Sylff News
Sep 14, 2023
Sylff@Tokyo: Integrating Love of Opera into Research on the Health Effects of Air Pollution
Mike Zhongyu He, a 2017–19 Sylff fellowship recipient at Columbia University, visited the Sylff Association secretariat on August 30, 2023, during his trip to Tokyo.
He is a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University and Barnard College. He received his PhD in environmental health sciences from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in 2020.
(From left) Executive director Mari Suzuki, Mike Zhongyu He, program officer Maki Shimada, director Keita Sugai, and program officer Konatsu Furuya.
His research interests include methods in environmental epidemiology, air pollution exposure modeling, and health impact assessments. He told the Sylff Association secretariat that the COVID pandemic simulated a real-world experiment offering insights into how international travel affects global warming.
Outside of research, He is an avid classical music enthusiast and an active singer of operatic and oratorio works. Over lunch, He shared with us how he integrates the love of his life—opera—into his classroom teaching activities. He also has a passion for traveling and conducts fieldwork all over the world.
Read more about He’s academic and artistic activities on his personal webpage: