Three faculty selected for 2027 Shine Academy

The University of Texas System recognized three outstanding UTHealth Houston faculty for their teaching excellence and contributions to advancing health science education with induction into the 2027 class of The University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine, MD, Academy of Health Science Education.

Membership in the Kenneth I. Shine, MD, Academy of Health Science Education is bestowed annually on outstanding faculty across UT System's academic health institutions.

“We are fortunate to have three excellent educators recognized this year by induction into the Academy,” said Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president, provost, and chief academic officer of UTHealth Houston. “These faculty embody the best in teaching and are nominated by both peers and students who appreciate their dedication, skill and commitment to training the next generation.”

This year’s honorees

• Han Zhang, MD, professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
• Suja Rajan, PhD, MS, MHA, professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
• Hulin Wu, PhD, MS, professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

Zhang, Rajan, and Wu will join 14 other educators from across the UT System for induction during the 2027 Innovations in Health Science Education Conference, scheduled Feb. 11-12 in Austin.

Han Zhang, MD

Since joining McGovern Medical School, Han Zhang, MD, professor in the Department of Neuroscience, has played an important role in shaping the education of future physicians through his expertise in anatomy and neuroscience. His contributions span classroom instruction, curriculum development, and the creation of innovative educational resources that help students master complex medical concepts.

“Dr. Zhang has an extraordinary ability to make challenging subjects accessible and engaging for our students,” said LaTanya J. Love, MD, dean of McGovern Medical School and H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences. “His passion for teaching, commitment to student success, and ability to make gross anatomy engaging and memorable have earned him the admiration of generations of medical students. His induction into the Shine Academy is a well-deserved recognition of his exceptional contributions to medical education, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate this honor with him.”

Zhang plays an integral role in the medical school's Foundations of Medicine course, delivering lectures, directing laboratory sessions, and developing educational resources for more than 240 students annually. His teaching also extends to neuroscience courses, pre-entry programs, senior electives, and international training programs.

His dedication to medical education has earned him numerous honors, including eight H. John Freeman Faculty Teaching Awards, an honor selected by graduating medical students. He has also received the Dean's Teaching Excellence Award annually since 2003 and was recognized with The University of Texas System Board of Regents Outstanding Teaching Award in 2015.

In 2026, Zhang received the UTHealth Houston President's Scholar Award for Excellence in Teaching, further recognizing his longstanding commitment to educating future physicians. He earned his medical degree from Yangzhou Medical College in China, where he began his career as an instructor of anatomy until 1992. He then joined McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston for postdoctoral training. 

Beyond his classroom responsibilities, Zhang has developed an extensive anatomy dissection video series featuring more than 40 chapters, providing students with additional opportunities to study anatomical structures and reinforce their understanding of course material. He is also working to establish an anatomy museum to further enhance student learning.

Zhang was inducted into the McGovern Medical School Academy of Master Educators in 2012, recognizing his excellence in teaching and contributions to educational development. Through his involvement with the academy, he collaborates with fellow educators to strengthen teaching practices and support faculty development.

In addition to his educational contributions, Zhang's research focuses on neuroanatomy and the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory. He is a member of the UTHealth Houston Neuroscience Research Center, the Society for Neuroscience, and the American Association of Clinical Anatomists.

Suja Rajan, PhD, MS, MHA

Suja Rajan, PhD, MS, MHA, is a health economist, econometrician, and a professor in the Department of Management, Policy and Community Health at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. Her research focuses on women’s health, mental health, and neurological and oncological health outcomes, with particular attention paid to vulnerable populations and socioeconomic disparities in health.

Rajan’s work examines how social and economic factors influence health outcomes, evaluates programs designed to address health disparities, and assesses the cost-effectiveness and economic value of medical interventions. Her research includes comparative effectiveness studies using randomized clinical trials and observational data. She brings extensive expertise in statistical modeling, health economics, econometric analysis, economic evaluations, and large-scale health care data.

"Dr. Rajan pioneered the introduction of rigorous health economic methods into public health teaching, research, and practice,” said Eric Boerwinkle, PhD, dean, M. David Low Chair in Public Health, and Kozmetsky Family Chair in Human Genetics at the School of Public Health. “Her work brings a new and important perspective to important developments in population health."  

Rajan earned a bachelor’s degree in clinical and cardiac sciences from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, a Master of Health Administration from The Ohio State University, and a master’s degree in economics and a doctorate in health policy and management, specializing in health economics, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She has received UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Faculty Awards for Excellence in Research and Excellence in Teaching, recognizing her contributions to research and graduate education. As an educator, she teaches graduate courses in advanced health economics, economic evaluation, econometrics, and health services research.

Hulin Wu, PhD, MS

Hulin Wu, PhD, MS, is the Betty Wheless Trotter Professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. He also serves as professor of biomedical informatics at the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston and founding director of the Center for Big Data in Health Sciences.

Wu is an internationally recognized biostatistician whose research advances statistical methods, computational biology, machine learning, and data science to address complex biomedical and public health challenges.

Since joining UTHealth Houston in 2015, Wu has helped advance the university's data science and biomedical research capabilities. As founding director of the Center for Big Data in Health Sciences, he has supported interdisciplinary research integrating biostatistics, biomedical informatics, and computational science. He also helped develop the School of Public Health's data science program and graduate-level curriculum, expanding opportunities for students to apply advanced analytical methods to health research.

"Dr. Wu played a central role in developing a comprehensive educational framework that prepared public health students for these rapidly evolving data science field, including the recruitment of new data science faculty,” Boerwinkle said.

Wu's research focuses on statistical methods for analyzing large-scale healthcare data, including electronic health records, clinical trials, and high-dimensional biological datasets. His work spans longitudinal data analysis, computational modeling, bioinformatics, infectious diseases, and immunology, with applications in HIV, influenza, and chronic disease research. He has participated in the design and analysis of more than 15 AIDS clinical trials and has extensive experience developing statistical approaches to understand disease progression and treatment outcomes.

Before joining UTHealth Houston, Wu was a professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he held appointments in biostatistics, medicine, and public health sciences. He founded the Division of Biomedical Modeling and Informatics and the Center for Integrative Bioinformatics and Experimental Mathematics. Earlier in his career, he taught at the University of Memphis and Harvard University and worked as a senior statistical scientist supporting AIDS clinical trials research.

Wu earned a doctorate and a master's degree in statistics from Florida State University, as well as a master's degree and bachelor's degree in engineering from the National University of Defense Technology in China. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association and has authored or co-authored three books and more than 180 peer-reviewed publications in statistical, biomedical and bioinformatics journals.