Joe Su, PhD

Biography

Dr. Su earned his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He completed his postdoctoral training at Pacific University Oregon investigating the in vitro anti-inflammatory functions of natural products under the supervision of Dr. Deepa Rao.

Dr. Su’s lab is interested in the use of natural products in complementary and alternative medicine, focusing on botanical entities popular in traditional medicine (e.g. Turmeric Root, Senna Leaf, Goji Berries, Boswellia Bark, Black Pepper Fruit). Despite tightening federal regulations on the dietary supplement industry, consumers continue to self-medicate with natural products that generally have not demonstrated clinically significant results ($6.9 billion in US retail sales in 2015, American Botanical Council). The primary challenge in understanding the safety and efficacy of natural products lies in elucidating their multiple active ingredient composition. Mechanistic understanding of these phytochemicals will not only lead to improved patient safety but also to improved patient-centered care. Our current disease state of interest is chronic inflammation, which is implicated in the top killers in the United States: heart disease and cancer.

Dr. Su is an active member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Prior to academia, Dr. Su led operations at SUSS Technology, a dietary supplement manufacturing company in Las Vegas, NV. Dr. Su is passionate about empowerment and success through positive reinforcement. Currently, he is applying these principles to his two toddler boys with mixed, yet interesting results! Joe is a super nerd who loves analyzing team-based games ranging from Dodgers baseball to League of Legends.