Jiu-Chiuan Chen, MD, MPH, ScD

Jiu-Chiuan (JC) Chen is a Professor of Population & Public Health Sciences and Neurology. Dr. Chen is a physician-epidemiologist with formal training in Internal Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Epidemiologic Methods (Clinical; Occupational; Environmental), and Environmental Health Sciences. Chen brings extensive knowledge in medicine and toxicology together with sophisticated skills in quantitative methods to study environments and chronic disease epidemiology and elucidate the biological underpinnings of environmental influences on human health, in order to reduce the resulting environmental health disparities especially among the vulnerable populations.

At USC, Chen developed the AirPollBrain Network (Co-PIs: Finch & Chen), with its mission to create a research and education program in environmental neurosciences of brain health during development and aging in urban environments. To study how ambient air pollution exposures affect brain aging including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Dr. Chen’s research team and their collaborators take the team-sciences approach that integrates state-of-the-art knowledge and tools in neurobiology of AD, population & clinical neuroimaging, mouse brain imaging, neuroinformatics and high-dimensional data analyses, brain vascular biology, inhalation exposure assessment and neurotoxicology, clinical neurology and neurosurgery, cognitive neurosciences and neuropsychology, quantitative psychology, epidemiology of AD, spatial statistics, and air pollution epidemiology.

These powerful approaches had been expanded to study how urban environmental adversities shape the neurodevelopmental and behavioral trajectories during vulnerable time periods. Chen’s team also pioneers the emerging field of environmental health disparities in AD and related dementias, investigating how environmental stressors and resilience factors interact to shape the socio-geographic disparities in dementia.

• Environmental Determinants, Maternal Postpartum Depression, and Mental-Emotional-Behavioral Disorders in Urban-Dwelling Children
  NIH · R01ES037475 · Aug 1, 2025 – May 31, 2030 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Urban Air Pollution and Alzheimer's Disease: Risk, Heterogeneity, and Mechanisms
  NIH · P01AG055367 · Jul 1, 2018 – Jun 30, 2024 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Environmental Determinants of Pathological Brain Aging in WHI Memory Studies
  NIH · R01ES025888 · Sep 30, 2016 – Jul 31, 2021 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Alzheimer's Disease & Related Dementias: Geography, Environments, and Mechanisms
  NIH · RF1AG054068 · Sep 1, 2016 – Mar 31, 2021 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Regional Neurotoxicity & Early Biomarkers of Air Pollution Effects on Brain Aging
  NIH · R21AG051113 · Sep 1, 2015 – Apr 30, 2018 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Neurodevelopment in Urban Environments: Role of Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution
  NIH · R21ES022369 · Aug 2, 2013 – Jul 31, 2017 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Environmental Determinants of Cognitive Aging in the WHI Memory Study
  NIH · R01AG033078 · Mar 15, 2011 – Feb 28, 2017 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Environmental Determinants of Sleep Disturbance: Role of Ambient Air Pollution
  NIH · R21HL089422 · Sep 21, 2007 – Jul 31, 2009 · Role: Principal Investigator

• Environmental neurosciences of brain development and aging
• Biological underpinnings of social disparities in brain health
• Study design and epidemiologic methods (environmental; occupational; clinical)
• Translational EHS in human studies and animal model systems
• Statistical approaches to analyzing longitudinal, large-scale multidimensional cohort data

• The potential effects of hypothetical PM2.5 interventions on childhood autism in different neighborhood socioeconomic contexts. Am J Epidemiol. 2026 03 05; 195(3):689-698.. View in PubMed
• Metabolomic biomarkers of rest-activity rhythms in older women: results from the Women’s Health Initiative study. Sleep. 2026 Jan 13; 49(1).. View in PubMed
• Association between late-life air pollution exposure and medial temporal lobe atrophy in older women. Neurotoxicology. 2026 Jan; 112:103378.. View in PubMed
• Plant species richness, green spaces, and preterm birth risk in urban areas. Environ Int. 2025 Aug; 202:109644.. View in PubMed
• Outdoor Air Pollution Is Related to Amygdala Subregion Volume and Apportionment in Early Adolescence. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2025 Sep; 5(5):100544.. View in PubMed
• Fine particulate matter air pollution and longitudinal gray matter development changes during early adolescence: variation by neighborhood disadvantage level. Environ Int. 2025 Jul; 201:109561.. View in PubMed
• Association of Historical Redlining With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: The Mediating Role of BMI and Area Deprivation Index. Diabetes Care. 2025 May 01; 48(5):711-718.. View in PubMed
• Sources and components of fine air pollution exposure and brain morphology in preadolescents. Sci Total Environ. 2025 Jun 01; 979:179448.. View in PubMed
• Air Pollution Exposure, Prefrontal Connectivity, and Emotional Behavior in Early Adolescence. Res Rep Health Eff Inst. 2025 03.. View in PubMed
• Association of Postpartum Temperature Exposure with Postpartum Depression: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Southern California. Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Nov; 132(11):117004.. View in PubMed
• Fine Particulate Matter, Its Constituents, and Spontaneous Preterm Birth. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 11 04; 7(11):e2444593.. View in PubMed
• Prenatal Exposure to Source-Specific Fine Particulate Matter and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Environ Sci Technol. 2024 Oct 22; 58(42):18566-18577.. View in PubMed
• Decomposing the variance: The unique and shared associations of fine and ultrafine particulate matter exposed during pregnancy with child autism spectrum disorder. Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 01; 954:176609.. View in PubMed
• The Association between Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and MRI-Assessed Locus Coeruleus Integrity in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA). Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Jul; 132(7):77006.. View in PubMed
• Yearly change in air pollution and brain aging among older adults: A community-based study in Taiwan. Environ Int. 2024 Aug; 190:108876.. View in PubMed
• Air pollution from biomass burning disrupts early adolescent cortical microarchitecture development. Environ Int. 2024 Jul; 189:108769.. View in PubMed
• Association between particulate air pollution and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study. PLoS Med. 2024 04; 21(4):e1004395.. View in PubMed
• 20-year depressive symptoms, dementia, and structural neuropathology in older women. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 05; 20(5):3472-3484.. View in PubMed
• Erratum: “Air Pollution Particulate Matter Exposure and Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion and Measures of White Matter Injury in a Murine Model”. Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Feb; 132(2):29001.. View in PubMed
• Neighborhood Disadvantage and Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Population With Health Insurance. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024 02 01; 81(2):209-213.. View in PubMed
• Comparison of PM2.5 Air Pollution Exposures and Health Effects Associations Using 11 Different Modeling Approaches in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS). Environ Health Perspect. 2024 01; 132(1):17003.. View in PubMed
• Air pollution and age-dependent changes in emotional behavior across early adolescence in the U.S. Environ Res. 2024 Jan 01; 240(Pt 1):117390.. View in PubMed
• Association of Antepartum and Postpartum Air Pollution Exposure With Postpartum Depression in Southern California. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 10 02; 6(10):e2338315.. View in PubMed
• Analysis of Heat Exposure During Pregnancy and Severe Maternal Morbidity. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 09 05; 6(9):e2332780.. View in PubMed
• Ambient Air Pollutants and Olfaction among Women 50-79 Years of Age from the Sister Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2023 08; 131(8):87012.. View in PubMed
• Prenatal air pollution, maternal immune activation, and autism spectrum disorder. Environ Int. 2023 09; 179:108148.. View in PubMed
• Associations of dietary cholesterol and fat, blood lipids, and risk for dementia in older women vary by APOE genotype. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 12; 19(12):5742-5754.. View in PubMed
• Maternal exposure to aircraft emitted ultrafine particles during pregnancy and likelihood of ASD in children. Environ Int. 2023 08; 178:108061.. View in PubMed
• Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution mixture and premature rupture of membranes: Evidence from a large cohort in Southern California (2008-2018). Environ Int. 2023 07; 177:108030.. View in PubMed
• Effects of ambient fine particulates, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone on maturation of functional brain networks across early adolescence. Environ Int. 2023 07; 177:108001.. View in PubMed
• Examining the Relationship Between Extreme Temperature, Microclimate Indicators, and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnant Women Living in Southern California. Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Jun; 7(3):e252.. View in PubMed
• Modeling spatially varying compliance effects of PM2.5 exposure reductions on gestational diabetes mellitus in southern California: Results from electronic health record data of a large pregnancy cohort. Environ Res. 2023 08 15; 231(Pt 2):116091.. View in PubMed
• Air pollution and emotional behavior in adolescents across the U.S. medRxiv. 2023 Apr 25.. View in PubMed
• Association between urban green space and postpartum depression, and the role of physical activity: a retrospective cohort study in Southern California. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2023 May; 21:100462.. View in PubMed
• Identification of Postpartum Depression in Electronic Health Records: Validation in a Large Integrated Health Care System. JMIR Med Inform. 2023 Mar 01; 11:e43005.. View in PubMed
• The role of extreme heat exposure on premature rupture of membranes in Southern California: A study from a large pregnancy cohort. Environ Int. 2023 03; 173:107824.. View in PubMed
• Ambient fine particulate exposure and subcortical gray matter microarchitecture in 9- and 10-year-old children across the United States. iScience. 2023 Mar 17; 26(3):106087.. View in PubMed
• Prenatal exposure to tailpipe and non-tailpipe tracers of particulate matter pollution and autism spectrum disorders. Environ Int. 2023 01; 171:107736.. View in PubMed
• Associations Between Ambient Air Pollution and Cognitive Abilities from Midlife to Early Old Age: Modification by APOE Genotype. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023; 93(1):193-209.. View in PubMed
• Associations of Autism Spectrum Disorder with PM2.5 Components: A Comparative Study Using Two Different Exposure Models. Environ Sci Technol. 2023 01 10; 57(1):405-414.. View in PubMed
• Association of Global Cognitive Function With Psychological Distress and Adherence to Public Health Recommendations During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: The Women’s Health Initiative. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 12 06; 77(Suppl 1):S42-S50.. View in PubMed
• Associations Between Changes in Loneliness and Social Connections, and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Women’s Health Initiative. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 12 06; 77(Suppl 1):S31-S41.. View in PubMed
• Dietary patterns and urinary phthalate exposure among postmenopausal women of the Women’s Health Initiative. Environ Res. 2023 01 01; 216(Pt 3):114727.. View in PubMed
• Maternal obesity, diabetes, preeclampsia, and asthma during pregnancy and likelihood of autism spectrum disorder with gastrointestinal disturbances in offspring. Autism. 2023 05; 27(4):916-926.. View in PubMed
• Psychotropic medication use and Parkinson’s disease risk amongst older women. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2022 08; 9(8):1163-1176.. View in PubMed
• Sleep and affective disorders in relation to Parkinson’s disease risk among older women from the Women’s Health Initiative. J Affect Disord. 2022 09 01; 312:177-187.. View in PubMed
• Rest-activity rhythms and cognitive impairment and dementia in older women: Results from the Women’s Health Initiative. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022 10; 70(10):2925-2937.. View in PubMed
• The relationship between optimism, MCI, and dementia among postmenopausal women. Aging Ment Health. 2023 Jun; 27(6):1208-1216.. View in PubMed
• Association of Epigenetic Age Acceleration With Incident Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Among Older Women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 06 01; 77(6):1239-1244.. View in PubMed
• Brain Protective Effect of Resveratrol via Ameliorating Interleukin-1β-Induced MMP-9-Mediated Disruption of ZO-1 Arranged Integrity. Biomedicines. 2022 May 29; 10(6).. View in PubMed
• Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease Risk: Role of Exposure to Ambient Fine Particles. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 05 05; 77(5):977-985.. View in PubMed
• Ambient air pollution exposure and increasing depressive symptoms in older women: The mediating role of the prefrontal cortex and insula. Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jun 01; 823:153642.. View in PubMed
• Air quality improvement and cognitive decline in community-dwelling older women in the United States: A longitudinal cohort study. PLoS Med. 2022 02; 19(2):e1003893.. View in PubMed
• B vitamin intakes modify the association between particulate air pollutants and incidence of all-cause dementia: Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. Alzheimers Dement. 2022 11; 18(11):2188-2198.. View in PubMed
• Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Sensitive Windows of Exposure and Sex Differences. Environ Health Perspect. 2022 01; 130(1):17008.. View in PubMed
• Association of improved air quality with lower dementia risk in older women. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 01 11; 119(2).. View in PubMed
• Association of sleep disturbance with Parkinson disease: evidence from the Women’s Health Initiative. Menopause. 2022 01 10; 29(3):255-263.. View in PubMed
• Association between blood pressure levels and cognitive impairment in older women: a prospective analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2022 01; 3(1):e42-e53.. View in PubMed
• Adherence to a MIND-Like Dietary Pattern, Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution, and MRI-Based Measures of Brain Volume: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study-MRI. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 12; 129(12):127008.. View in PubMed
• Evidence of susceptibility to autism risks associated with early life ambient air pollution: A systematic review. Environ Res. 2022 05 15; 208:112590.. View in PubMed
• Association of Outdoor Ambient Fine Particulate Matter With Intracellular White Matter Microstructural Properties Among Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 12 01; 4(12):e2138300.. View in PubMed
• In utero exposure to near-roadway air pollution and autism spectrum disorder in children. Environ Int. 2022 01; 158:106898.. View in PubMed
• Exposure to air pollutant mixture and gestational diabetes mellitus in Southern California: Results from electronic health record data of a large pregnancy cohort. Environ Int. 2022 01; 158:106888.. View in PubMed
• Ambient Air Pollution and Long-Term Trajectories of Episodic Memory Decline among Older Women in the WHIMS-ECHO Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 09; 129(9):97009.. View in PubMed
• Air Pollution Particulate Matter Exposure and Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion and Measures of White Matter Injury in a Murine Model. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 08; 129(8):87006.. View in PubMed
• Association of Local Variation in Neighborhood Disadvantage in Metropolitan Areas With Youth Neurocognition and Brain Structure. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 08 01; 175(8):e210426.. View in PubMed
• Adopting a “Compound” Exposome Approach in Environmental Aging Biomarker Research: A Call to Action for Advancing Racial Health Equity. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 04; 129(4):45001.. View in PubMed
• PM2.5 Associated With Gray Matter Atrophy Reflecting Increased Alzheimer Risk in Older Women. Neurology. 2021 02 22; 96(8):e1190-e1201.. View in PubMed
• Associations Between Air Pollution Exposure and Empirically Derived Profiles of Cognitive Performance in Older Women. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021; 84(4):1691-1707.. View in PubMed
• Investigating Predictors of Preserved Cognitive Function in Older Women Using Machine Learning: Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021; 84(3):1267-1278.. View in PubMed
• The APOE gene cluster responds to air pollution factors in mice with coordinated expression of genes that differs by age in humans. Alzheimers Dement. 2021 02; 17(2):175-190.. View in PubMed
• Examining the joint effects of heatwaves, air pollution, and green space on the risk of preterm birth in California. Environ Res Lett. 2020 Oct; 15(10).. View in PubMed
• Erythrocyte omega-3 index, ambient fine particle exposure, and brain aging. Neurology. 2020 08 25; 95(8):e995-e1007.. View in PubMed
• Fine particulate matter exposure during childhood relates to hemispheric-specific differences in brain structure. Environ Int. 2020 10; 143:105933.. View in PubMed
• Associations between green space and preterm birth: Windows of susceptibility and interaction with air pollution. Environ Int. 2020 09; 142:105804.. View in PubMed
• Association of Visual Impairment With Risk of Incident Dementia in a Women’s Health Initiative Population. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020 06 01; 138(6):624-633.. View in PubMed
• Associations of Coffee and Tea Consumption With Survival to Age 90 Years Among Older Women. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 09; 68(9):1970-1978.. View in PubMed
• Air pollution exposure and adverse sleep health across the life course: A systematic review. Environ Pollut. 2020 Jul; 262:114263.. View in PubMed
• Associations of Hearing Loss and Menopausal Hormone Therapy With Change in Global Cognition and Incident Cognitive Impairment Among Postmenopausal Women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2020 02 14; 75(3):537-544.. View in PubMed
• Metabolomic profiles associated with all-cause mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative. Int J Epidemiol. 2020 02 01; 49(1):289-300.. View in PubMed
• Particulate matter and episodic memory decline mediated by early neuroanatomic biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain. 2020 01 01; 143(1):289-302.. View in PubMed
• Ozone and Particulate Matter Exposure and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of Human and Animal Studies. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020; 76(3):807-824.. View in PubMed
• Exposure to fine particulate matter and temporal dynamics of episodic memory and depressive symptoms in older women. Environ Int. 2020 02; 135:105196.. View in PubMed
• Outdoor Air Pollution and Brain Structure and Function From Across Childhood to Young Adulthood: A Methodological Review of Brain MRI Studies. Front Public Health. 2019; 7:332.. View in PubMed
• Relations of magnesium intake to cognitive impairment and dementia among participants in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2019 11 03; 9(11):e030052.. View in PubMed
• Gestational diabetes mellitus, prenatal air pollution exposure, and autism spectrum disorder. Environ Int. 2019 12; 133(Pt A):105110.. View in PubMed
• Sex-specific associations of autism spectrum disorder with residential air pollution exposure in a large Southern California pregnancy cohort. Environ Pollut. 2019 Nov; 254(Pt A):113010.. View in PubMed
• Associations of gestational diabetes mellitus with residential air pollution exposure in a large Southern California pregnancy cohort. Environ Int. 2019 09; 130:104933.. View in PubMed
• Particulate Air Pollutants and Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Older Women. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 10; 27(10):1083-1096.. View in PubMed
• General and domain-specific cognitive reserve, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia risk in older women. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2019; 5:118-128.. View in PubMed
• Long-Term Ambient Temperature and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescents. Am J Epidemiol. 2018 09 01; 187(9):1931-1941.. View in PubMed
• Using high-dimensional machine learning methods to estimate an anatomical risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease across imaging databases. Neuroimage. 2018 12; 183:401-411.. View in PubMed
• Longitudinal Analysis of Particulate Air Pollutants and Adolescent Delinquent Behavior in Southern California. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2018 08; 46(6):1283-1293.. View in PubMed
• Increased risk of periodontitis among patients with Crohn’s disease: a population-based matched-cohort study. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2018 Oct; 33(10):1437-1444.. View in PubMed
• Trajectories of Relative Performance with 2 Measures of Global Cognitive Function. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 08; 66(8):1575-1580.. View in PubMed
• Is Fibromyalgia Risk Higher Among Male and Young Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients? Evidence from a Taiwan Cohort of One Million. Pain Physician. 2018 05; 21(3):E257-E264.. View in PubMed
• Association of Higher Migraine Risk Among Female and Younger Chronic Osteomyelitis Patients: Evidence from a Taiwan Cohort of One Million. Pain Physician. 2018 03; 21(2):E149-E156.. View in PubMed
• Source Characterization and Exposure Modeling of Gas-Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Concentrations in Southern California. Atmos Environ (1994). 2018 Mar; 177:175-186.. View in PubMed
• Socioeconomic disparities and sexual dimorphism in neurotoxic effects of ambient fine particles on youth IQ: A longitudinal analysis. PLoS One. 2017; 12(12):e0188731.. View in PubMed
• Air pollution and suicide risk: another adverse effect of air pollution? Eur J Epidemiol. 2017 11; 32(11):943-946. Chen JC , Samet JM . . View in PubMed

• Peters, Anne
• Habre, Rima
• McConnell, Rob