Joseph Su

Joseph Su is a Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He also serves as co-director of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Training and Education.

Dr. Su received his educational training from several prestigious institutions:

• Ph.D. in Nutritional Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• M.P.H. in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• Undergraduate training in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Additional undergraduate training in Chemistry from Chung-Yuan University in Taiwan

As a cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Su specializes in assessing nutritional and environmental exposures and their interactions with genes in relation to cancer development and progression. His research spans several key areas:

• Evaluating the relationship between diet, heavy metal exposure, and adverse health outcomes
• Investigating genomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics in population-based studies
• Developing expertise in minority recruitment and follow-up methodologies
• Applying optical character recognition (OCR) data processing and validation techniques
• Designing survey studies and managing analytical chemistry laboratories for human biological sample processing

His laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation including ICP-MS and an HPLC system.

Dr. Su's publication record demonstrates consistent research focus on cancer epidemiology, particularly prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers. His work examines how nutritional factors, environmental exposures (including pesticides and heavy metals), and genetic factors interact to influence cancer risk and progression. A notable aspect of his research is the attention to racial disparities and minority populations, with numerous studies specifically addressing African American and other minority communities. His methodological approaches span from molecular techniques to population-based survey designs and geospatial analysis.

Dr. Su has held significant leadership positions in federal agencies:

• Branch Chief at the Division of Epidemiologic Research of the Center for Medical Devices and Radiological Health (FDA)
• Program Director at the Epidemiology and Genomic Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute

In these roles, he managed grant portfolios and oversaw post-approval medical devices in the U.S. market.