Principal Investigator

Teaching Summary:

               My goal as a teacher and mentor is to not only share my knowledge with the students and trainees, but also to inspire them to enjoy learning, and to share their joy of learning with others.

Research Summary:

         My research focuses on post-translational regulation of hepatic transport proteins organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 and OATP1B3 as well as the implication of such regulation in clinical significant drug-drug interactions. My research utilize multidisciplinary approaches, including gene-knockout models, contemporary cell and molecular biology techniques, and pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation, to advance the safe usage of drugs.

Education and Training: 

• Postdoctoral Training in hepatic drug transport, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008)

• Postdoctoral Training in Tumor Virology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2007)

• Ph.D. in Developmental Biology, Joint PhD program in Peking Union Medical College and Shandong University, China (2001)

Employment:

• Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy (2020–present)

• Member of Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy (2012–present)

• Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy (2012–2020)

• Research Assistant Professor, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008-2012)

Awards and Honors:

• The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Scholar (2025)

• Regents' Award for Superior Teaching (2024)

• Educators for Excellence of OUHSC (2022)

• OUHSC Provost’s Teaching Award-Early Career Faculty (2021)

• Kwang-Hua Scholarship (1996)

• Exempted from enrollment test for prospective graduate students through Outstanding College Student of China status (1995)

• Graduation with Distinction (1995)

• Outstanding College Student of China (among 50 total awards nationwide) (1993)

• The First-Grade college scholarship in successive years from 1991 to 1995

Professional membership:

International Transporter Consortium (ITC) Steering Committee

American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)

American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)

International Society of Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX)

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)

Didactic Teaching:

Professional PharmD Courses:

         PHAR 7523 Clinical Toxicology

         PHAR 7133 Principle of Drug Action I

         PHAR 7862 Pharmaceutical Care VI

PHAR 7834 Pharmacokinetics 

Graduate Courses:

         PHSC 5211  Drug Metabolism and Transporters

         PHSC 5643 Pharmacokinetics

PHSC 5561  General Principles of Pharmacology

PHSC 5581  General Principles of Toxicology

BMSC 5221  Interdisciplinary Journal Club on Drug Transporters 

Grants and Sponsored Research:

• GM146956-01 NIH/NIGMS R01

Title: Regulation of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 by lysine acetylation and lysine deacetylase inhibitors

Funding period: Sept 2022-June 2026

Total: $1,160,000

Role: Principal Investigator

•  3R01GM146956-03S1  NIH/NIGMS R01

Title: Regulation of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 by lysine acetylation and lysine deacetylase inhibitors

JESS System 

Total: $96,071

Role: Principal Investigator

• Oklahoma Presbyterian Health Foundation Bridge Award

Title: Regulation of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 by lysine acetylation and lysine deacetylase inhibitors

Funding period: July 2022-June 2023

Total: $75,000

Role: Principal Investigator

•  College of Pharmacy OUHSC seed grant 

Title: Lysine Acetylation: A novel mechanism governing organic anion transporting polypeptides OATP1B1- and OATP1B3-mediated transport

Funding period: August 2021-July 2022        

Total: $10,000                                      

Role: Principal Investigator

•  Oklahoma Presbyterian Health Foundation Seed Grant

Title: Elucidating novel mechanism underlying OATP1B1/1B3-mediated drug-drug interactions

Funding period: July 2019 – December 2020

Total: $50,000

Role: Principal Investigator

• GM094268 NIH/NIGMS R01

 Title: Function and regulation of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 (R01)

NIH-National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Funding period: September 2011-August 2018

Total: $1,497,175

Role: Principal Investigator

• GM094268 NIH/NIGMS R01 Administrative Supplemental Award

FV 10i-LIV Confocal Imaging System

Funding period: 9/10/2015-8/31/2018

Total: $115,000

Role: Principal Investigator