About

I am Qianwen Wang, a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the CS department at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN). My studies combine interactive visualization with interpretable machine learning to foster intuitive, efficient, and reliable Human-AI collaboration. My research contributes to innovative visualization techniques, Human-AI interfaces, and their practical applications (e.g., biomedical knowledge graphs, single-cell omics).

Research topics

• Biology
• Computational biology
• Endocrinology
• Evolutionary biology
• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Genetics
• Animal science
• Physical therapy

Selected publications

• Urinary incontinence management in Chinese primary health institutions: findings from a regional survey

  PeerJ · 2026-04-07

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Background Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent yet under-recognized condition among women in China, impairing quality of life and imposing socioeconomic burden. Primary care providers are pivotal for early detection and first-line management. Unlike Western systems dominated by general practitioners, China’ s primary women’ s health care is largely provided by gynecologists in county-level or lower-tier institutions. Evidence on their UI-related knowledge and practices is limited, hampering targeted training and policy efforts. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey (March 2023–September 2024) among gynecologists in Fujian primary healthcare institutions recruited via professional WeChat groups. A structured, expert-developed questionnaire assessed demographics, UI-related awareness/perceptions (nine items, max score 18) and clinical practice (12 items, max score 24) on three-point Likert scales. Additional items explored barriers, preferred assessment methods, and factors influencing pelvic floor and bladder training. Reliability and construct validity were tested using Cronbach’s α, KMO and Bartlett’s tests. Multivariate linear regression identified factors associated with scores. Results A total of 1,427 gynecologists responded (urban 75.5%; mean age 36.6 ± 9.3 years; 81.7% female). The questionnaire showed high reliability (α = 0.84) and good validity (KMO = 0.88; Bartlett’s P < 0.001). Mean awareness/perception and clinical practice scores were 12.24 ± 3.07/18 and 12.63 ± 5.41/24. Only 20.3% routinely screened for UI symptoms and 10.5% felt confident managing UI. Female gender and higher education were associated with better awareness; older age and female gender were associated with better practice (all P < 0.05). Lack of UI training and infrequent literature reading correlated with lower scores. Urban physicians cited time constraints, whereas rural physicians cited limited space, lack of feedback mechanisms for exercises, and lower use of pelvic floor ultrasound or pad tests. Conclusions This first large-scale evaluation of UI-related knowledge and practice among Chinese primary care gynecologists reveals substantial gaps, especially in rural areas. Incorporating UI into continuing medical education, promoting routine screening, updating diagnostic knowledge, and applying digital tools for real-time monitoring of pelvic floor training may improve early detection and care. Tailored interventions addressing urban–rural disparities are essential to strengthen UI management at the primary care level.

  PublisherDOI

• Impact of maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation on oral health-related quality of life for patients with oral cancer: A prospective case series

  Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry · 2025-08-09

  articleOpen access

  STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Oral cancer and subsequent surgical interventions can lead to orofacial deformities that significantly affect a patient's Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) by impairing essential functions, causing pain and psychological discomfort, and creating physical, psychological, and social disabilities. Studies on the impact of prosthetic rehabilitation for oral cancer on the OHRQoL are sparse. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present prospective case series was to evaluate the impact of prosthetic rehabilitation on the OHRQoL of patients with postsurgical defects from oral cancer and determine the clinical significance of these changes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective case series enrolled 20 consenting adults with unilateral maxillary, mandibular, or tongue defects after surgical resection for oral cancer. Using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), participants completed baseline surveys during the initial postsurgical prosthodontic appointment, and final surveys were completed 1 month after the definitive maxillofacial prosthesis had been delivered. The survey provided a comprehensive measure of patient changes attributable to their oral conditions. OHIP-14 has a total score and 7 domains: Functional Limitation, Physical Pain, Psychological Discomfort, Physical Disability, Psychological Disability, Social Disability, and Handicap. Statistical analyses evaluated the changes in OHIP-14 scores by subtracting the final scores from the baseline scores. The paired t test evaluated changes in the OHIP-14 (α=.05). The effect size for the change in the overall OHIP-14 score from baseline to final was assessed using the Cohen d to quantify the magnitude and clinical significance of the observed changes. RESULTS: Improvement from baseline to 1-month after insertion was statistically significant for the OHIP-14 total score (P<.001) and for all domains (all P≤003). Clinically significant improvement was observed for the OHIP-14 total score with a change of -15 points, which was greater than the minimal important difference of 3 to 4 points. Using the Cohen d, changes in 6 of the 7 domains had a big effect (range of d: -0.95 to -1.80) with Social Disability, Psychological Disability, and Handicap having the biggest effects. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present prospective case series demonstrate both statistically and clinically significant improvements in the OHRQoL of participants. The magnitude of the effect size for the change in OHIP total score indicated that the prosthetic rehabilitation of surgical defects had a substantial impact on OHRQoL, with the most improvement in the Social Disability domain.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Self-assembled triboelectric nanogenerators with optimized surfaces for high-g accelerometers in extreme environments

  Chemical Engineering Journal · 2025-08-27 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Glucose-Responsive Superlubricity of a Self-Healing Hydrogel Containing Dynamic Boronic Ester Bonds under Ocular Conditions.

  PubMed · 2025-10-07

  article

  PEGOH hydrogel undergo a reversible competitive exchange reaction with glucose, leading to the dissociation of original cross-linking points and the release of hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based substrates. Both results of the reaction endow the hydrogel with glucose-responsive superlubricity. Friction tests show that the release of PEG-based substrates reduces the coefficient of friction (COF) of artificial tears from 0.0078 to 0.0037. PEG-based substrates form hydration layers that reduce shear stress of the interface through the hydration lubricating effect. Through varying the glucose concentration, the level of PEG-based substrates in the tears and the hydration capacity on the hydrogel surface can be modulated, thereby enabling glucose-responsive superlubricity. Furthermore, the presence of dynamic boronic esters containing boron-nitrogen coordination bonds endows the hydrogel with a self-healing capability, enabling it to recover its structural integrity after mechanical disruption. Moreover, cytotoxicity assays and in vivo biocompatibility evaluations confirm the biocompatibility of the hydrogel, highlighting its potential for ophthalmic applications.

  PublisherDOI

• 929P The efficacy and safety of surufatinib combined with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of advanced periampullary carcinoma: A single arm, prospective, exploratory clinical study

  Annals of Oncology · 2025-09-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• USP14 and UCHL5 synergistically deubiquitinate PKCα and translocate NF-κB to promote the progression of anaplastic thyroid cancer

  Cell Death and Disease · 2025-08-13 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), an exceptionally aggressive and rare subtype of thyroid cancer, accounts for 1-2% of all thyroid cancers yet carries a high mortality rate, with a median survival time of less than one year. Despite significant advancements in in the field of thyroid cancer research, effective therapeutic options for ATC remain notably limited. Recently, targeting deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) has emerged as a promising strategy in cancer therapy. In this study, we investigated the roles of two DUBs, USP14 and UCHL5, in the progression of ATC. Our findings revealed that both USP14 and UCHL5 were upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in ATC. Individually silencing USP14 or UCHL5 significantly inhibited the malignant characteristics of ATC, while the simultaneous knockdown of both DUBs proved to be even more efficacious. Furthermore, b-AP15, a dual-targeting inhibitor acting on USP14 and UCHL5, effectively suppressed tumor growth in nude mice. Mechanistically, USP14 and UCHL5 cooperate to stabilize PKCα by concurrently removing K48-linked ubiquitination chains from PKCα, thereby facilitating the nuclear translocation of transcription factor NF-κB and activating the expression of pro-oncogenic and anti-apoptotic genes, such as C-MYC and BCL-XL. These findings suggest that targeting the USP14/UCHL5-PKCα-NF-κB axis may represent a novel therapeutic approach for ATC, offering promising prospects for the development of innovative treatment strategies against this highly lethal disease.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Spatiotemporal distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis patients in Sichuan Province, China, 2013–2024

  PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025-08-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease that significantly endangers public health and hinders socioeconomic development. Sichuan Province is a mixed endemic area of cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), and it has one of the most severe epidemics of echinococcosis in China. In 2012, the national epidemiological sampling survey of echinococcosis revealed that the prevalence rate of echinococcosis among the population in Sichuan Province was 1.08%, significantly higher than the national average (0.24%). In this study, the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of newly diagnosed patients with echinococcosis in Sichuan Province from 2013 to 2024 were analyzed, providing a reference for identifying key areas of echinococcosis and developing targeted prevention and control strategies. METHODS: Data on the number of individuals screened for echinococcosis and the number of newly diagnosed patients in endemic counties were obtained from the annual reports of the Sichuan Provincial Echinococcosis Control Program between 2013 and 2024. The detection rate of newly diagnosed echinococcosis patients was calculated for each year. County-level electronic maps of Sichuan Province were downloaded from the National Geographic Information Public Service Platform. The spatial distribution map of the detection rate of newly diagnosed patients with echinococcosis in Sichuan Province was created using ArcGIS software, and global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses were conducted. Spatiotemporal scanning analysis of the detection rate of newly diagnosed echinococcosis patients in Sichuan Province was conducted using SaTScan software. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2024, the total detection rate of newly diagnosed patients with echinococcosis in the endemic areas of Sichuan Province was 55.77/100,000, with the detection rates of CE and AE being 36.71/100,000 and 19.88/100,000, respectively. The total detection rate of newly diagnosed patients with echinococcosis, as well as that of CE and AE, demonstrated a decreasing trend year by year (χ2 = 1,054.785, 925.936, 196.018; P < 0.001). The detection rate of CE was higher than that of AE between 2013 and 2021; however, this trend was reversed between 2022 and 2024. In terms of spatial distribution, areas with higher detection rates were primarily concentrated in the northwestern part of Sichuan Province, whereas areas with lower detection rates were mainly distributed in the southeastern part of the province. The global spatial autocorrelation analysis results revealed that the total detection rate of newly diagnosed echinococcosis patients exhibited spatial clustering in 2013-2016, 2018, 2020, and 2024. The detection rate of newly diagnosed CE patients exhibited spatial clustering in 2013, 2014, and 2022. The detection rate of newly diagnosed patients with AE exhibited spatial clustering in 2013-2018, 2020, and 2023. Local spatial autocorrelation analyses revealed that the "high-high" clustering areas of the total detection rates, CE and AE detection rates were concentrated in the northwestern and northern parts of the endemic areas, while the "low-low" clustering areas were concentrated in the southeastern parts of the endemic areas. Spatiotemporal scanning analysis revealed that the most important clusters of newly total diagnosed echinococcosis and CE patients in Sichuan Province were mainly located in Shiqu, Seda, Baiyu, Ganzi, Dege, Xinlong, Luhuo, Aba, and Rangtang counties. The most important clusters of patients with AE were mainly in Shiqu, Seda, Baiyu, Ganzi, Dege, and Rangtang counties. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the detection rate of newly diagnosed patients with echinococcosis in Sichuan Province decreased annually between 2013 and 2024, exhibiting significant spatial clustering. The western Sichuan Qinghai Tibet Plateau region is a "hot spot" for echinococcosis in the Sichuan Province population. It is recommended that relevant departments develop precise prevention and control strategies for the current areas of clustering.

  PublisherDOI

• Post-intervention sustainability of time-restricted eating versus caloric restriction: a secondary analysis

  International Journal of Obesity · 2025-11-28

  articleOpen access

  Rising obesity rates necessitate sustainable weight management strategies. Current lifestyle guidelines focus on reducing caloric intake through personalized interventions to promote compliance. This secondary analysis evaluated post-intervention sustainability of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus caloric restriction (CR), hypothesizing that TRE's "watching the clock" approach may be more sustainable than CR's "watching calories." Following a 12-week supervised intervention (TRE: 8-h eating window, n = 29; CR: 15% caloric reduction, n = 26), 41 participants (75%; 24 F/17 M; 23 TRE/18 CR; age 43.1 ± 11.6 years; BMI 34.7 ± 5.4 kg/m²) completed follow-up surveys at 1, 3, and 6 months. TRE participants maintained weight across all follow-ups compared to final intervention weight. CR participants showed significant loss at 1 month (-1.6 ± 2.5 kg, p = 0.02), returning to baseline by 3 months. Both interventions had similar continuation rates (1,3,6 months: TRE: 52%, 36%, 47%; CR: 63%, 57%, 50%; p = 0.60) and recommendation rates (TRE: 81%, 85%, 86%; CR: 88%, 86%, 80%; p = 0.72). TRE participants reported improved sleep, energy, and digestion but experienced morning hunger and scheduling challenges. CR participants noted increased food mindfulness but reported tracking anxiety, cravings, and potential binge eating. Despite limitations including small sample size and self-reported weight, both self-sustained TRE and CR showed similar acceptability and weight maintenance at 3-6 months post-intervention. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04259632.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Settlement characteristics and transmission of echinococcosis: a cross-sectional study in nomadic communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

  Infectious Diseases of Poverty · 2025-06-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Echinococcosis remains highly endemic in some nomadic communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, where alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE) exhibit notably high prevalence rates of 3.64% and 2.37%, respectively. Recent settlement expansion in the region has raised concerns, as smaller, remote settlements often lacked waste disposal and sewage systems, potentially facilitating echinococcosis transmission. The aim of this study is to investigate how settlement characteristics influence echinococcosis transmission. Findings The study was conducted from 2022–2024 in nomadic communities of Shiqu County in China. The overall prevalence rate of echinococcosis in 51 settlements was found to be 2.34% (321/13,701; 95% CI : 2.10–2.61), which included a prevalence rate of 1.62% (222/13,701; 95% CI : 1.42–1.85) for AE and a prevalence rate of 0.72% (99/13,701; 95% CI : 0.59–0.88) for CE. The prevalence rate of AE was significantly ( χ 2 = 49.57, P &lt; 0.01) higher than that of CE. Settlements with a smaller population size (Z = -4.27, P &lt; 0.01), a greater distance to the township center (Z = 2.66, P &lt; 0.01) and a higher density of owned dogs (Z = 5.90, P &lt; 0.01) were associated with higher prevalence rates of CE. These associations were also observed for AE prevalence, except for the density of owned dogs. Conclusions This study indicates that the transmission of AE was more active than that of CE in the nomadic communities. Smaller, remote settlements had higher prevalence rates for both CE and AE. The density of owned dogs was a significant risk factor for CE prevalence but not for AE prevalence. Targeted interventions are needed in these high-risk settlements. Future research should investigate how settlement characteristics interact with hygiene practices, the infection status of intermediate and definitive hosts, and their population dynamics to better understand combined effects on echinococcosis prevalence.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 684 Efficacy and safety of GLP-1 agonist therapy in overweight and obese subjects with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes: a pilot study

  Journal of Cystic Fibrosis · 2025-10-01 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Benjamin K. Tsang

  University of Ottawa

  43 shared

• Natalie R. Davidson

  40 shared

• André Kahles

  SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics

  30 shared

• Gunnar Rätsch

  SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics

  30 shared

• Kjong-Van Lehmann

  RWTH Aachen University

  28 shared

• Marilyn S. Nanney

  University of Minnesota

  26 shared

• Ji Young Kim

  Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

  25 shared

• Jiayin Liu

  National Medical Products Administration

  25 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

  2020

Awards & honors

• HDSI Postdoctoral Research Fund
• IEEE VIS Honorable Mention (2022, 2024)
• Best Paper Award from IMLH@ICML 2021
• Best Abstract Awards from BioVis ISMB (2021, 2022)