Ya-Chieh Hsu is Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, a Principal Faculty Member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and an associate member of the Broad Institute. She leads the Hsu Laboratory, which focuses on understanding the principles and molecular nature of cell-cell interactions governing development, regeneration, and injury repair using mammalian skin as a model system. Dr. Hsu completed her Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine, where she studied pathways controlling organ size using Drosophila as a model. For her postdoctoral research, she worked in Elaine Fuchs' laboratory at the Rockefeller University, where she delineated the lineage hierarchy of hair follicle cells and investigated how signals from stem cell progeny regulate hair follicle stem cells. Dr. Hsu's research centers on stem cell biology with particular emphasis on transit-amplifying cells. Her work has revealed how these cells function as key communicators between stem cells and their niche, coordinating tissue production and regeneration. She discovered that hair follicle transit-amplifying cells secrete Sonic Hedgehog to promote dermal adipocyte precursors to make more adipocytes, enabling coordinated tissue growth during regeneration. Her research has important implications for understanding chemotherapy side effects and developing regenerative therapies. Dr. Hsu's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on stem cell niches and tissue regeneration, with increasing exploration of stress responses, metabolic regulation of stem cells, and neuro-dermal interactions in recent years. She has pioneered approaches to studying cell-cell communication in complex tissue environments, moving from basic developmental biology toward translational applications. Pew Biomedical Scholars Award Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award Harvard's Roslyn Abramson Award for excellence and sensitivity in undergraduate teaching Dr. Hsu is an active mentor who emphasizes finding compatible team members with an adventurous spirit. She serves as associate director of the Developmental and Regenerative Biology (DRB) program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) PhD program and participates in multiple PhD programs across Harvard. Her teaching includes courses such as 'From Cells to Tissues, in Sickness and in Health' and 'Critical Analysis and Experimental Approaches in Developmental Biology,' where she emphasizes primary literature and hands-on laboratory experiences. The Hsu Laboratory, established in 2014, has grown from an initially empty space into a thriving research environment. Dr. Hsu emphasizes that the first group of lab members set the tone for the lab culture and helped her become a better mentor. The lab takes a multidisciplinary approach, combining genetic, molecular, and imaging techniques to study the mammalian skin system with its diverse cell types and multiple populations of somatic stem cells.
