Luke Engelking

Luke Engelking, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. He also serves as the Associate Dean for Medical Student Research. His clinical expertise focuses on genetic gastrointestinal disorders, including Lynch syndrome, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, and other hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes. He leads specialized clinics in the Simmons Cancer Center and Parkland Health System.

Engelking earned a B.S. in biochemistry and genetics from Texas A&M University, followed by an M.D. and Ph.D. at UT Southwestern under Nobel laureates Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein. He completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and gastroenterology fellowships at UT Southwestern, with additional training in genetic cancer risk assessment from City of Hope.

His research investigates lipid metabolic regulation in intestinal epithelial homeostasis and tumorigenesis, supported by grants from NIDDK and CPRIT. His lab explores SREBPs' role in intestinal lipid synthesis and their potential as therapeutic targets for colon cancer. Key projects include understanding cholesterol's role in intestinal cell growth and links between dietary lipids and cancer.

Engelking is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and an active member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He directs clinical trials in colorectal cancer screening and hereditary GI syndromes. His lab includes researchers like Yanchao Xu, with former members now in academia and industry.