Zhang Yunting is an assistant professor at the Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, where she leads a team conducting population-level studies on early child development (ECD).

Yunting believes that ECD is not only about children and their families, but also a cornerstone for sustainable development in every region and every country. She has developed ECD evaluation tools and established a surveillance system in Shanghai, which she aims to expand throughout China, and will generate data to compare ECD in developed areas with rural areas.

Her research has indicated there are regional disparities in early childhood development, which can lead to persistent inequities without effective interventions.

Yunting is chief secretary of the Child Health Alliance of the National Children’s Medical Center, a professional network of leaders in child care systems from 29 provincial areas of China.