PhD | Hokkaido University, Japan
Yahuan Lou, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences at The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston. In addition to his primary appointment, Dr. Lou holds adjunct positions in the Nephrology Division at Baylor College of Medicine and in the Department of Internal Medicine at McGovern Medical School in Houston. He is a member of the Immunology and Reproductive Biology Program at the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston.
Dr. Lou earned a PhD in biology from Hokkaido University in 1990. He completed his first postdoctoral training in molecular biology at the National Institute for Basic Science in Japan. After he completed a second postdoctoral fellowship studying autoimmune disease at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Dr. Lou became an assistant professor at the University of Virginia Medical School in 1992. He joined the faculty at UT Health Science Center at Houston in 2000 as an associate professor.
Dr. Lou has been an active immunologist and served as the principle investigator for many research grants. His research has been funded by the NIH for more than 13 years. His research group focuses primarily on autoimmunity and the immune system's role in reproduction using animal models. He has published more than 70 research papers, review articles, and book chapters. The significance and excellence of his group's research are reflected in special commentaries, introductions, and cover stories on their research in prestigious journals. Recently, Dr. Lou's research interests have included more clinically relevant topics, such as human autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases in the oral cavity.
Dr. Lou serves as a regular reviewer for journals and grant applications. In addition, he is an active teacher, serving as course director for Microbiology/Immunology and as a lecturer for general pathology and advanced basic sciences for dental students, residents and graduate students. As a veteran educator, he is currently on the Test Construction Committee for the National Dental Board Exam.