Professor Chen Shanquan Shaun is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Community Medicine and Public Health Practice, School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, and an Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His research focuses on mental health, dementia, and ageing, integrating epidemiology and health economics to address major challenges in population health. He applies innovative methodologies—including longitudinal studies, randomised controlled trials, and advanced data analytics—to inform equitable health policies and improve care for vulnerable populations.

Professor Chen has published extensively in leading international journals, including JAMA Psychiatry, Nature Mental Health, The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, BMC Medicine, and EClinicalMedicine. As first author, his work has examined temporal trends in dementia risk factors, the impact of living costs on mental health service utilisation, and the integration of machine learning into life-course epidemiology to enhance early detection and prevention strategies.

He has also served as a consultant for the World Bank and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), contributing to global initiatives that promote health equity and disability inclusion. Previously, Professor Chen was Deputy Director of the Centre for Data and Statistical Science for Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the European China Health Economics and Outcomes Research Association, fostering cross-regional collaboration in global health research.

As an educator, Professor Chen is dedicated to advancing diversity, inclusion, and innovation in teaching and mentoring. His vision is to bridge data science and public health to promote health equity and improve mental and cognitive well-being across the life course.

1. Chen S (first author), Banks LM, Kipchumba E, Davey C, Sulaiman M, Kuper H. Evaluation of health impacts of a disability-inclusive graduation programme among ultra-poor people with disabilities in Uganda: secondary analysis of a cluster randomized trial. EClinicalMedicine. 2025;85:103318. Published 2025 Jul 3. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103318.
2. Chen S, Zhang H, Gao M, et al. Dose-Dependent Association Between Body Mass Index and Mental Health and Changes Over Time. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online May 15, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0921. (2023 IF = 22.5; ranked 3 out of 279 under the category of “Psychiatry”)
3. Chen S, Kuper H. Investigating inflation, living costs and mental health service utilization in post-COVID-19 England. Nature Mental Health 2, 712–716 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-024-00250-0.
4. Chen S, Price AC, Cardinal RN, Moylett S, Kershenbaum AD, Mueller C, Stewart R, O'Brien JT. Association between antidementia medication use and mortality in people diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies in the UK: A retrospective cohort study. PLoS Med. 2022 Dec 6;19(12):e1004124. (2023 IF = 10.5; ranked 12 out of 329 under the category of “Medicine”)
5. Chen, S., Fernandez-Egea E, Cardinal, R. N., Kuper, H. (2024).  Network analysis of functional disabilities and their association with mental well-being in children and adolescents: a multi-country study across 47 low- and middle-income countries. British Journal of Psychiatry, Accepted. (2023 IF = 8.8; ranked 10 out of 279 under the category of “Psychiatry”)
6. Chen S, Ford TJ, Jones PB, Cardinal RN. Prevalence, progress, and subgroup disparities in pharmacological antidepressant treatment of those who screen positive for depressive symptoms: a repetitive cross-sectional study in 19 European countries. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. Published 2022 March 10. Doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100368. (2023 IF = 13.6; ranked 1 out of 174 under the category of “Health care sciences and services”)

Book chapters and Reports

1. Zhang, H., Chen, S.(co-first and corresponding author) (2025). Functional Limitations and Social Support in the Last Year of Life Among Older Adults. In: Bennett, G., Goodall, E. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. In process.
2. Chen, S.(first author), Zhang, H. (2024). Unmet Need and Support Among People with Dementia and Functional Limitations. In: Bennett, G., Goodall, E. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_53-1
3. Zhang, H., Chen, S.(co-first and corresponding author) (2024). Functional Limitations and Mental Health: Relationship and Well-Being Strategies. In: Bennett, G., Goodall, E. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Disability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_54-1
4. Qian,Y., Chen, S., Lin, Z., Yu, Z., Wang, M., Hou, X., Chen, X. Silver Opportunity : Case Studies - The Growing Gap of Unmet Need : Assessing the Demand for, and Supply of, Home-Based Support for Older Adults with Disabilities in Thirty-One Countries (English). Silver Opportunity Case Study Series Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099653503072438585.