Contact Information
Education
PhD, University of Pittsburgh
MSN, Fudan University
BSN, Sun Yat-sen University
Awards and Honors
Travel Award, United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP) Annual Meeting, 2025
Class of 2023, North American Pain School
Second Place, Early PhD Poster Award, Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2017
Graduate Research Award, Sigma Theta Tau International Eta Chapter, 2016
Biography
Dr. Yehui Zhu’s program of research centers on understanding the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying pain and symptom burden in cancer survivorship, with a particular focus on aromatase inhibitor–associated musculoskeletal syndrome (AIMSS) among women with breast cancer. Her research is multidisciplinary and biobehavioral, integrating nursing science, neuroscience, genetics, and behavioral medicine to examine complex symptom mechanisms and improve outcomes for cancer survivors. Through this work, Dr. Zhu aims to translate mechanistic discoveries in symptom science into personalized interventions that promote treatment adherence, reduce symptom burden, and enhance the overall well-being of cancer survivors. At Indiana University, she is committed to mentoring students and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to prepare the next generation of nurse scientists.
Dr. Zhu earned her PhD in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, where her dissertation examined the trajectory, predictors, and biological correlates of musculoskeletal pain during endocrine therapy in breast cancer, supported by the NIH/NCI F99 Predoctoral Award. She then completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she continued her line of research through the NIH/NCI K00 Postdoctoral Award and was selected as a R90 trainee in the NIH HEAL-funded MGB IMPACT Clinical Pain Research Program. Her postdoctoral work expanded her expertise in pain neuroimaging and symptom science, advancing mechanistic and translational pain research.
Dr. Zhu has earned competitive funding from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Oncology Nursing Foundation, and Sigma Theta Tau International. She has published in interdisciplinary journals and remains actively engaged in collaborative, cross-disciplinary research.
External Funding
2020–2025. Musculoskeletal Pain among Breast Cancer Survivors: Through Bio-behavioral and Imaging Lenses. National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute (K00CA234782). Awarded: $395,750.
2021–2024. Aromatase Inhibitor–Associated Musculoskeletal Syndrome (AIMSS) in Breast Cancer: Through Biobehavioral and Neuroimaging Lenses. Oncology Nursing Foundation. Awarded: $50,000.
2018–2020. Musculoskeletal Pain among Breast Cancer Survivors: Through Bio-behavioral and Imaging Lenses. National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute (F99CA234782). Awarded: $90,548.
2017–2019. Musculoskeletal Symptoms with Endocrine Therapy: Trajectory and Predictors. American Cancer Society (DSCN-17-073-01). Awarded: $30,000.
2016–2017. Trajectories of Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Women with Breast Cancer Receiving Endocrine Therapy. Sigma Theta Tau International, Eta Chapter Research Award. Awarded: $2,500.
Publications
Bender, C. M., Sereika, S. M., Gentry, A. L., Zhu, Y., et al. (2025). Aerobic exercise and aromatase inhibitor–associated musculoskeletal symptoms: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Supportive Care in Cancer.
Sandström, A., Torrado-Carvajal, A., Morrissey, E. J., Kim, M., Alshelh, Z., Zhu, Y., et al. (2023). [11C]-PBR28 positron emission tomography signal as an imaging marker of joint inflammation in knee osteoarthritis. Pain.
Muñoz-Vergara, D., Schreiber, K. L., Langevin, H., Yeh, G. Y., Zhu, Y., Rist, P., & Wayne, P. M. (2022). The effects of a single bout of high- or moderate-intensity yoga exercise on circulating inflammatory mediators: A pilot feasibility study. Global Advances in Health and Medicine.
Zhu, Y., Loggia, M. L., Edwards, R. R., Flowers, K. M., Muñoz-Vergara, D. W., Partridge, A. H., & Schreiber, K. L. (2022). Increased clinical pain locations and pain sensitivity in women after breast cancer surgery: Influence of aromatase inhibitor therapy. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 38(12), 721–729.
Zhu, Y., Koleck, T. A., Bender, C. M., & Conley, Y. P. (2020). Genetic underpinnings of musculoskeletal pain during treatment with aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer: A biological pathway analysis. Biological Research for Nursing, 22(2), 263–276.
Zhu, Y., Cohen, S. M., Rosenzweig, M. Q., & Bender, C. M. (2019). Symptom map of endocrine therapy for breast cancer: A scoping review. Cancer Nursing, 42(5), E19–E30.
Knisely, M. R., Maserati, M., Heinsberg, L. W., Shah, L. L., Li, H., Zhu, Y., … & Conley, Y. P. (2019). Symptom science: Advocating for inclusion of functional genetic polymorphisms. Biological Research for Nursing, 21(4), 349–354.
Bender, C. M., Merriman, J. D., Sereika, S. M., Gentry, A. L., Gasillo, F., Zhu, Y., et al. (2018). Trajectories of cognitive function and associated phenotypic and genotypic factors in breast cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 45(3), 308–326.