Community Spotlight: Lin-Chieh Meng

Can you tell us about your current research and what inspired you to pursue this area?

My primary research focus is on using causal inference methods to analyze large real-world databases and generate evidence that is meaningful for clinical decision-making, clinical guidelines, health policy, and ultimately people. I come to this work with a pharmacy background and more than three years of clinical experience as a pharmacist in a medical center.

During my time in clinical practice, I frequently encountered a frustrating reality. For many vulnerable populations, it was difficult and sometimes impossible to find strong evidence to support medication use. Groups such as pregnant people, pediatric populations, and older adults are often excluded from randomized controlled trials due to ethical and practical constraints. As a result, high-quality evidence on the effectiveness and safety of treatments for these populations is often lacking.

This gap is what motivated me to pursue epidemiologic research using real-world data. Data sources such as insurance claims, registries, and electronic health records play a critical role in generating evidence where trials fall short. Through my research, I hope to help bridge the gap between research and real-world clinical practice and contribute to improving population health.

How does your research intersect with real-world challenges?

Much of my recent work focuses on medication use during pregnancy, a research area that relies heavily on large-scale real-world data. Turning observational data into evidence that people can trust is challenging, even with careful study design.

There are many potential sources of bias to consider, including selection bias, confounding, and misclassification. Advanced causal inference approaches such as target trial emulation and quasi-experimental designs can help us get closer to causal answers, but they must be applied thoughtfully and with a clear understanding of data limitations.

Another challenge lies in interpretation. Statistical significance does not always translate into clinical significance, and medication decisions during pregnancy often involve complex trade-offs. For example, a medication may carry potential risks to fetal health, but not treating a maternal condition could also pose serious risks to both the pregnant person and the baby. Balancing these competing considerations and communicating findings responsibly is a central part of my work.

What do you find most rewarding about working in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics?

The greatest treasure of DBEI is unquestionably the people. My epidemiology PhD cohort, advisors, and collaborators are not only brilliant but also genuinely supportive. As an international student, integrating into a new academic and social environment takes time, but DBEI has been incredibly inclusive. I felt welcomed very quickly, both academically and personally, and I truly enjoy coming into the office each day to see people.

I am also fortunate to be involved in two wonderful research centers, the Center for Health Innovations in Reproductive and Perinatal Population Research (CHIRP) and the Center for Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Therapeutics (CREST). Working with mentors and collaborators including Drs. Caniglia, Leonard, Hennessy, Schisterman, Mumford, and Hinkle has deepened my understanding of epidemiology and opened the door to many exciting collaborative opportunities. Being part of these communities has been deeply rewarding.

Can you share a significant recent project, publication, or professional recognition that you are particularly proud of contributing to or achieving?

I recently received wonderful news that I was awarded an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship to support the next two years of my PhD research at Penn. This is my first individual grant, and it is deeply meaningful to me. Given the current challenges in NIH funding and the resulting increase in external grant competition, I am especially grateful for this opportunity and for the incredible support from my advisors and collaborators.

I also recently published my first corresponding author paper, titled “Trends in Psychotropic Medication Use, Polypharmacy, and Potential Major Drug-Drug Interactions Among US Youth,” in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP). This project began as an independent study during the spring of my first PhD year, and seeing it published has been both exciting and rewarding. I am very thankful for my coauthors’ support throughout the process.

Finally, through my advisors’ connections, I have had the opportunity to begin collaborating with an outstanding research team at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Together, we are studying medication use during pregnancy and its associations with maternal and neonatal outcomes using Sweden’s exceptionally rich registry data. I am very much looking forward to the learning and discoveries that will come from this collaboration.

What advice would you give to students or early-career professionals in your field?

Research is built through slow and steady accumulation. As described in the book Atomic Habits, improving by just one percent each day can lead to results that are more than thirty-six times greater over the course of a year. The impact of research unfolds gradually, from identifying a knowledge gap, to designing a study, analyzing data, publishing results, and eventually seeing real-world impact. It is a long journey.

But that long journey is also what makes research meaningful. It gives us time to savor each step. When things do not go as planned, and they often do not, it is okay to rest, but it is important not to give up. Every study adds to our collective understanding of human health. I truly enjoy this process, and I hope that if you are reading this, you are finding joy in your own research journey as well.

What is an interest or pastime that you enjoy outside of academia?

I love traveling, whether it involves experiencing natural landscapes or immersing myself in local culture. Traveling gives me a strong sense of awe for both the natural world and human history. That said, many of my trips are closely tied to academic life, such as attending conferences or serving as a visiting scholar.

I also enjoy visiting museums, and I recently obtained a free one-year membership to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is a wonderful benefit for students in the Philadelphia area. I discovered that the museum hosts live music every Friday evening, along with locally sourced spirits and wines, making it a perfect place for a relaxed stroll through the galleries. If you are looking for me on a Friday evening, there is a good chance I will be at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, happily talking about research while enjoying art and music.