Dr. Chunyi Fang: Physical therapist at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, China
Dr. Chunyi Fang is a medical doctor and clinical researcher with a strong academic background in rehabilitation therapy and pediatric exercise science. She is affiliated with the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, one of China’s leading centers for rehabilitation research. Her work primarily focuses on pediatric physical activity, exploring how movement behaviors influence physical fitness and health outcomes in preschool-aged children. With both domestic and international publications, Dr. Fang has developed a reputation for combining clinical insight with rigorous data analysis, contributing to early childhood health promotion and rehabilitation strategies.
Online Profiles
Education
Dr. Fang earned her M.D. in 2017 from Shanghai University of Sport, where she conducted original research on how daily step counts influence cardiovascular and muscular fitness in preschoolers—an area that laid the groundwork for her later publications. Prior to that, she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Therapy at North China University of Science and Technology in 2012. Her academic path reflects a steady focus on clinical rehabilitation and the development of functional health in children, combining both practical and scientific approaches.
Research Focus
Her research concentrates on pediatric physical fitness, particularly examining how different types and intensities of physical activity and sedentary behavior affect developmental health outcomes. Using advanced tools such as accelerometers, she quantifies daily activity levels and links them to cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and motor skill indicators in young children. Dr. Fang’s work is especially known for addressing dose-response relationships, investigating how varying movement patterns correspond to health benchmarks in preschool-aged populations. She also contributes to cluster-based analyses and early intervention planning.
Experience
Dr. Fang currently works at the Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, where she plays a key role in research design, data collection, and clinical application. She has contributed to both observational studies and experimental trials involving child development, physical activity measurement, and rehabilitation protocols. She also assists in training clinical staff in pediatric assessments and collaborates with physicians, therapists, and data scientists in large-scale health studies. Her role bridges the gap between academic theory and hands-on clinical practice.
Research Timeline
Beginning in 2017, Dr. Fang’s early work investigated fundamental relationships between movement and fitness in young children. Her first notable international publication appeared in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2020, followed by co-authored studies in Frontiers in Pediatrics and Scientific Reports. From 2020 to 2025, she expanded her research methods to include wearable technology, sedentary behavior modeling, and cross-sectional studies with large preschool cohorts. She continues to participate in national and international collaborations while mentoring new researchers in pediatric rehabilitation.
Awards & Honors
While specific awards are not listed, Dr. Fang’s research has received recognition through publication in high-impact journals and citation by leading scholars in physical education and pediatric medicine. Her work was selected for publication in Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, reflecting both methodological quality and relevance to public health. She has also received internal commendations from Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital for her contributions to evidence-based rehabilitation practice and collaborative research excellence.
Top-Noted Publication
Her most cited and prominent paper is: Fang C, Li L, Jin Z, He C, Liang F, Ye X, Lu Y, Quan M. (2025). Accelerometer-Based Independent and Combined Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time on Physical Fitness in Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study. Published in Scientific Reports, this study offers a comprehensive look at how objectively measured physical activity and inactivity are related to fitness outcomes in early childhood. It emphasizes the importance of reducing sedentary time and encouraging moderate-to-vigorous activity for promoting children’s health.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00626-x
Fang C, Li L, Jin Z, He C, Liang F, Ye X, Lu Y, Quan M. (2025). Accelerometer-Based Independent and Combined Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time on Physical Fitness in Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study. Scientific Reports, 15(1):26691.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-00626-x
This study explored the independent and joint effects of physical activity and sedentary time on health-related fitness using objective accelerometer data in preschoolers.
Fang C, Zhang J, Zhou T, Li L, Lu Y, Gao Z, Quan M. (2020). Associations between Daily Step Counts and Physical Fitness in Preschool Children. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(1):163.
DOI: 10.3390/jcm9010163
Among the first studies to examine the dose-response association between step count and physical fitness in children aged 3–6, this article provides foundational evidence supporting active lifestyle promotion in early childhood.
Liu J, Li Y, Zhou T, Lu Y, Sang M, Li L, Fang C, Hu W, Sun X, Quan M. (2022). Relationship Between Gross Motor Skills and Inhibitory Control in Preschool Children: A Pilot Study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16:848230.
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.848230
This pilot study evaluated the cognitive-motor link in preschoolers, finding significant associations between gross motor competence and inhibitory control, a critical executive function.
Lu Y, Li Y, Zhou T, Sang M, Li L, Fang C, Hu W, Quan M. (2022). The Association of Different Sedentary Patterns and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Pre-schoolers. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 9:796417.
DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.796417
This paper examined how various sedentary behavior patterns relate to fitness metrics in preschool children, revealing that prolonged sedentary bouts are negatively associated with cardiovascular and muscular fitness.