Dr. Lian is a Spatial Epidemiologist. He has extensive training in the methodology of Spatial Epidemiology, Spatial Statistics, and advanced GIS modeling, and established research experience in its applications in the prevention and control of diseases and related behaviors, including cancer (breast cancer, colorectal cancer, hematologic malignancies, etc.), health behaviors (tobacco use, alcohol drinking, physical activity, etc.) and infectious diseases (WNV, AIDS, and COVID-19). One of his main research interests is to assess geographic heterogeneity and the roles of neighborhood contexts in health disparities, especially including racial/ethnic disparities in diseases and health behaviors.