Charlotte Zhao

Charlotte Zhao, Class of 2027, is a graduate student in the Department of Population Health Sciences pursuing a Master of Science degree along with a Global Health certificate. Before coming to Duke, she graduated from the University of California, Davis, where she completed a double major in Psychology and Political Science, with a minor in Human Development. She serves as a clinical research assistant with the Duke Cancer Patient Experience Program (CPEP) at the Duke Cancer Institute, where she contributes to advancing innovative approaches for measuring and improving the patient experience. Her work spans a range of research projects and quality improvement initiatives, both independently and in collaboration on multicenter studies. For her capstone, Charlotte is examining disparities in amputation prevention among individuals diagnosed with diabetes and peripheral artery disease in rural areas of North Carolina. She will also be joining the Bass Connections team, Closing the Gap on Hypertension, where she will contribute to efforts aimed at addressing hypertension disparities and evaluating the impact of a health system and community-integrated intervention among adults in Durham County. Charlotte is particularly interested in chronic disease prevention, especially cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, with a focus on early, lifestyle- and behavior-based interventions in African American communities. She plans to continue this work by pursuing a PhD in community health.