Title: Professor and Inaugural Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Company: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Location: Dallas, Texas, United States
L. Joseph Su, PhD, MPH, professor and inaugural associate dean for academic affairs at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in epidemiology and public health.
Dr. Su is an esteemed population scientist with an extensive career spanning over two decades. Currently, he excels as the inaugural associate dean for academic affairs at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, a position he has held since 2022. In this role, Dr. Su has been instrumental in developing and accrediting the curriculum, earning high praise for his efforts. Additionally, he co-directs the Office of Education and Training at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he continues to focus on research related to environmental issues, dietary intake and cancer.
Prior to his present posts, Dr. Su worked as a scientist at the Arkansas Department of Health in 2022 and played a pivotal role as a founding member of the Center for Dietary Supplements Research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences from 2019 to 2022. His tenure at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute was further defined by his efforts as an associate director of population sciences and co-director of cancer control and population sciences from 2015 to 2022. Dr. Su’s academic journey also includes serving as a professor at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health during the same time period.
Dr. Su’s career is likewise marked by significant contributions as the chief of the Epidemiology Evaluation and Research Branch at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2014 to 2015. During this period, he organized the Medical Device Innovation Council, which significantly expanded consulting efforts by leveraging real-world evidence in clinical trial design. As a program director at the National Cancer Institute from 2009 to 2014, Dr. Su was instrumental in pioneering metabolomics in population research, collaborating with international health agencies.
To support his professional ambitions, Dr. Su pursued an education at Chung-Yuan University, from which he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1987. He continued his studies with a Bachelor of Science in nutritional sciences at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul in 1993 and a Master of Public Health in public health nutrition at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in 1995. He ultimately concluded his academic pursuits at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy in nutritional epidemiology in 1998. These academic achievements have underpinned his expertise in epidemiology, nutrition, cancer etiology and prevention, rural health and health disparity research.
Dr. Su’s professional affiliations are extensive, including memberships in esteemed organizations such as the American Association for Cancer Research, Society for Epidemiological Research and American Public Health Association among others. His commitment to public health is further evidenced by his civic involvement as principal of Gaithersburg Chinese School since 2015 and board memberships with various cancer-related organizations in Arkansas.
In addition to his primary endeavors, Dr. Su has made significant contributions to literature with publications such as “Prostate Cancer: An Occupational Hazard?” featured in Future Oncology in London in 2014. His dedication to education was recognized with the Outstanding Educator Award from the Academy of Teachers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2023.
Outside his professional endeavors, Dr. Su enjoys hiking, gardening and visiting national parks. He remains committed to advancing public health education and research, focusing on cancer-related factors and environmental issues while fostering community collaborations both nationally and globally.
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