Education
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Rice University
- Postgraduate Researcher, Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego
Biography
Research and Training
Dr. Shiu’s research work draws from her engineering talents and strong knowledge in vascular biology and medicine. She received her B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the National Taiwan University in 1994 and received her Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering from the Rice University in 1999. She received her postdoctoral research training in bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego, from July 1999 to December 2001. Dr. Shiu has an exceptional academic lineage and was trained under the tutelage of two world-renowned investigators. Her Ph.D. thesis advisor Dr. Larry V. McIntire and her postdoctoral research advisor Dr. Shu Chien are both members of the National Academy of Engineering and leaders in bioengineering. Dr. Chien is also a member of the Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Sciences and is one of the eminent researchers to receive the US National Medal of Science. Dr. Shiu was trained in the area of vascular bioengineering, with expertise in hemodynamics, vascular cell and molecular biology, vascular extracellular matrix, and vascular devices. She has substantial experience in investigating how vascular cells respond to mechanical stimulation and how hemodynamic stress contributes to vascular wall remodeling.
Dr. Shiu wanted to be a research engineer before she even knew what a research engineer was. Since a kid, she has always enjoyed learning, asking questions and thinking about the answers, and designing and creating new things. When being asked why she chose to develop her research career at the University of Utah, Dr. Shiu has a simple and short answer: "Because Dr. Willem Kolff worked here." Dr. Kolff invented the dialysis machine in Netherlands during World War II and his dialysis machine design is a textbook example of the application of chemical engineering processes in medicine. Dr. Shiu first learned about Dr. Kolff's invention when in college, and Dr. Kolff has been her No. 1 hero since. The story of how Dr. Kolff used wooden barrels, sausage skins, juice cans, and parts of a water pump to build a dialysis machine was so fascinating and inspired her to pursue a career as a biomedical research engineer. Meeting Dr. Kolff in person in 2004 was a highlight in her life.
Dr. Shiu was recruited to the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Utah in 2002, and she has carried on the University’s tradition of excellence and innovation in the area of cardiovascular devices, making unique and important contributions in this area. The excellence of her research was recognized by the review body of the American Heart Association National Innovative Research Grant Program to give her a top 3 percentile score in 2008, which is truly outstanding. Dr. Shiu’s papers are well cited, and she has received several highly competitive grants as a principal investigator. At the University of Utah, Dr. Shiu has expanded her research from basic molecular cell biology focused on endothelial mechanotransduction to more translational research in dialysis vascular access, stents, and vascular remodeling/regeneration. Dr. Shiu has a diversified research background that puts her in a unique position in translational research.
Because of her new focus on translational research, Dr. Shiu decided to pursue a full-time faculty position in the Department of Medicine, starting in August 2010. She wanted to commit more time to her research projects, and she planned to get more involved in clinical studies/trials.
Currently Dr. Shiu's academic home is the Division of Nephrology & Hypertension in the Department of Medicine. Her laboratory uses experimental and computational techniques to conduct clinical and laboratory research related to (i) hemodialysis vascular access, (ii) vascular dysfunctions and pathomechanics in patients with CKD, CVD and PVD, and (iii) mechanobiology. She has received research funding as a PI from the National Institutes of Health (R01), Department of Veterans Affairs (Merit Review), Western Institute for Biomedical (Veterans) Research, American Heart Association, National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho, other funding agencies, and the industry. Her research papers have been published in top tier journals and selected as cover figures.
Teaching and Service
Dr. Shiu’s teaching experiences include both classroom teaching and research mentoring in clinical and basic science studies.
During her time in the Department of Bioengineering, Dr. Shiu taught an average of 3.5 courses per year and received strong anonymous course evaluations. Dr. Shiu taught more than 500 students in her courses, as well as advised 10 graduate students and 15 undergraduate researchers in her lab, 27 graduate students as a thesis research supervisory committee member, and over 40 students in the Bioengineering B.S./M.S. program as the program advisor. Anonymous evaluations by students indicate that Dr. Shiu consistently demonstrates a thorough understanding of the state of research in her field and clearly works hard to ensure that her students receive a quality education. Additionally, Dr. Shiu served on more than 10 internal committees/tasks at the department, college (College of Engineering) and university levels, and played a leadership role in some of these service assignments. She also actively participated in outreach events.
Currently Dr. Shiu's teaching activities are focused on advising students and post-doc fellows to conduct research. In all, she has trained over 50 trainees (visiting scholars, PhD students, MS students, undergraduate students). Her contribution in education reaches beyond her laboratory. Because of her research expertise and mentorship, she has been invited to serve as a member on over 35 masters and doctoral research supervisory committees at the University of Utah and a few outside of the U.S.
Dr. Shiu is an active and enthusiastic participant in the research community. She has served on the Research Advisory Committee in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Health Sciences Center Cell Imaging Core Facility Oversight Committee at the University of Utah, as well as on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the Salt Lake VA for several years. She also frequently reviews intramural grant applications. Her external professional service has included reviewing many journal manuscripts, book chapters and grant proposals. She is versatile and is adept in a variety of topics ranging from engineering and biophysics to biomedical sciences.
Websites
Please visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/yan-ting.shiu.1/bibliography/public/ for our bibliography.
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