My name is Hexiao Ding, also known as Herschel H. Ding. I am a PhD candidate in Health Technology and Informatics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with interdisciplinary training in psychiatric nursing, clinical practice, mathematics, and biomedical informatics. My research lies at the intersection of mental health, aging, chronic disease, and data-driven medicine, with a growing focus on biological mechanisms related to inflammation, immune regulation, neurodegeneration, and brain–body interactions. I have contributed to studies involving inflammatory proteins, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, astrocytic autophagy, demyelination, and machine learning-based health risk prediction. By integrating clinical insight, quantitative methods, and natural science perspectives, I aim to develop mechanistically informed, interpretable, and clinically meaningful solutions for improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations.