Dr. Shuk-mei Ho Appointed Chair of UC's Environmental Health Department

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has appointed Shuk-mei Ho, PhD, chair of the Department of Environmental Health effective Oct. 1.

Her appointment was made official by the university’s Board of Trustees at their Sept. 27 meeting.

“Dr. Ho is a key recruit in UC College of Medicine’s overall efforts to assemble a leadership team that brings the very best researchers to our region,” said Dean David Stern, MD.  “She has the vision necessary to elevate our existing research capabilities, improve student education opportunities and establish impactful multidisciplinary research collaborations across our campus and with other academic institutions.”

Dr. Ho most recently served as a professor of surgery, cell biology and physiology at the

University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School. In this role, she held numerous leadership positions, including vice chair of research, director of urologic research and director of translational research in the department of surgery. She was also co-director of the genitourinary oncology program at the UMass Cancer Center.

“UC’s Department of Environmental Health is one of the best in the nation, and I’m 100 percent committed to taking it to the next level,” said Dr. Ho. “By using a systems biology approach that combines new technologies and advanced environmental health medicine, we can develop ways for basic science and translational research to reduce injuries and diseases associated with negative environmental factors.” 

While at UMass, Dr. Ho’s research program emphasized mechanisms of fetal-based adult disease development, cadmium-induced disorders and oxidative stress/inflammation-mediated cellular changes. An expert in hormonal carcinogenesis, her current research focuses on the significance of hormones and endocrine disruptors in the development of breast, ovary, endometrial and prostate tumors.

She has more than $5 million in research grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense (DoD) and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders.

Prior to her work at UMass, she spent 13 years at Tufts University School of Medicine, where she quickly became full professor of biology and then associate dean for research. Four years prior to her work at Tufts, she served as an assistant professor of biology at Boston University.

In her 27-year career, Dr. Ho has published more than 120 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and currently serves as president of the Society for Basic Urological Research. She is also a member of the Scientific Counsel of the National Toxicology Program and regularly chairs National Institutes of Health and DoD study and strategic committees.

Dr. Ho completed both her doctoral and undergraduate training at the University of Hong Kong—in zoology and biological sciences, respectively.

UC College of Medicine is one of the nation’s oldest medical schools. Founded in 1819, it has 850 faculty members, 617 medical students and 426 graduate students in doctoral and master’s degree programs.