Mei Ling Ong Promoted to Associate Research Scientist
After a rigorous review process by committees at CFR as well as the level of the OVPR and the Provost, CFR’s Dr. Mei Ling Ong was promoted to Associate Research Scientist on March 1, 2023.
In her role as Assistant Research Scientist at the Center, Mei Ling has been the primary force in managing the large and complicated multi-wave project known as the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS). The FACHS project has grown dramatically over the past several years as the collection of new types of samples and increasing attention to DNA and DNA methylation as predictors and outcomes has expanded and complicated data analysis.
In addition, Mei Ling has been publishing research on factors that contribute to accelerated epigenetic aging. Her work integrates longitudinal, biological, epigenetic methods to increase our understanding of healthy development and protective processes. As Rick Gibbons, a psychology professor at the University of Connecticut and collaborator with CFR, noted, “her expertise has resulted in a rapid expansion of the number of studies the FACHS group has been able to publish.”
In addition to the important role she has played in data management and analytics as well as her important role in publishing outstanding research, Dr. Ong has also played an important supportive role in the development of grant proposals at CFR, contributing strongly to another strategic goal of the Center.
CFR director, Dr. Steve Beach says that “we feel very fortunate to have Mei Ling as part of the CFR team – and very happy that she has been given this much-deserved promotion.”