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Resilience and Research

Zixing “Peter” Liu, a Master of Science student in the Department of Biostatistics, attributes his interest in biostatistics, in part, to a difficult time in his life defined by continuous chronic pain.

It began in his jaw and radiated upward, creating a constant loop of discomfort alternating between sharp and dull.

The debilitating pain forced Liu, who was 22 and in the middle of his senior year at Johns Hopkins University, to take medical leave. It took a year and visits to multiple hospitals and doctors before he received a diagnosis of SAPHO syndrome, a rare inflammatory disorder of the bones, joints, and skin. 

"Data has a mystery. There's a story in there and you're the one who gives meaning to that story."

After his diagnosis, Liu focused on taking care of himself. He adjusted to living with chronic pain, treated his symptoms with monthly injections, and leaned on the Johns Hopkins community for support. 

His experience ignited an academic interest in the element of uncertainty in diagnosing and treating chronic conditions, which can often have varied and inconsistent symptoms. This interest led him to the field of biostatistics and the desire to help others with chronic conditions avoid the delays that he experienced in getting care. 

“There is so much individual variability in patients and symptoms,” Liu said. “One of the answers to that is precision medicine, which requires a lot of biostatistical methods.” 

After graduating in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology, Liu began his ScM in biostatistics at the Bloomberg School, where he is now in his second year.

“Data has a mystery,” Liu said. “There’s a story in there and you’re the one who gives meaning to that story.” 

Liu was initially drawn to Hopkins as an undergrad over similar schools due to the quality of research, mentorship opportunities with professors, and the chance to explore diverse areas. But he chose to stay for his master’s in biostatistics not only because of the program but because of the support he received while seeking treatment.  

"Bloomberg has this perfect environment for us to learn from our successes and challenges and take the time to explore."

Now, Liu is giving back with his research, working to better understand and diagnose chronic conditions. He is currently working at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center to build regression and machine learning models that predict the involvement and presence of scleroderma symptoms using various biomarkers.

Moving forward, Liu plans to continue his research either in academia or an industry setting, but his goal will remain the same: improving patient outcomes and producing research that makes a difference. 

“I think the journey involves exploring different interests and seeking advice,” Liu said. “And Bloomberg [School of Public Health] has this perfect environment for us to learn from our successes and challenges and take the time to explore.”