Motao Zhu Team
Motao Zhu, MD, MS, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Zhu is a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. With doctoral training in epidemiology and medicine, and active research for about 20 years, Dr. Zhu is well versed in travel behaviors, transportation injuries, and opioid and marijuana abuse. He has received multiple NIH, CDC, and state grants to conduct research in cellphone use while driving, teen driving, traffic policy, and opioid use disorders. He has published in a number of high impact journals, including JAMA, Epidemiology and Journal of Adolescent Health, as well as notable journals in the injury field, such as Injury Prevention and Accident Analysis and Prevention. He has been an editorial board member for the journals Injury Prevention and Injury Epidemiology. He has been the research coordinator for the Vehicle User Education, Training, and Licensing Committee of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Behind the wheel (BTW) smartphone application: Utilizing technology to quantify driving behaviors and promote safe driving in adolescents
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this study assesses the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an app (BTW) to quantify driving behaviors and promote safe driving among adolescents who are beginning their learner period of licensure. We are actively recruiting drivers aged 15-17 years. If you are interested, please complete the eligibility survey.
Distracted driving is a major public health issue in the United States, especially as smart phones have become ubiquitous. Manual, visual, and cognitive distractions from cellphones cause driving decrements and increase crash risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distracted driving resulted in 3,142 deaths in 2020. To combat distracted driving, nearly every state restricts drivers’ cellphone use while driving in some fashion. Funded by the National Institute of Health, our R01 study on cellphone laws aims to assess if and to what extent these policies reduce handheld phone use while driving and motor vehicle crashes, especially among young drivers.
The work associated with this grant has resulted in numerous conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications, including manuscripts in Epidemiology, Annals of Epidemiology, Journal of Adolescent Health, Accident Analysis and Prevention, and Journal of Safety Research. Our study findings suggest that comprehensive handheld bans are associated with less self-reported cellphone use while driving and lower rates of motor vehicle fatalities. This research was presented during deliberations for Ohio House Bill 283, which was signed by Governor Mike DeWine in January, 2023, and strengthened distracted driving laws in Ohio. Dr. Zhu provided expert testimony for the bill.
This study examines an application of passive home monitoring technology and Fitbit that tracks daily schedules and routines among adults living with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Machine learning is used to identify patterns. We hope to better understand the schedules, needs, and risks of relapse among adults in remission with OUD. This study is funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Third Frontier Research Incentives.
Funded by the National Institute of Health, this R01 study is a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of a cellphone app and a driving mode intervention in reducing cellphone use and high-risk driving events in young drivers. We are actively recruiting drivers aged 18-24 years. If you are interested, please complete the eligibility survey.
Team Members
Brianna Bowden
Undergraduate Research Assistant
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Brianna is an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Center for Injury Research and Policy. She is a fourth-year student at The Ohio State University majoring in neuroscience with a minor in developmental psychology. She works in the Zhu lab on the Behind the Wheel project on teen driving behaviors. She is also a Patient Care Assistant at NCH in the float pool. In her free time, Brianna enjoys running, crafting, and baking.
Sidney Dobbins
Clinical Research Coordinator
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Sidney graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor’s in psychology and minors in global health, leadership and business. She now works within the Behavioral Trials Office (BTO) in the Center for Biobehavioral Health as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Sidney provides study coordination services to Principal Investigators who are working on Behavioral Studies and is currently assisting the Zhu Lab with an R01 study testing the effects of a cellphone app on young drivers’ behavior. In the future, Sidney aspires to obtain an MPH and work to increase access to healthcare and improve health outcomes for underrepresented minorities. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring museums and coffee shops and spending time with family and friends (and her cat).
Alex Evans, MPH
Graduate Research Associate
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Alex earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration and geographic information science from Kent State University. He also received an MPH in epidemiology from Emory University and is currently a PhD student studying epidemiology at The Ohio State University. His research interests include injury prevention, policy analysis, and applied epidemiology.
Yuhan Pan, MS
Graduate Research Associate
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Yuhan is a Graduate Research Associate in the Zhu Lab at the Center for Research Injury and Policy leading the Behind the Wheel study. Yuhan earned her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in biomedical informatics. She is deeply concerned about the opioid epidemic in the United States and passionate about substance use disorder advocacy and treatment, especially in adolescents and young adults. Outside of work, Yuhan enjoys outdoor activities and recreational sports. She is also interested in injury prevention and advocacy in extreme recreational activities.
Leah Patterson
Graduate Research Assistant
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Leah is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Injury Research and Policy. She earned a bachelor's degree in health science from Purdue University and is now finishing her master's degree in clinical epidemiology from Kent State University. Leah has served in the US Army for the past five years and previously worked on many public health initiatives for disease prevention in Central America. She currently works in the Zhu lab on two studies involving the reduction of cellphone use while driving among adolescents and young adults. Leah’s research interests include injury prevention, behavioral medicine, and infectious disease prevention.
Maggie Sarle
Research Assistant
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Maggie Sarle is a Research Assistant at the Center for Injury Research and Policy. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from The Ohio State University in 2022 and joined Dr. Zhu’s lab in 2023. She currently does research on reducing young adults’ cell phone use while driving.