Baoli Hu, PhD, joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in July of 2017 and was promoted to associate professor in February of 2024.
Dr. Hu received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Northwest A&F University in Yangling, China in 2001. He earned his PhD degree in microbiology from Wuhan University in Wuhan, China in 2004 and completed his postdoctoral training in molecular oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla. in 2007.
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dr. Hu was a senior research scientist in the Department of Genomic Medicine and Cancer Biology at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2011-17, working in the lab of Ronald DePinho, MD. From 2007-11 he worked with Dr. DePinho as a research scientist in the Department of Medical Oncology and Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Hu’s research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of brain tumor evolution, including tumor development, progression, and recurrence after the treatment; and developing new strategies for the treatment of these devastating diseases.
Dr. Hu's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.
[See also NIH R01 Grant for Glioblastoma Study and Translational Research.]
Specialized Areas of Interest
Hospital Privileges
Professional Organization Membership
Professional Activities
Education & Training
- BS, Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, 1998
- MS, Animal Breeding and Genetics, Northwest A&F University, 2001
- PhD, Microbiology, Wuhan University, 2004
- Fellow, Molecular Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 2007
Honors & Awards
- Pilot Award, RK Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research, 2024
- Hillman Fellow for Innovative Developmental Cancer Research, 2023
- Richard King Mellon Scholar, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2018
- UPMC Competitive Medical Research Fund Award, 2018
- B*CURED Brain Cancer Research Investigator Award, 2018
- Caroline Ross Endowed Fellowship Award, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2017
Research Activities
Over the past year, the research efforts in Dr. Hu’s Brain Tumor Evolution Therapy Lab have mainly focused on the completion of two projects, which include 1) developing a new class of drugs for targeting the immune-suppressive microenvironment in glioblastoma and 2) understanding molecular mechanisms of medulloblastoma metastatic dissemination. The results of these projects have been generated for research grant applications and paper publications. The National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01 and The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) R21 grants have been continuously supporting these projects. Additionally, the research projects have also been funded and supported by the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, the Walter L. Copeland Foundation, the UPMC Hillman Developmental Pilot Program, and the RK Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research. Four manuscripts were published over the past year. The lab has presented the results at local and international conferences, such as the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Cancer Biology Program Retreat and the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO) 28th Annual Meeting.
There were nine undergraduate students, one medical student, one lab technician, one postdoctoral fellow, and one research scientist, who have been mentored and trained. Among them, two undergraduate students were enrolled in the CMP-SURP program and the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Summer Research Internship Program (SRIP).
Furthermore, along with other faculty members in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh brain tumor tissue bank continued to grow and expand.