Dr. Hu, a Neuroscientist, joined Houston Methodist in July 2022. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of South China. Dr. Hu completed his postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Jun Li at Vanderbilt University and was appointed as a Research Instructor at Vanderbilt University in 2017. He joined the Department of Neurology at Wayne State University to be an Assistant Professor in 2018 until his relocation to Houston Methodist in 2022. His research has been supported by the NIH funds.

Dr. Hu concentrates on studying the pathogenesis of demyelination in peripheral nerve diseases. Demyelination is a common pathology in various peripheral neuropathies which collectively are highly prevalent. In contrast to axonal degeneration in peripheral neuropathies that are not responsive to treatments, demyelination often improves with treatments. Therefore, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms leading to demyelination. Dr. Hu's team is focused on the altered intercellular interactions among Schwann cells, axons, and macrophages in demyelinating diseases, and aims to determine how these molecular changes trigger segmental demyelination. The goal of Dr. Hu’s research is to identify key molecular targets that can be manipulated to halt or rescue the demyelination process.