معرفی
Lifang Hou, MD, PhD is a Professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine. She serves as Chief of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention and Director of the Center for Global Oncology at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health. Her multidisciplinary research integrates traditional epidemiology with molecular techniques to identify environmental risk factors and biomarkers for chronic disease prevention.
- Education: MD from University of Tsukuba, Japan (2001)
Her research focuses on linking environmental exposures (air pollution, pesticides, lifestyle factors) to disease mechanisms through genetic and epigenetic biomarkers, including DNA methylation, telomere length, and microRNA profiling. Recent studies explore urban green spaces' impact on aging, alcohol-related biological aging, and epigenetic markers for cardiovascular and cognitive health.
Current research trends include:
- Integration of molecular epidemiology with social determinants of health
- Development of DNA methylation-based risk prediction models for cancers
- Global health initiatives targeting disease prevention in low-resource settings
- Microbiome-environment interactions in chronic disease development
Scientific honors include Cancer Research Achievement Award, multiple NIH Fellowships, and AACR Scholar-in-Training Award. She leads NIH-funded grants and co-directs the Northwestern Consortium for Early Phase Cancer Prevention Trials.
