MEMBER PROFILE
| First Name | Kun |
| Last Name | Zhao |
| University/Institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center |
| Email ID | [email protected] |
| City | Nashville |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Zip code | 37203 |
| Department | |
| Area of Research | |
| Area of Expertise |
Brief Description of Research Interest :
My research interests lie at the intersection of genetic epidemiology, aging biology, and cardiovascular disease. I use large-scale biobanks, genomic sequencing, proteomics, and electronic health records to study clonal hematopoiesis and other age-related somatic alterations. My work aims to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying clonal expansion and to identify how these processes contribute to cardiovascular disease, stroke, frailty, cancer, and other aging-related outcomes. Ultimately, I hope to leverage population-scale data to advance risk prediction, biomarker discovery, and precision approaches for healthy aging.
Representative Publications:
1. Zhao K, Hsu CC, Pershad Y, Vlasschaert C, Corty RW, Wang N, Heimlich JB, Tall AR, Bick AG. Interleukin-17 receptor-A signalling: atheroprotective role in JAK2 clonal haematopoiesis. Eur Heart J. 2025 Dec 22;46(48):5292-5295. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12718686.
2. Zhao K, Pershad Y, Xue L, Vlasschaert C, Corty RW, Heimlich JB, Kooperberg C, Reiner AP, Bick AG. Clonal Hematopoiesis and Risk of Stroke: Evidence From Over 800 000 Individuals Across 3 Cohorts. Stroke. 2026 Jun;57(6):1694- 1705. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC13124249.
3. Zhao K, Pershad Y, Heimlich JB, Ormseth M, Stein CM, Sharber B, Vlasschaert C, Bick AG, Corty RW. Association of Clonal Hematopoiesis With Incident, Late-Onset, Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2026 Mar 18; PubMed PMID: 41847932.
4. Zhao K, Shen X, Liu H, Lin Z, Li J, Chen S, Liu F, Huang K, Cao J, Liu X, Shen C, Yu L, Zhao Y, Zhao L, Li Y, Hu D, Huang J, Lu X, Gu D. Somatic and Germline Variants and Coronary Heart Disease in a Chinese Population. JAMA Cardiol. 2024 Mar 1;9(3):233-242. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10782380.
5. Pershad Y, Zhao K, Heimlich JB, Bick AG. Clonal Hematopoiesis and Risk of Incident Pericarditis and Myocarditis in 2 US Biobank Cohorts. JAMA Cardiol. 2026 May 1;11(5):476-478. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC13000738.