang, Y., Koren, A., Palacios, N., Louis, F., & Tucker, K. (2023). Sociocultural factors associated with persistent prescription opioid use among Puerto Rican adults in Massachusetts. PLOS One, 18(8), e0290104. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0290104 
  • Fallon, P., ElGhaziri, M., Jaeger, L., Zhang, Y., & Dugan, A. (2023). Peer support programs to reduce work-related organizational stress and trauma for public safety workers and military: A scoping review. Workplace Health & Safety, 71(11), 523-535. doi:10.1177/216507992311946235. 
  • Zhang, Y., Dugan, A., ElGhaziri, M., Siddique, S., & Punnett, L. (2023). Work-family conflict and depression among healthcare workers: The role of sleep and decision latitude. Workplace Health and Safety, 71(4), 195-205. doi:10.1177/21650799221139998 
  • Zhang, Y., ElGhaziri, M., & de Castillero, E. (2022). Synergistic effect of self-efficacy and social support on regular participation in leisure-time physical activity among nursing staff. International Journal of Nursing Practice, e13087. doi:10.1111/ijn.13087 
  • Dugan, A.G., Decker, R.E., Zhang, Y., Lombardi, C.M.,…Cavallari, J. (2022). Precarious work schedules and sleep: A study of unionized full-time workers. Occupational Health Science, 6(2), 247-277. doi:10.1007/s41542-022-00114-y 
  • Zhang, Y., ElGhaziri, M., Siddique, S., Gore, R., Kurowski, A., Nobrega, S., & Punnett, L. (2021). Emotional labor and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers: The role of sleep. Workplace Health and Safety, 69(8), 383-393. doi:10.1177/21650799211014768.
  • Burns-Mullett, C., & Zhang, Y. (2021). STOP-Bang screening for obstructive sleep apnea and referring for further evaluation in preoperative patients: A quality improvement project. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 37(5), 601-606. doi: 10.1016/j.jopan.2021.11.001 
  • Zhang, Y., ElGhaziri, M., Siddique, S., Gore, R., Kurowski, A., Nobrega, S., & Punnett, L. (2020). Emotional labor and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers: The role of sleep. Workplace Health and Safety, 69(8), 383-393. doi:10.1177/21650799211014768. 
  • Punnett, L., Nobrega, S., Zhang, Y., Rice, S., Gore, R., Kurowski, A., & SHIFT Research Team. (2020). The Healthy Workplace Participatory Program: Stepped-wedge protocol for prospective, controlled evaluation using mixed methods. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1463. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09551-2 
  • Zhang, Y., ElGhaziri, M., Nasuti, S., & Duffy, J. (2020). The comorbidity of musculoskeletal disorders and depression: Associations with working conditions among hospital nurses. Workplace Health and Safety, 68(7), 346-354. doi:10.1177/2165079919897285 
  • Park. M., Zhang, Y., Price, L.L., Bannuru, R.R., & Wang, C. (2020). Mindfulness is associated with sleep quality among patients with fibromyalgia. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, 23(3), 294-301. doi:10.1111/1756-185X.13756 
  • Peters, A., Kellogg, M., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Implementation of a smartphone app to measure and manage anxiety in undergraduate clinical nursing students. Nursing Education Perspectives, 40(6), 367-369. 
  • Kotejoshyer, R., Zhang, Y., Flum, M., Fleishman, J. M., Punnett, L., & ProCare Research Team. (2019). Prospective evaluation of fidelity, impact and sustainability of participatory workplace health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(9), E1494. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16091494 
  • ElGhaziri, M., Dugan, A., Zhang, Y., & Castro, M.E. (2019). Sex and gender role differences in occupational exposures and work outcomes among registered nurses in correctional settings. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 63(9), 568-582. doi:10.1093/annweh/wxz018 
  • Zhang, Y., ElGhaziri, M., Dugan, A., & Castro, M. (2019). Work and health correlates of sleep quantity and quality among correctional nurses. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 15(1), 42-51. doi:10.1097/JFN.0000000000000229 
  • Powell-Cope, G., Rugs, D., lalynytchev, A., Devine, D., McCoskey, K., Zhang, Y., & Deter, L. (2018). Patient handling and mobility course content: A national survey of nursing programs. The American Journal of Nursing, 118(11), 22-31. 
  • Zhang, Y., Peters, A., & Bradstreet, J. (2018). Relationships among sleep quality, coping styles, and depressive symptoms among college nursing students: A multiple mediator model. Journal of Professional Nursing, 34(4), 320-325. doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2017.12.004 
  • Zhang, Y., & Tickner, J. (2018). Reinvigorating engagement and collaboration through interprofessional education (RECIPE) in nursing and public health students. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 8(12), 15-20. 
  • Zhang, Y., Peters, A., & Chen, G. (2018). Perceived stress mediates the association between sleep quality and mental disorders among college nursing students. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 15(1). doi:10.1515/ijnes-2017-0020 
  • Zhang, Y., Duffy, J., de Castillero, E., & Wang, K. (2018). Chronotype, sleep characteristics, and musculoskeletal disorders among hospital nurses. Workplace Health and Safety, 66(1), 8-15. doi:10.1177/2165079917704671 
  • Zhang, Y., Punnett, L., & Rebecca, G. (2017). Predictors of nursing staff voluntary termination in nursing homes: A case-control study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 38(11), 1518-1536. doi:10.1177/0733464817724043 
  • Zhang, Y., Chernaik, M., & Hallet, K. (2017). Relationship issues among college nursing students: Associations with stress, coping, sleep and mental disorders. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 12(4), 246-252. doi:10.1016/j.teln.2017.06.005 
  • Zhang, Y., Duffy, J., & de Castillero, E. (2017). Do sleep disturbances mediate the association between work-family conflict and depression among nurses? A cross-sectional study. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 24(8), 620-628. doi:10.1111/jpm.12409 
  • Zhang, Y., Punnett, L., & Nannini, A. (2017). Work-family conflict, sleep, and mental health of nursing assistants working in nursing homes. Workplace Health and Safety, 65(7), 295-303. doi:10.1177/2165079916665397 
  • Zhang, Y., Cifuentes, M., Gao, X., Amaral, G., & Tucker, K. (2017). Age- and gender-specific associations between insomnia and falls in Boston Puerto Rican adults. Quality of Life Research, 26(1), 25-34. doi:10.1007/s11136-016-1374-7 
  • Zhang, Y., Punnett, L., Mawn, B., & Gore, R. (2016). Working conditions and mental health of nursing staff in nursing homes. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 37(7): 485-492. doi:10.3109/01612840.2016.1162884 
  • Zhang, Y., Flum, M., Kotejoshyer, R., Fleishman, J. M., Henning, R., & Punnett, L. (2016). Workplace participatory occupational health/health promotion program: Facilitators and barriers observed in three nursing homes. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 42(6), 34-42. doi:10.3928/00989134-20160308-03 
  • Xu, D., Chen, L., Wan, X., Zhang, Y., Liu, N., & Wang, K. (2016). Toileting behavior and related health beliefs among Chinese female nurses. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 70(5), 416-423. doi:10.1111/ijcp.12798
  • Zhang, Y., Punnett, L., PhillipsMcEnany, G., & Gore, R. (2016). Contributing influences of work environment on sleep quantity and quality of nursing assistants in long-term care facilities. Geriatric Nursing, 37(1), 13-18. doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2015.08.010
  • Zhang, Y., Soroken, L., Laccetti, M., de Castillero, E., & Konadu, A. (2015). Centralized to hybrid nurse station: communication and teamwork among nursing staff. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 5(12), 34-41. doi:10.5430/jnep.v5n12p34
  • Zhang, Y., Flum, M., West, C., & Punnett, L. (2015). Assessing organizational readiness for a participatory occupational health/health promotion intervention in skilled nursing facilities. Health Promotion Practice, 16(5), 724-732. doi:10.1177/1524839915573945
  • Zhang, Y., Punnett, L., Gore, R., & The CPHNEW Research Team. (2014). Relationships among employees’ working conditions, mental health and intention to leave in nursing homes. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 33(1), 6-23. doi:10.1177/0733464812443085
  • Raman, G., Zhang, Y., Minichiello, V.J., D’Ambrosio, C., & Wang, C. (2013). Tai Chi improves sleep quality in healthy adults and patients with chronic conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy, 2, 141. doi:10.4172/2167-0277.1000141
  • Holmberg, M.D., Flum, M., West, C., Zhang, Y., Qamili, S., & Punnett, L. (2013). Nursing assistants’ dilemma: Caregiver vs. caretaker. Hospital Topics, 91, 1-8. doi:10.1080/00185868.2013.757953

Selected Presentations

  • “Optimism and mental health in college students: The mediating role of sleep quality and stress” at the 2024 Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science Conference, Washington, DC, June 13-15, 2024.
  • “Night shift work and sleep experiences of older night shift nurses” at 2024 Eastern Nurse Research Society, Boston, MA, April 4-5, 2024. 
  • “Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Pediatric Mental Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review” at 2024 Eastern Nurse Research Society, Boston, MA, April 4-5, 2024. 
  • “Let’s learn together! Attitudes of occupational safety and health professionals about the use of interprofessional education pedagogies in continuing education” at International Congress for Occupational Health, Marrakesh, Morocco, April 28-May 3, 2024. 
  • “Facilitators and barriers for the availability, use and helpfulness of PSP programs to address correctional officers stress and trauma in prison and jail settings: Findings from a National Survey” at the 2023 Work, Stress and Health Conference, Miami, FL, November 8-11, 2023. 
  • “Total Worker Health® Competency Among Multidisciplinary Occupational Safety and Health Professionals: A Survey Study to Guide Continuing Education” at the 2023 Work, Stress and Health Conference, Miami, FL, November 8-11, 2023. 
  • “A Qualitative Investigation of Competencies Needed for Total Worker Health Practice” at the 2023 Work, Stress and Health Conference, Miami, FL, November 8-11, 2023. 
  • “Individual differences of sleep pattern and duration between two consecutive night shifts among night workers” at SLEEP 2023, Indiannapolis, IN, June 3-7, 2023. 
  • “Daily associations between work and sleep among intensive care nurses” at the 2022 APHA Conference, Boston, November 6-9, 2022. 
  • “Interventions to improve sleep of shift working nurses: A systematic review” at the 2022 APHA Conference, Boston, November 6-9, 2022. 
  • “Work and health behavior correlates of weight gain among formal caregivers in nursing homes” at the 2022 APHA Conference, Boston, November 6-9, 2022. 
  • “Real-time workplace violence incidents and stress reporting among intensive care registered nurses” at the 2022 APHA Conference, Boston, November 6-9, 2022. 
  • “Sociocultural factors associated with persistent prescription opioid use among Puerto Rican adults in Massachusetts” at the 2022 APHA Conference, Boston, November 6-9, 2022. 
  • “Peer support for frontline correction officers: Results from a national survey” at the 2022 APHA Conference, Boston, November 6-9, 2022. 
  • “Real-time approaches to measure workplace violence among nurses, is one measure enough? Development of an incident scoring system” at the 2022 IAWBH Conference, San Diego, September 19-24, 2022. 
  • “Sleep patterns and experiences in older night shift nurses” at SLEEP 2022, Charlotte, NC, June 4-8, 2021. 
  • “Investigating nursing incivility and harassment experiences by characterizing day-level experiences” at the 2022 EAOHP Conference, Bordeaux, France, July 6-8, 2022. 
  • “Scoping review of peer support programs to reduce stress and trauma for frontline safety personnel” at the 2021 NECOEM Conference, Boston, MA, December 2-3, 2021. 
  • “Work-family conflict and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers: The role of sleep and decision latitude.” at the Work, Stress and Health 2021 Virtual Conference, Miami, FL, November 3-6, 2021. 
  • “Impact of Surface Acting Emotional Labor on Depression in Healthcare Workers: The Role of Emotional Exhaustion as a Mediator” at the Work, Stress and Health 2021 Virtual Conference, Miami, FL, November 3-6, 2021. 
  • “Emotional exhaustion in healthcare workers: The importance of organizational leadership and safety” at the Work, Stress and Health 2021 Virtual Conference, Miami, FL, November 3-6, 2021. 
  • “Immediate and Retrospective Characterizations of Stress in Nursing Incivility and Harassment Experiences.” at the Work, Stress and Health 2021 Virtual Conference, Miami, FL, November 3-6, 2021. 
  • “Continuous multimodal assessment of physiological stress responses among nurses in relation to incidents of workplace violence: A feasibility study guided by Total Worker Health® principles.” at the Work, Stress and Health 2021 Virtual Conference, Miami, FL, November 3-6, 2021. 
  • “Sleep disturbances mediate the association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers” at SLEEP 2021, Seattle, WA, June 12-16, 2021. 
  • “Limited time for sleep in night shift workers is associated with the risk of insomnia and shift work disorder” at SLEEP 2021, Seattle, WA, June 12-16, 2021. 
  • “Long shift duration is associated with high risk for Shift Work Disorder” at ESRS Congress 2020, Seville, Spain, September 22-25, 2020. 
  • “Associations of low back pain and sleep among nursing staff” at SLEEP 2020, Philadelphia, PA, June 13-17, 2020. 
  • “Workplace yoga program features and associations with shift work and sleep among nursing staff” at SLEEP 2020, Philadelphia, PA, June 13-17, 2020. 
  • “Sex differences in sleep and quality of life in healthcare shift workers” at SLEEP 2020, Philadelphia, PA, June 13-17, 2020. 
  • “Factors associated with regular participation in leisure-time physical activity among nursing staff” at the 2019 American Public Health Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, November 2-6, 2019. 
  • “Evaluation of an online nurse continuing education program to prevent patient handling injuries” at the 2019 American Public Health Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, November 2-6, 2019.

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

  • NIOSH–CPH-NEW Center (5 U19 OH012299-02), “Safety in Healthcare through Integrated Facilitated Teams (SHIFT)-II” (2021-2026) - Zhang, Y. (Co-Investigator), awarded $7 million, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
  • R01 “Treatment of circadian disruption from shiftwork in older adults” (2019-2023) - Zhang, Y. (Site Principal Investigator), awarded $1.8 million, National Institute on Aging
  • “Wearable technology and biophysical measurements to assess psychosocial impact of work organization and critical workplace events” (2020-2022) - Zhang, Y. (Investigator), awarded $70,000, NIOSH–CPH-NEW Center Supplement Grant 
  • “Improving optimism, sleep quality, stress, and mental health using a virtual reality-based intervention among undergraduate students: a pilot study” (2023-2025) – Zhang, Y. (Co-Investigator), awarded $15,000, University of Massachusetts Lowell Seed Grant 
  • “A Diverse Asian Faculty Peer Mentoring Group for Quantitative Research Collaboration and Career Advancement” (2023-2024) – Zhang, Y. (Co-Investigator), awarded $2,000, University of Massachusetts Lowell Faculty Equity Collaborative Mentoring Seed Grant 
  • “Using marketing technology to foster healthy sleep habits” (2022-2023) – Zhang, Y. (Co-Investigator), awarded $3,000, Donahue Center for Business Pilot Research Grant 
  • Optimism with sleep quality, stress, and mental health among college students returning to classes during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022-2023) – Zhang, Y. (Co-Investigator), awarded $4,000, Donna Manning Pilot Research Grant 
  • “Investigating the link between sleep alterations and cognitive decline in the elderly using wearable devices” (2021-2023) - Zhang, Y. (Co-PI), awarded $10,000, University of Massachusetts Lowell Seed Grant 
  • NIOSH–CPH-NEW Center (2U19 OH008857-11), “Safety in Healthcare through Integrated Facilitated Teams (SHIFT)” and “Total Worker Health Dissemination and Implementation Hub” (2016-2021) - Zhang, Y. (Investigator), awarded $6.3 million, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
  • “Using smartwatch to investigate health behaviors of night shift nurses" (2016-2018) - Zhang, Y. (Principal Investigator), awarded $8,000, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences 
  • “Coping with stress and sleep quality among college nursing students” (2015-2016) - Zhang, Y. (Principal Investigator), awarded $1,900, Sigma Theta Tau International Eta Omega Chapter Research Grant 
  • “Assessing the occupational health risks and health behaviors for men in correctional nursing and evaluating the barriers and facilitators for a peer mediation program” (2015-2017) - Zhang, Y. (co-Investigator), awarded $11,000, NIOSH-CPH-NEW Center Pilot Grant 
  • “Investigation of physical workload and sleep quality with objective field measures among rehabilitation professionals” (2014-2016) - Zhang, Y. (Principal Investigator), awarded $9,000, University of Massachusetts Lowell Seed Grant 
  • “Reinvigorating engagement and collaboration through interprofessional education” (2015-2016) - Zhang, Y. (Principal Investigator), awarded $2,000, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Interprofessional Education Teaching Grant