Dr. Ming-Tsang Wu

Dr. Ming-Tsang Wu is a professor in the Department of Public Health at Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He also serves as the director of the following: the Research Center for Environmental Medicine, the Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, and the PhD Program in Environmental and Occupational Medicine at KMU. Dr. Wu is both a scientist and a senior attending physician in the Department of Family Medicine at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital of KMU. His major research interests revolve around the interactive effects of environmental and occupational exposure to various common and emerging pollutants and toxins, genetic factors, the mechanisms through which the substances exert their effects, and detectable biomarkers of their adverse influence on the health outcomes. He is also actively participating in various translational studies, including those investigating esophageal cancer. As Director of KMU’s Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Dr. Wu is actively encouraging the use of multi-disciplinary research approaches to current and important environmental health problems, research generating solid evidence-based data that can be used to help achieve primary and secondary prevention health goals and to help formulate government policies aimed at solving them. In addition to establishing the now well-known effect of areca nut chewing on the risk of esophageal cancer in Taiwan, the center’s research team has characterized the interactive health impact of melamine and phthalates on the risk of kidney diseases in certain vulnerable populations. Dr. Wu is a dedicated researcher and prolific writer who has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. His reported findings have been cited by Time Magazine, Asian Scientist, and the official website of ACS (American Chemical Society) as press releases.