Chang (Rita) Yu
Research Interests: Aging and life course, social demography, cognitive health, chronic pain, data harmonization, causal inference, large language model (LLM) and scoping review method
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Education:
BM: Public Administration, 2019, Hunan Normal University
MA: Sociology, 2022, University at Buffalo, SUNY
Recent Courses Taught:
Social Research Methods
Basic Statistics for the Social Sciences
Bio: My substantive research centers on life course and aging, with a particular focus on how the timing of historical events shapes cognitive aging and how factors from childhood and midlife influence later-life cognitive outcomes. I also investigate the role of chronic pain and its various dimensions of interference in contributing to cognitive function. Methodologically, my work includes: (1) using measurement models to assess the validity and reliability of cognitive measures over time; (2) applying causal inference approaches, such as propensity score models, to examine selection effects within productive aging theory; and (3) evaluating the validity of large language models for data extraction in scoping reviews across diverse questions and article types.
Recent Publications:
Chang Yu, Ashley B. Barr. 2025. "Social Activities and Dimensions of Cognitive Functioning Across Mid- and Late-Life: Evidence from China." The Gerontologist. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaf014
Yuanyuan Wu, Chang Yu, Kristen S. Lee. 2025. "Voluntary Participation and Life Satisfaction among Chinese Older Adults: A Propensity Score Analysis." Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences and Psychological Sciences. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbaf127
Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, Rui Huang, Chang Yu, Yu-An Chen, Sirat Kaur, Merita Limani, Ting-Hui Lin, Anna Zajacova, Zachary Zimmer, Penney Cowan, Roger B. Fillingim, Jennifer S Gewandter, Ian Gilron, Adam T. Hirsh, Gary Macfarlane, Salimah H. Meghani, Kushang V Patel, Ellen L. Poleshuck, Eric C. Strain, Frank J. Symons, Ursula Wesselmann, Robert H Dworkin, Dennis C Turk. 2025. "Over Fifty Years of Research on Social Disparities in Pain and Pain Treatment." PAIN. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003676 (Editor's choice article)
Yuanyuan Wu, Meng Cai, Chang Yu. 2025. "Depression and Internet Use before and after the COVID-19 Outbreak Among Chinese Middle-aged and Older adults: A Network Analysis." BMC Psychology. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03119-8
Qian Liu, Yuanyuan Wu, Chang Yu, Yaolin Pei. 2024. "Social Activities and Depressive Symptoms Among Migrant Middle-aged and Older Adults in China: A Network Analysis." Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1376180
Selected Conference Presentations:
Chang Yu. "Harmonization of Later-Life Cognitive Function in Longitudinal Integrative Data Analysis: Results from Two Chinese National Datasets" Poster session presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA, 2025
Chang Yu, Mo Han, Rui Huang, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, Gongda Yu. "Human vs. AI in Conducting Scoping Reviews: Evaluating Large Language Model Accuracy Across Article and Question Types" Paper session (oral) presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA, 2025
Chang Yu, Jiaowei Gong, Emma Zang. "Intergenerational Relationship Trajectories in Multi-Child Families and Depressive Symptoms of Older Parents in China" Paper session (oral) presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA, 2025
Chang Yu, Yuanyuan Wu, Kristen S. Lee. "Voluntary Participation and Life Satisfaction among Chinese Older Adults: A Propensity Score Analysis." Poster session presentation at the Population Association of America Annual Conference, Washington DC, 2025
Chang Yu, Ashley B. Barr, Yulin Yang, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk. "Chronic Pain, Pain Interferences, and Cognition Among Middle- and Old-aged Americans: A Fixed-effects Analysis." Poster session presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA, 2024
Chang Yu, Ashley B. Barr, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk. "Functional Limitations, Depressive Symptoms, and Cognition Across Mid- and Late-Life: Evidence from China." Poster session presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA, 2024
Chang Yu, Ashley B. Barr. "Social Activities and Dimensions of Cognitive Functioning Across Mid- and Late-Life: Evidence from China." Roundtable session presentation at the American Sociological Association Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, 2024
Chang Yu. "Cognition Changes Among Chinese Middle Aged and Older Adults, 2013-2018: Disparities and Correlations." Regular presentation at Center for Social Research, Peking University, Beijing, 2023
Chang Yu, Yulin Yang, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk "Gender, Stress and Cognition Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States." Roundtable session presentation at the American Sociological Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, 2023
Chang Yu, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk. "The Relationship between Social Participation and Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: A Network Analysis." Poster session presentation at the Population Association of America Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2023
Chang Yu, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk. "The Relationship between Social Participation and Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: A Network Analysis." 19th Annual Celebration of Student Academic Excellence Student Showcase, State University of New York at Buffalo, 2023
Chang Yu, Qian Liu, Yuanyuan Wu, Yaolin Pei. "Social Activities and Depressive Symptoms Among Migrant Middle-aged and Older Adults in China: A Network Analysis." Regular presentation at Center for Social Research, Peking University, virtual, 2022
Email: cyu33@buffalo.edu
CV: Rita Yu's CV