Yitong is a Ph.D. student in epidemiology with an interest in disease modeling, particularly in risk assessment methodologies. During her MPVM program at UC Davis, she conducted pivotal research on the risk assessment of African Swine Fever's potential introduction into China through prohibited pork and pork products transported by air passengers. She further expanded her expertise by delving into a semi-quantitative risk assessment of chronic wasting disease in California deer, specifically examining hunter pathways. Currently, Yitong is collaborating with Dr. Pires on food safety research. Her project aims to emphasize a quantitative risk assessment framework for organic soil amendments, contributing crucial insights into agricultural practices and food safety protocols.