Biography

Ember Zhang｜张路婷 (she/her) is a Chinese-American author, independent health researcher, athlete, and public speaker focused on patient-centered care and mental health equity, with particular focus on AAPI communities, people with invisible disabilities, and other marginalized identities.

Zhang has been a guest speaker on patient-centered care and health technology innovation at venues such as Stanford University, University of California Los Angeles, Quantified Self Europe, and The Next Web. Her writing and perspectives on mental health and healing have been features in mainstream media such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, New Scientist, and NBC Today. She has been featured in works such as Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You (2012), Fathom Films‘ documentary Smart Drugs (2018), Charlene Wang’s portraits on breaking model minority Asian stereotypes (2021), and Show&Tells by Gary Wolf (2026).

Drawing upon experiences of overcoming Lyme disease, psychological abuse, and intergenerational trauma from China’s Communist Revolution and Great Leap Forward, Ember dedicates her work to healing and empowerment for those facing complex health challenges and structural hardships.

In a past life, Ember served as an entrepreneur-apprentice to Derek Sivers, competed in Olympic short-track speedskating and the Ironman triathlon (140.6), and once rode a bicycle 3,800 miles from the U.S. West Coast to East Coast for children’s cancer charities. She has traveled to 25+ countries and holds a B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University. She is the granddaughter of music composer, 张文纲 (Zhang Wen Gang).