PhD Student

Behavioural Epidemiology and Interventions in Young People , Prevention of Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders in High Risk Groups

Current work and interests

Hao is a PhD student supervised by Dr Andrea Smith and Dr Amy Ahern. Hao’s PhD will explore the impact of social media interventions on healthy eating among young adolescents and young adults using mixed-method and develop a cost-effective intervention.

Background and experience

Hao Tang obtained her bachelor’s degree in food engineering from East China University of Science and Technology. Then she achieved her master’s in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and a M.Ed. in Nutrition Community Education from Columbia University in 2022. Her master’s thesis investigated the impact of social media on eating disorders in China based on 13,000 surveys she collected.

Before starting her PhD in MRC, Hao worked as a dietician intern in several hospitals and nursing homes in New York. Hao also helped evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of a large-scale digital intervention for SNAP recipients in California, U.S for a year. Following that, Hao contributed to several publications by coding social media content to understand the public’s perspectives and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccine, weight change, etc.

Hao’s passion for promoting healthy eating extends beyond her research. She is a social media influencer with over 100,000 followers on Chinese social media. Through her videos, Hao promotes healthy eating, body positivity, and effective weight loss strategies.