Logo for University of Iowa Health Care This logo represents the University of Iowa Health Care

Pathology Welcomes Dr. Shujie Yang

July 16, 2019

Dr. Shujie Yang

Please join us in welcoming our newest Assistant Professor of Pathology, Shujie Yang, PhD (started on 7/1/2019). Dr Yang received both a BS (1993) and an MS (1998) degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Beijing Normal University. In 2001 she joined the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque as a Research Specialist and in 2004 entered the PhD program at New Mexico in Biomedical Science.  After completing her PhD in 2009, Dr. Yang moved to the University of Iowa to perform a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and in 2013 began as a Research Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Yang’s research is focused on applying the fast-growing knowledge of endometrial cancer carcinogenesis and progression at the molecular, cellular and biochemistry levels to optimize current therapies and design new strategies for treatment, with the ultimate goal of reducing the risk of developing cancer and prolonging patient survival. The current focus in Dr. Yang’s laboratory is to understand molecular mechanisms of endometrial tumor progression and utilize target therapy or molecular enhanced hormonal therapy to treat endometrial cancer and other hormone-driven cancers. Specific research initiatives include: 1) systematic dissection of the mechanisms of progesterone receptor (PR) downregulation in endometrial cancer and enhancement of progestin therapy with epigenetic modulators in endometrial cancer, 2) identification of novel small molecular drugs to increase PR expression and activity to sensitize progesterone therapy, 3) targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in endometrial cancer, 4) relationship between the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and oncogene Myc in endometrial tumors, and 5) application of molecularly enhanced progestin therapy to other cancer types.