Diabetes Care / Aging Cell
Tim Hou, MD, PhD
Physician-scientist
in pediatrics, genetics,
and human disease.
Pediatric Resident at Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School. My work bridges general pediatrics, cardiometabolic disease, and cancer genomics.
From clinical questions.
To human genetics.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Working on genetic disease, epidemiology, and population health.
Previous research published in high-impact journals and international conferences.
Lancet Regional Health / Diabetes Care
Metabolic disease, diabetes onset, and cancer risk
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
Gut microbiota and cardiometabolic disease
Nature Communications
Smoking, alcohol, and HPV-stratified head and neck cancer
New England Journal of Medicine / JCEM
Blood pressure targets and CVD risk in diabetes
Diabetes Care / J Bone Miner Res / Aging Cell
Genetics-guided drug target evaluation
This research uses multi-omic evidence to evaluate the potential benefits and safety risks of therapeutic targets before they are widely tested in clinical settings.
Key references
- SGLT2 Inhibition, Choline Metabolites, and Cardiometabolic Diseases: A Mediation Mendelian Randomization Study Diabetes Care
- Identifying PDAP1 as a Biological Target on Human Longevity: Integration of Mendelian Randomization, Cohort, and Cell Experiments Validation Study Aging Cell
- Evaluation of the Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibition on Fracture Risk: Evidence From Mendelian Randomization and Genetic Association Study Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
The Lancet Regional Health / Diabetes Care / Diabetes Obes Metab
Metabolic disease, diabetes onset, and cancer risk
This research investigates how metabolic disorders, including diabetes onset, diabetes duration, obesity, and BMI, influence cancer risk using longitudinal cohort studies.
Key references
- Association Between Age at Diabetes Diagnosis and Subsequent Incidence of Cancer: A Longitudinal Population-Based Cohort Diabetes Care
- Association Between Age at Diabetes Onset or Diabetes Duration and Subsequent Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: Results From a Longitudinal Cohort and Mendelian Randomization Study The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific
- The Interaction Effect Between BMI, Diabetes and Age at Diabetes Onset on the Risk of Thyroid Cancer: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Shanghai, China Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
Eur J Prev Cardiol / Cardiovasc Diabetol / Front Immunol
Gut microbiota and cardiometabolic disease
This work applies genetic epidemiology to distinguish potentially causal gut microbiome signals from simple associations in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Key references
- Causal Relationships Between the Gut Microbiome, Blood Lipids, and Heart Failure: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
- Roles of Gut Microbiota in Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From Mendelian Randomization Analysis and Genetic Data From Over 430,000 Cohort Study Participants Cardiovascular Diabetology
- Dissecting the Causal Effect Between Gut Microbiota, DHA, and Urate Metabolism: A Large-Scale Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Frontiers in Immunology
Nature Communications / Cancer Research
Smoking, alcohol, and HPV-stratified head and neck cancer
We use polygenic risk scores to study how smoking and alcohol-related genetic liability contributes to HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck cancer risk and prognosis.
Key references
- Smoking and alcohol by HPV status in head and neck cancer: a Mendelian randomization study Nature Communications
- Abstract 7399: Polygenic Risk Score-Based Smoking and Drinking Behaviors and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer Risk by HPV Status Cancer Research / AACR Annual Meeting Abstract
N Engl J Med / J Clin Endocrinol Metab / Cardiovasc Diabetol
Blood pressure targets and CVD risk in diabetes
This research combines Mendelian randomization, long-term cohort, and clinical trials to clarify optimal blood pressure targets in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Key references
- The Causal Effect of Systolic Blood Pressure Lowering on Vascular Outcomes in Diabetes: A Mendelian Randomization Study The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Long-Term Effects of Blood Pressure 130–139/80–89 mmHg on All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Among Chinese Adults With Different Glucose Metabolism Cardiovascular Diabetology
- Intensive Blood-Pressure Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes The New England Journal of Medicine
Clinical Training
Boston Combined Residency Program
I am a PGY-1 pediatric resident, rotating at both Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center.
Clinical Training
Boston Children’s Hospital
I took this photo during my first trip to the U.S. in 2020, just as a visitor in front of Boston Children’s Hospital. Little did I know that a few years later, I would come back not just for a photo, but to start my career here.
Clinical Training
Boston Medical Center
As a BCRP resident, we train across both Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center (BMC). BMC is the largest public hospital and an academic center in Boston, where our training is connected to community care and the lives of families across the city.
Clinical Experience
SickKids / Toronto
I rotated for two months at SickKids (Genetics Department) in 2024, which actually became the most important step in my clinical journey: it lightened my interest in pediatrics and medical genetics, and finally changed my path from adults to kids.
Surprisingly, I also met my fiancee there. :)
Clinical Experience
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
During my Nephrology rotation at BWH, I met a volunteer harpist near the cafeteria who was playing music for patients and staff. Her kindness and music made the hospital feel warm. We became friends, and she gave me one of her CDs - a small but unforgettable memory from my time at BWH.
Clinical Experience
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
With a confident smile, I stood at Endocrinology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. This is my first time being abroad and signals the beginning of my international medical journey, exploring a foreign system.
Clinical Experience
Perth Children’s Hospital
When I rotated at the University of Western Australia, I was astonished by the thick medical record folders: some nearly 10 cm wide, holding 12 years of children's medical history. Pediatrics is not just one visit, but a long story with the child and family.
Clinical Experience
UC San Diego Health
During my cardiology rotation at UCSD, I saw LVAD, tilt-table, and many other fascinating procedures. My fiancee and I also spent our "honeymoon" there. I truly love San Diego!