Skip to Main Content
Joseph Su, Ph.D.

Joseph Su, Ph.D.

Professor

School
School of Public Health
Department
Public Health
  • Biography

    Download Curriculum Vitae

    Joseph Su, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. He is also a co-director of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Training and Education. He received his Ph.D. in Nutritional Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.P.H. in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He had his undergraduate training in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, and in Chemistry at Chung-Yuan University in Taiwan.

     

    Dr. Su has spanned his career at both academic medical centers and public services at the federal Government. Previously, he served as a Branch Chief at the Division of Epidemiologic Research of the Center for Medical Devices and Radiological Health, where he oversaw all post-approval Class III cardiovascular and neurological devices and in-vitro diagnostic devices in the U.S. market. Prior to the FDA, he was a Program Director at the Epidemiology and Genomic Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute (NCI), where he managed a diverse grant portfolio on cancer epidemiologic studies that involved nutrition, environmental exposure, genetics/ epigenetics, application of -omics in population-based studies, and quality of life and survival after cancer diagnosis.

     

    Dr. Su is a cancer epidemiologist by training, specializing in assessments of nutritional and environmental exposure and their interaction with genes that are associated with cancer development and progression. He is also experienced in minority recruitment and follow-up, optical character recognition (OCR) data processing and validation, and survey study design. Additionally, his analytical chemistry laboratory is equipped and experienced in human biological sample processing, shipping, and storage. Dr. Su has been involved in population-based studies on genomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics research. His laboratory is equipped with a state-of-the-art ICP-MS and an HPLC system. He welcomes collaboration to examine the association between diet, heavy metal exposure, and adverse health outcomes.

  • Research Interest
    • Biomarker Analyses: Carotenoids and Tocopherols (HPLC)
    • Biomarker Analyses: Heavy Metals (ICP-MS)
    • Cancer Epidemiology
    • Dietary Assessment
    • Environmental Epidemiology
    • Interdisciplinary Aging Research
    • Nutritional Epidemiology
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    Featured Featured
    Recreational and occupational physical activity in relation to prostate cancer aggressiveness: the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP).
    Steck SE, Su LJ, Antwi SO, Morris BB, Crawford B, Adams SA, Hebert JR, Fontham ETH, Bensen JT, Mohler JL, Arab L, Cancer Causes Control 2022 Mar
    Geospatial Assessment of Pesticide Concentration in Ambient Air and Colorectal Cancer Incidence in Arkansas, 2013-2017.
    Su LJ, Young SG, Collins J, Matich E, Hsu PC, Chiang TC, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Mar 19 6
    Aspirin, ibuprofen, and reduced risk of advanced colorectal adenoma incidence and recurrence and colorectal cancer in the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial.
    Chudy-Onwugaje K, Huang WY, Su LJ, Purdue MP, Johnson CC, Wang L, Katki HA, Barry KH, Berndt SI, Cancer 2021 09 127 17 3145-3155
    Association between pesticide exposure and colorectal cancer risk and incidence: A systematic review.
    Matich EK, Laryea JA, Seely KA, Stahr S, Su LJ, Hsu PC, Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2021 Aug 219 112327
    Independent and Joint Effects of Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Statins use on the Risk of Prostate Cancer Among White, Black, and Hispanic Men.
    Lopez DS, Polychronopoulou E, Tsilidis KK, Khera M, Su LJ, Fowke JH, Peek MK, Kuo YF, Markides K, Canfield S, Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2021 07 14 7 719-728
    An Online Survey and Focus Groups for Promoting Cancer Prevention Measures.
    Shah SK, Jones-Carr M, Bimali M, Su LJ, Nakagawa M, J Cancer Educ 2021 May
    What's in Between the Lines: Assessing the Readability, Understandability, and Actionability in Breast Cancer Survivorship Print Materials.
    Parker PD, Prabhu AV, Su LJ, Zorn KK, Greene CJ, Hadden KB, McSweeney JC, J Cancer Educ 2021 Apr
    Association Between Household Income and Self-Perceived Health Status and Poor Mental and Physical Health Among Cancer Survivors.
    Su LJ, O'Connor SN, Chiang TC, Front Public Health 2021 9 752868
  • Books

    Featured 

    Environmental epigenetics and obesity ? evidences from animal to epidemiologic studies. In Environmental Epigenetics

    Su LJ, Chiang TC (Ed.) (2015). London, UK, Springer

    Prevention of Cancers of the esophagus and stomach. In Preventive Nutrition

    Fontham ETH, Su LJ (2005). Humana Press

    Prevention of Cancers of the esophagus and stomach. In Preventive Nutrition, The Comprehensive Guide for Health Professionals

    Fontham ETH, Su LJ (2009). Humana Press

    Cancer Epigenetics. In Nutrition, Epigenetics, and Cancer

    Su LJ (2012). Humana Press

    Nutraceuticals in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline. In Nutraceuticals and Health: Review of the Human Evidence

    Zhang ZZ, Su LJ (2013). CRC Press

  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • L. Joseph Su (2022)