Yong Xu, MD, PhD

I received medical training in Tongji Medical University (1994-2002) with a specialty in gastroenterology. I then received PhD training in cell biology and neuroscience, working with Dr. Teresa Krukoff at University of Alberta in Canada (2002-2006) to study the neural mechanisms for blood pressure regulation. Subsequently, I conducted postdoctoral research with Dr. Joel Elmquist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (2006-2010), and my work focused on the neural regulation of feeding behavior and metabolism. In 2010, I started my own lab at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and recently moved my lab to the University of South Florida. Currently, my work aims to reveal the genetic and neural mechanisms for a wide range of behaviors (e.g. feeding, learning/memory, mating, parenting, aggression, etc.) that are fundamental for survival and hope to leverage what we learn from these basic mechanisms to benefit human health. You can go to From helpless to hopeful: Grandfather’s illness sparked USF Health scientist’s passion for research to know more about my scientific journey.