Sarah Huen

Sarah Huen, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a member of the Division of Nephrology. She leads the Huen Lab, which investigates metabolic adaptations during inflammation and sepsis. Dr. Huen’s research focuses on understanding how metabolic pathways protect tissues during acute injuries and infections, with a particular emphasis on kidney health and sepsis pathophysiology.

Dr. Huen received her medical degree from Northwestern University and completed residency training at New York University. She pursued postdoctoral studies in nephrology and immunobiology at Yale University, where she studied macrophage roles in kidney injury. Her work bridges metabolism, immunology, and critical care, addressing unmet clinical needs in acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis management.

Her research interests include metabolic tolerance mechanisms, kidney injury biomarkers, and macrophage biology in tissue repair. Recent studies explore how fasting-induced pathways influence disease tolerance during infections and how ketogenesis impacts survival during starvation or inflammation.

Publications highlight her contributions to understanding XBP1 signaling in sepsis-induced AKI, the role of protein translation in kidney protection, and macrophage-driven repair processes. Collaborative efforts emphasize translational research to improve outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis-associated organ dysfunction.

Dr. Huen actively contributes to the nephrology community through clinical practice, research mentorship, and leadership in academic medicine. Her lab fosters interdisciplinary approaches to tackle challenges in metabolic and kidney diseases.