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.
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 tumors evolution, including tumor 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
- 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, Dr. Hu’s research efforts in the Brain Tumor Evolution Therapy Lab have mainly focused on the completion of two projects, which include 1) understanding molecule mechanisms of the immune-suppressive microenvironment, and 2) studying metastatic dissemination of medulloblastoma. The results of these projects have been generated for research grants application and paper publications. Specifically, one research proposal was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01 grant. The other proposal was funded by the NIH/The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) R21 grant. Furthermore, one manuscript was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and the other manuscript is under revision with Nature Cell Biology. The lab members have presented the results at the local and international conferences, such as the 11th Annual Children’s Hospital Research Symposium at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (ISPNO).
There were three undergraduate students and one medical student who have been mentored and trained. Furthermore, along with other faculty members in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, the CHP brain tumor tissue bank continued to grow and expand.