Rong Hu, MD, PhD
Co-director, Pathology and Biospecimen Core
Dr. Hu is a board-certified pathologist and a molecular biologist with a broad background in tumor biology, genomics, genetics and biomarkers. Her postdoctoral research fellowship training with Dr. Jun Luo at Johns Hopkins University focused on the androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer. She discovered alternative splicing variants of androgen receptor, including AR-V7, which is implicated in castration-resistant prostate cancer, and performed functional characterization of these variants. Her research findings have motivated many follow-up studies, including current ongoing clinical trials targeting AR-V7 as both a therapeutic target and a noninvasive predictive marker for treatment selection in advanced prostate cancer patients. Her interests now focus on androgen receptor signaling in salivary duct carcinoma.
After finishing her pathology residency and fellowship training, Dr. Hu accepted a position as an assistant professor specializing in head/neck and genitourinary pathology, serving as the lead head/neck pathologist. She is actively involved in Wisconsin Head and Neck SPORE Path Core project. She has participated in multiple collaborations with other HNC researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Hu is a Clinical Health Sciences track faculty member with 20 percent protected time dedicated to research. The unique combination of experience and expertise will help her meet the challenges while experiencing the rewards of working in the dynamic fields of HNC research and becoming one of the leaders in translational research in HNC.
Education
Clinical Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital, Pathology (2016)
Residency, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Pathology (2015)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University, Genomics/Prostate (2011)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, State University of New York at Buffalo, Microbiology& Immunology (2006)
PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo, Microbiology& Immunology (2005)
MS, Capital University of Medical Sciences, China, Immunology (1998)
MD, Inner Mongolia Medical College, China, Medicine (1995)
Academic Appointments
Assistant Director, Translational Research Initiatives in Pathology, UW Carbone Cancer Center (2017-present)
Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (2022)
Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (2016)
Selected Honors and Awards
2019 University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center 2019 RIDE Award
2011 Poster Award (1st place) at 6th Annual Prostate Cancer Research Day. Baltimore, MD
2009 Poster Award at Multi-Institutional Prostate Cancer Program Retreat. Baltimore, MD
2009 Poster Award at 4th Annual Prostate Cancer Research Day. Baltimore, MD
2008 Travel Award, SBUR 2008 Annual Fall Meeting. Pheonix, AR
2003 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges
2002 Ernest Witebsky Memorial Award for Proficiency in Microbiology, SUNY at Buffalo
Boards, Advisory Committees and Professional Organizations
2005-pres. Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
2005-pres. American Association for Cancer Research
2011-pres. United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology
2011-pres. College of American Pathology
2018-pres. North American Society of Head and Neck Pathology (NASHNP)