Feng Zhang, PhD

  • Assistant Professor

Dr. Feng Zhang received his MD from Henan Medical University and his PhD from Shanghai Medical University in China. He completed his postdoctoral trainings in the National Institutes of Health and Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Zhang is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His research focuses on cerebral ischemia and vascular dementia, which is supported by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of two journals.

Education & Training

  • MD, Henan Medical University, Medicine
  • PhD, Shanghai Medical University, Medicine

Specialized Areas of Research

Research:  Role of Nrf2 pathway in the brain disorders; Protection and mechanisms of ischemic preconditioning; Vascular dementia; Hemorrhagic transformation

Professional Organization Membership

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism
  • American Heart Association, Stroke Council
  • Society for Redox Biology and Medicine

Honors & Awards

  • NIH Visiting Fellow Award
  • AHA National SDG Award 
  • Visiting Professor, Zhengzhou University
  • Visiting Professor, Tai’an Medical University
  • Visiting Professor, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology

Selected Publications

 Zhang M, Wang S, Mao L, Leak RK, Shi Y, Zhang W, Sun B, Cao G, Gao Y, Xu Y, Chen J, and Zhang F. Omega-3 fatty acids protect the brain against ischemic injury by activating Nrf2 and upregulating heme oxygenase 1. J Neurosci. 2014;34(5):1903-15. PMID: 24478369.

Yang T, Sun Y, Mao L, Zhang M, Wang S, Zhang L, Shi Y, Leak RK, Chen J, and Zhang F. Ischemic preconditioning protects the neurovascular unit through oxidative signaling and Nrf2 activation. Redox Biology, 2018;17:323-337. PMID: 30580978.

Mao L, Yang T, Li X, Lei X, Sun Y, Zhang W, Gao Y, Sun B, and Zhang F. Protective effects of sulforaphane in experimental vascular cognitive impairment: contribution of the Nrf2 pathway. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2019;39(2):352-366. PMID: 29533123.

Liu H, Povysheva N, Rose M, Mi Z, Banton J, Li W, Chen F, Barrionuevo G, Zhang F (co-senior), and Graham SH. The point mutation UCHL1 C152A ameliorates ischemic brain injury and facilitates neurological function recovery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019; 116 (10):4643-4650. PMID: 30760601.

Yang T, Sun Y, Li Q, Li S, Shi Y, Leak RK, Chen J, and Zhang F. Ischemic preconditioning provides long-lasting neuroprotection against ischemic stroke: the role of Nrf2. Exp Neurol. 2020; 325, 113142. PMID: 31812555