50 FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
Yang Hou’ s star continues to rise as a welcoming researcher and educator
By Audrey Post FSU College of Medicine
As Florida State University continues to rise in stature as a research university with an R1 classification, the College of Medicine plays a key role in that growth.
R1, the highest level in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, indicates very high research activity as well as a high number of doctoral graduates, and the college’ s growing faculty excels at both researching and mentoring.
For a shining example of the caliber of faculty the College of Medicine is attracting, look no farther than Yang Hou, Ph. D., an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine.
Hou’ s multiple awards – not only here but also at the University of Kentucky, where she spent three years before coming to FSU, and from professional organizations including the American Psychological Association – are a testament to her passion for research, teaching and mentoring. In 2022, the year she joined our faculty, Hou was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science.
In fiscal year 2025 alone, Hou earned College of Medicine’ s Outstanding Junior Faculty Researcher honors and a Florida State University Inclusive Teaching and Mentoring Award, one of two people selected for fostering inclusive learning environments and providing
Photo: Xian Jin Xie, Ph. D., senior associate dean for research and graduate programs( far left), and Alma B. Littles, M. D., dean of the FSU College of Medicine( far right) congratulate Assistant Professor Yang Hou, Ph. D.,( second from right) with a tote bag of college“ bling” after she was awarded a Department of Defense grant of almost $ 900,000 for her research. Ever welcoming and inclusive, Hou insisted Liyan Yu, Ph. D.( second from left), a postdoctoral researcher in Hou’ s lab, join them for the photo.