In the spotlight: David Zhu named Top 40 Under 40 in Minority Health
David Zhu, an M.D./Ph.D. candidate, has a lot to celebrate — earning a spot on National Minority Quality Forum’s Top 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health for 2025 for his groundbreaking research on disparities in substance use disorders. And that’s not all! He’s headed to the 8th Lindau Nobel Meeting in Economic Sciences this summer in Germany.
Every year since 2016, NMQF has honored 40 clinicians, patient advocates, researchers and policy influencers who are leading the way to healthy communities and improved patient care across the country with this recognition. These honorees will receive their award during the 2025 NMQF Summit on Health Disparities and Health Braintrust in April.
Zhu is a dual-degree student in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine and School of Public Health. He focuses on supporting the recovery of individuals with substance use disorder directly through his clinical work and through the wider lens of population health and health equity. In fact, he was featured last year in VCU News for his research into why some communities suffer more from drug overdose and substance use disorder.
“This is especially meaningful to me, as there are not many M.D./Ph.D. trainees in the social sciences and humanities or aspiring physician-social scientists,” Zhu said. “This recognition serves as a reminder that our work matters, that social determinants of health are crucial, and that the voices of the communities we seek to amplify are vital.”
In addition to this honor from NMQF, Zhu has been invited to attend the 8th Lindau Nobel Meeting in Economic Sciences this summer in Germany. This is an incredible opportunity to present to and meet with Nobel Laureates, one that Zhu’s primary research mentor agrees is a special experience for an outstanding student.
“Upon reflecting on my five years as graduate program director of health policy, and I can say confidently that, put shortly, David is exceptional among a cadre of outstanding,” said Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., professor of health policy. “I look forward to continuing to mentor him during his graduate training here in the Department of Health Policy and beyond.”
Zhu first heard about this opportunity while attending the annual Medical Scientist Training Program retreat in 2024. A VCU MSTP graduate, Julia Suyama, M.D., Ph.D., shared her experience at the Lindau Nobel Meeting, inspiring Zhu to look into attending.
“It felt like the perfect opportunity, especially since my Ph.D. will focus on health econometric techniques. I felt I had a unique perspective to offer, combining my medical background and direct experiences with caring for patients, and bringing this to the table of economics discussions,” Zhu recalled.
When looking at how this conference and his inclusion in NMQF’s 40 Under 40 list are connected, Zhu found a common thread. In medicine and research, sometimes there’s a pressure to “stay in your lane” or stick to what you’re already an expert in. But Zhu believes this mentality shouldn’t hold researchers back from exploring multidisciplinary collaborations and unique solutions to layered health and social issues.
“I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors at VCU and across the country who’ve guided me in navigating these fields,” said Zhu. “They’ve shown me how deeply interconnected these issues are, and this is the kind of career I want to build — one that’s based in social medicine.”
Categories Awards, News, public health research
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