Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health
Adjunct Professor in Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health
* wchen@mails.tjmu.edu.cn
Academic Areas
Occupational and Environmental Health / Occupational Epidemiology
Research Interests
Health effects of particulate matter exposure, especially industrial dust and fiber.
The pathogenic mechanism of particle matter to cause cardiopulmonary diseases.
Evaluation of personal respiratory protection equipment.
Selected Professional Affiliations
1. Deputy Director of the Occupational Health Branch in Hubei Preventive Medicine Association
2. Member of China Occupational Health Standards Committee
3. Standing Member of the Occupational Health Professional Committee of China Occupational Safety and Health Association
4. Editorial Board, Chinese Journal of Occupational Health and Occupational Diseases
5. Editorial Board, Environmental and Occupational Medicine
6. Editorial Board, Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases
7. Editorial Board, Current Medicine Science
Courses Taught
Occupational health and occupational medicine / Preventive medicine
Awards and Honors
2006 Alice Hamilton Award, US NIOSH
2007 First class prizes of Hubei Scientific and Technology Progress Award
2007 Second class prize of Ministry of Education Award for Scientific and Technological Progress
2014 Second class prizes of Chinese State Scientific and Technological Progress Award
Education
1999-2001 MD, University of Duisburg-Essen， Essen，Germany
1990-1993 MS, Tongji Medical University, Wuhan, China
1985-1990 BM, Tongji Medical Uiversity, Wuhan, China
Professional/working Experience
2006/10-present
Professor and chief School of Public Health, School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
2004/01-2006/09
Associated Professor, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
1999/03-2003/12
Research Assistant, then senior researcher (from Sep,2002), Institute of Hygiene and Occupational Medicine, Medical School, University of Essen, Germany.
1997/01-1997/07
Visiting scientist, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), USA.
1993/07-1999/02
Lecturer, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical University, China
Past and ongoing projects, funding, programs
2016-2019 Molecular epidemiological study of decline in lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by airborne fine particulate matter. key project in National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 91543207). (PI)
2016-2019 The relationship between air pollutant and altered lung function or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Key research and development program of Ministry of science and technology (2016YFC1303903). (PI)
2019-2022 Mechanism of Thyroid hormone mediated immune response in inflammatory reaction and pulmonary fibrosis induced by crystalline silica. National Natural Science Foundation of China, (NSFC 81872593). (PI)
2011-2015 The study on early respiratory injury of PM and its mechanisms. (sub project of Basic studies on health hazards caused by ambient particulate matter). National Key Basic Research and Development Program (2011CB503804). (PI).
2013-2015 Research on human exposure assessment technology for typical environmental PCDD/Fs exposure. Environmental protection public welfare industry research special. (PI)
2014-2017. The role and mechanism of TAM/Gas6 in the inflammation response and fibrosis induced by crystalline silica. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81372967) in China. (PI)
2016-2019 The role and mechanism of Nalp3 inflammasome in work-related knee osteoarthritis. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81573121). (PI)
2012-2019 Determination of Occupational Hazards and Possible Health Damage in one thermal ceramic factory. (PI)
2010-2012 The role and Mechanism of Nalp3 Inflammasome in Quartz Dust Fibrosis Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC30972451).
2009-2012 Analysis and Assessment of Medical Monitoring Performance and Cost Effectiveness of Dust Workers. Hong Kong Pneumoconiosis Compensation Foundation. (Co-PI)
2006-2012 Study on head anthropometric and study factors affecting the containment of filter-type respirators. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (PI).
2006-2008 The role of neurogenic inflammatory response in the early stages of quartz damage. Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 30571553).(PI)
2004-2012 Risk assessment of silicosis and lung cancer in workers exposed to quartz mixed dust. German Trade Union Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BIA1074).(PI)
Select Publications
Books, patents
1. Chen W, Respiratory Diseases Among Dust Exposed Workers. In Respiratory Diseases (Mostafa Ghanei), ISBN 978-953-307-964-6. Croatia, InTech, 2012, DOI： 10.5772/32357
Journal Article
*Corresponding author
1. Zhou Y, Mu G, Liu Y, Xiao L, Ma J, Wang B, Shi T, Tan A, Yuan J, Chen W*. Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites, Club cell secretory protein and lung function. Environ Int. 2018 Feb; 111:109-116.
2. Liu Y, Zhou Y, Hnizdo E, Shi T, Steenland K, He X, Chen W*. Total and cause-specific mortality risk associated with low-level exposure to crystalline silica: a 44-year cohort study from China. Am J Epidemiol, 2017,186(4):481-490.
3. Zhou Y, Sun H, Xie J, Song Y, Liu Y, Huang X, Zhou T, Rong Y, Wu T, Yuan J*, Chen W*. Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites and Altered Lung Function in Wuhan, China. Am J Resp Crit Care. 2016,193(8): 835-846
4. Guo J, Shi T, Cu X, Rong Y, Zhou T, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Shen Y, Chen W*. Effects of silica exposure on the cardiac and renal inflammatory and fibrotic response and the antagonistic role of interleukin-1 beta in C57BL/6 mice. Arch Toxicol. 2016, 90 (2): 247-258
5. Liu Y, Rong Y, Steenland K, Christiani DC, Huang X, Wu T, Chen W*. Long-term Exposure to Crystalline Silica and Risk of Heart Disease Mortality. Epidemiology. 2014 , 25(5):689-96.
6. Liu Y, Steenland K, Rong Y, Hnizdo E, Huang X, Zhang H, Shi T, Sun Y, Wu T, Chen W*. Exposure-Response Analysis and Risk Assessment for Lung Cancer in Relation to Silica Exposure: A 44-year Cohort Study of 34,018 Workers. Am J Epidemiol. 2013, 178(9):1424-33.
7. Guo J, Gu N, Chen J, Shi T, Zhou Y, Rong Y, Zhou T, Yang W, Cui X, Chen W*. Neutralization of interleukin‑1 beta attenuates silica‑induced lung inflammation and fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice. Arch Toxicol. 2013, 87:1963–1973.
8. Chen W*, Liu Y, Wang H, Hnizdo E, Sun Y, Su L, Zhang X, Weng S, Bochmann F, Hearl F, Chen J, Wu T*. Long-Term Exposure to Silica Dust and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Chinese Workers: A Cohort Study. PLoS Med 2012,9(4),e1001206
9. Leung CC*, Yu ITS, Chen W. Silicosis. Lancet. 2012,379:2008-18
10. Chen W*, Zhuang Z, Attfield MD, Chen BT, Gao P, Harrison JC, Fu C, Chen J, and Wallace WE. Exposure to silica and silicosis among tin miners in China: exposure-response analyses and risk assessment. Occup Environ Med 2001,58:31-37.
