Henry Xiang Team

Huiyun Xiang
 

Henry Xiang, MD, MPH, PhD, MBA
Principal Investigator

Henry Xiang, MD, MPH, PhD, MBA is an internationally recognized physician-scientist and clinical translational science expert whose work bridges population health, medicine, and digital innovation. He is a Professor of Medicine (Pediatrics) and Professor of Epidemiology at The Ohio State University, Co-Director of the Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies Program within the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and Director of the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He also serves as Director of Research for the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
 
Dr. Xiang’s research focuses on injury and violence prevention, trauma outcomes, disability and rehabilitation, and acute and chronic pain, with particular emphasis on causal inference, data science, artificial intelligence, and medical extended reality. He is internationally known for pioneering triplet and poly-matching causal-inference frameworks for evaluating multi-arm interventions in trauma care and public health, as well as for leading clinical trials of smartphone-based virtual and augmented reality to improve pediatric pain management, anxiety, and brain-injury rehabilitation.
 
His work has informed national and global policy, including contributions to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020 Disability and Health objectives and the World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability. Dr. Xiang has held numerous national and international leadership roles, including President of the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR) and, most recently, Founder and Inaugural President of the Global Association for Pediatric Extended Reality (GAP-XR).
 
Across his career, Dr. Xiang has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 56 externally funded grants from NIH, CDC, AHRQ, HRSA, WHO, and other agencies. He has authored nearly 300 peer-reviewed publications, serves on multiple editorial boards, and is widely recognized for excellence in mentorship, interdisciplinary leadership, and translational impact on policy and practice.
Dr. Xiang has received numerous honors, including the Excellence in Science Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section; the Joseph Tepas Award from the Pediatric Trauma Society; The Ohio State University Distinguished International Engagement Award; the Kate Granger Compassionate Care Award from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society North America; the Outstanding Senior Faculty Investigator Award from the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University; and the Excellence in Violence or Injury Prevention Science Award from the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR). In 2025, he received the Empowering Excellence Award from The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business Alumni Board in recognition of his distinguished leadership, mentorship, and global impact.
 
 

Poly-Matching Causal Inference for Assessing Multiple Acute Medical Managements of Pediatric TBIs

Funded by NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shiver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, this R01 study aims to use innovative causal inference statistical methods to assess outcomes of major medical procedures for acute treatment of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

Randomized Clinical Trial of Smartphone Virtual Reality for Pain Mgmt During Burn Care Transition

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded this multi-site R01 study to determine VR-PAT effectiveness for pain management and opioid medication use reduction during at-home burn care and to identify potential facilitators and barriers that could affect wide use of VR-PAT.

Virtual Reality for Pain Management During Repeated Pediatric Laser Procedures

This pilot study is a randomized crossover clinical trial to assess the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of VR-PAT for pain management during outpatient laser procedures and to assess sex, age, and anxiety as key factors.

Featured Researcher: June 2024
Dr. Henry Xiang was selected as the Abigail Wexner Research Institute featured researcher. Learn more about Dr. Xiang and his work in the Center for Injury Research and Policy.
2025 Empowering Excellence Alumni Award
The Empowering Excellence Alumni Award is an award given from The Ohio State University's Max M. Fisher College of Business through the Fisher Alumni Awards. This award is presented to an alumna or alumnus whose leadership empowers and continues to create opportunities for others. Learn more about Dr. Xiang, his ground-breaking research, and what this award means to him through his recent Q&A, linked here.

Team Members

Megan Armstrong, MPH
Clinical Research Coordinator Team Lead
Email

Megan earned a B.S. in human nutrition and community health in 2012 and a Master of Public Health in 2015 from The Ohio State University. After receiving her MPH, Megan worked as a contractor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assisting with the Ebola response and the Division of Global Health Protection. Since joining Dr. Xiang’s team in 2018, her research interests include improving treatment and outcomes following pediatric traumatic injuries, including burns and traumatic brain injuries. In her free time, Megan enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and two dogs and cheering for the Buckeyes! 

portrait of Biche Osong

Biche Osong, PhD
Post-Doctoral Scientist
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Biche Osong is a Big Data enthusiast with a demonstrated ability to translate the available data generated across the continuum of care into knowledge for strategic and personalized decision-making via peer-reviewed journal articles. His work mostly involves working with experts to help answer domain-specific questions using (interpretable) AI or statistical techniques. Since joining Dr. Xiang’s team as a post-doctoral scientist, his research interest has shifted from oncology to trauma & injury, but he enjoys collaborating with people in different research fields. Research aside, Biche is a family man and a Real Madrid FC supporter.

Portrait of Hannah Williams

Hannah Williams, MPH
Research Associate
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Hannah earned a B.S. in biology from Purdue University in 2022 and a Master of Public Health in sociomedical sciences with a certificate in child, youth, and family health from Columbia University in 2024. As a graduate student researcher at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, she worked alongside a team on an NICHD study investigating K-12 school gun violence and school safety strategies. She is continuing her work in child health and injury and violence prevention, expanding into the clinical research space, and growing as a scientist as a Research Associate alongside Dr. Xiang and his team. Outside of research, Hannah loves spending time with her partner and their Italian Greyhound, cheering on the Purdue Boilermakers, and attending concerts of her favorite artists.