Wang Limin

Professor Wang Limin is the Chief Expert in chronic non-communicable disease (NCDs) prevention and control at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She is also a member of the inaugural cohort of Science Popularization Experts appointed by the National Health Commission and a member of the Expert Panel on Children’s Spinal Health under the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration. Her long-standing research focuses on chronic disease surveillance and evaluation, chronic disease prevention and control strategies, and big data applications. She has made significant contributions to the development of NCDs prevention and control systems and the formulation of supporting policies.

Professor Wang graduated in Preventive Medicine from Harbin Medical University in 1989 and began her teaching and research career at Qiqihar Medical University. During her tenure in academia, she taught courses including Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, Health Statistics, Social Medicine, and Scientific Research Methodology. Concurrently, she pursued a master’s degree in Social Medicine and Health Management at Peking University. She founded the Department of Epidemiology and, with foresight, established its corresponding curriculum, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent establishment of the School of Public Health at Qiqihar Medical University. The “Report on the Status and Policy Recommendations for Rural Health Resources in Heilongjiang Province” led by Professor Wang was recognized for its rigorous investigation and pertinent suggestions, contributing to her university becoming the first provincial-level government-funded base for the rural health workforce training in Heilongjiang province. As the regional investigator, she led the WHO-conducted epidemiological study on childhood type 1 diabetes in Qiqihar, an NIH-funded study on alcohol consumption and injuries among the Daur, and a provincial health department study on diabetes epidemiology in the Daur. Several outcomes from these projects filled critical data gaps in their respective fields. Her experiences of teaching and research equipped her with a comprehensive and systematic theoretical foundation in public health and honed her practical research skills.

In 2009, Professor Wang joined the National Center for Chronic and Non-communicable Disease Control and Prevention (NCNCD) at the China CDC, dedicating herself to national-level NCDs. As the Head of the Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance Division, she led the team in organizing and implementing seven rounds of the China Chronic Disease and Risk Factors Surveillance (CCDRFS). Keeping pace with international advancements in surveillance and survey techniques, she continuously innovated and expanded surveillance systems and their contents. This surveillance system covers one of the largest population-based samples globally, employing rigorous random sampling, comprehensive quality control, and provincial-level representativeness. Its indicators align with the WHO Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs while precisely serving the needs of domestic policy evaluation. She pioneered the development of an integrated information collection and management platform incorporating functions for sampling, field survey management, laboratory testing, quality control, data feedback, result visualization, data analysis, and automated report generation. She also led the development of the inaugural national standard, “Basic Data Collection Standard for Adult Chronic Disease Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance” (T/CPMA 033-2023), which has been promoted for nationwide use. Furthermore, she spearheaded a series of specialized epidemiological surveys on cerebrovascular diseases, mental health, digestive system diseases, and diabetes complications, continually filling data gaps in China’s chronic disease landscape. Leveraging multi-source information and big data technologies, she established the China Chronic Disease Surveillance Natural Population Cohort, comprising over 700,000 individuals with a corresponding biobank, providing a robust foundation for subsequent multi-omics research. During this period, she led the authorship and publication of 15 national reports and monographs, including the “China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance Report” and the “National Disease Surveillance System Cause-of-Death Data Set (2004-2008),” furnishing crucial scientific evidence for the formulation and refinement of China’s chronic disease prevention policies.

During her tenure as Deputy Director of the NCNCD, China CDC, Professor Wang actively promoted the national COPD surveillance program, guiding the completion of the third round of field surveys and providing essential scientific data for the interim evaluation of the “Healthy China initiative”. The comprehensive chronic disease surveillance protocols she developed and the system enhancements she championed paved the way for the standardized and routine implementation of China’s integrated chronic disease surveillance efforts. In the realm of chronic disease prevention for key populations, she organized nationwide epidemiological surveys on major childhood chronic diseases across 31 provinces and vigorously promoted the development and pilot application of a comprehensive service system for childhood scoliosis, covering screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and management. For occupational populations, she actively advanced the development of integrated medical-prevention chronic disease management systems and models, guiding the construction of a digital project for intelligent nutrition and health management. In health science communication, she authored numerous educational materials such as the “Health Education Textbook for Preventing Chronic Diseases in Children” and the “Handbook on Childhood Obesity Prevention Knowledge”. She innovatively initiated cross-sectoral collaborations for the “Weather and Chronic Diseases” science popularization series. Concurrently, she explored the application of artificial intelligence to develop a “Chronic Disease Knowledge Large Model,” aiming to empower the public’s health literacy through technological means.

Professor Wang’s research achievements are extensive and impactful. She has led three major national-level projects, including a National Key Research and Development Program, establishing the first domestic big data platform for chronic disease epidemiological surveillance. This platform overcame challenges related to cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary multi-source data exchange and sharing. The 700,000 individuals cohort, built upon the integration of the surveillance population with multi-source information systems and incorporating continuous follow-up for mortality and disease outcomes along with associated technical specifications, has been adopted and promoted in multiple provinces. She also pioneered the establishment of a refined cohort comprising 40,000 individuals with five years of follow-up, providing invaluable resources for cutting-edge research. To date, she has led or participated in over 20 international cooperative, provincial/ministerial, and industry-collaboration projects. She has received six provincial/ministerial science and technology awards (first, second, and third prizes) and holds multiple software copyrights. Professor Wang has authored or co-authored over 190 papers in prestigious domestic and international journals such as JAMA, The Lancet, BMJ, and the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology. She has been consistently recognized as a top 1% highly cited researcher globally and named an Elsevier “Highly Cited Chinese Researcher”.