Dr. Lei Zhang is professor and associate dean for research and scholarship in School of Nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). He also holds the secondary appointments as professor of data science in UMMC’s John D. Bower School of Population Health and professor of Health Administration in School of Health-Related Professions. Prior to becoming an associate dean, Dr. Zhang served as director and chief research biostatistician of Office of Health Data and Research at the Mississippi State Department of Health, where he oversaw surveillance, research and program evaluation for maternal and child health, chronic disease, oral health, tobacco control, and occupational health programs. Dr. Zhang holds a PhD and an MS in biostatistics from the UMMC and an MBA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is an alumnus of Chengdu University of Technology in China, where he earned a BS in geology. He is a certified public manager from Mississippi State Personnel Board and a graduate from the State Executive Development Institute of Mississippi. Dr. Zhang is president-elect of the Mississippi Public Health Association (MPHA) and treasurer and past chair of the Applie Public Health Statistics Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). He is a past winner of the Norman C. Nelson Order of Teaching Excellence Award from UMMC, the Alton B. Cobb Lifetime Achievement Award from MPHA, and the Statistics in Government Award from APHA.