Tao Wang Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Associate Professor of the Quantitative Biomedical Research Center in the O'Donnell School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Wang's research revolves around using state-of-the-art bioinformatics and biostatistics approaches to study the implications of tumor immunology for tumorigenesis, metastasis, prognosis, and treatment response in a variety of cancers. Dr. Wang is affiliated with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Wang graduated from Peking University in China in 2011 and studied at UT Southwestern under the mentoring of Drs. Yang Xie and Guanghua Xiao. He became an Assistant Professor at UTSW after obtaining his Ph.D. in 2015, and became Associate Professor in 2023. Aside from his research and investigative work, Dr. Wang also enjoys movies, cooking, and sports with family and friends.

Lora V. Hooper Ph.D.

Professor

Lora V. Hooper, Ph.D., is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2008. She became Chair of the Department of Immunology in 2016.

Dr. Hooper’s lab focuses on the microbiome and its interactions with the immune system. In particular, her group has studied how the intestinal immune system defends against the vast microbial communities that inhabit the mammalian gut. Dr. Hooper’s discoveries have helped explain how a host peacefully coexists with the trillions of beneficial bacteria present in the intestinal tract and may ultimately reveal alterations in these populations that can make it possible for disease-causing bacteria to overtake them.

Dr. Hooper’s work has provided insights into the molecular mechanisms that mediate the interaction between the remarkably dense and complex community of intestinal microbes and the host intestine to maintain health. As a result, it is becoming increasingly clear that the microbiome not only determines the ability of pathogenic microbes to cause infections, but also regulates the susceptibility to many other disorders, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Yueqiu Yang Ph.D.

Assistant Instructor

Dr. Yuqiu Yang, M.S., Ph.D., serves as an Assistant Instructor in the Department of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s O’Donnell School of Public Health.

Dr. Yang’s research focuses on the development of statistical methodologies for analyzing complex data structures in public health.

Dr. Yang earned a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy degree, demonstrating a strong foundation in biostatistics and public health research.

In addition to research, Dr. Yang is involved in teaching and mentoring students in the School of Public Health, contributing to the academic community at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Yang’s work is integral to advancing public health initiatives through rigorous data analysis and interpretation.