2025 ANNUAL REPORT / OUR DONORS: MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT 53
“ As a scientist, she brings tremendous expertise to the department and the college,” Sutin said.“ She is generous with her time and expertise to her trainees, as well as other faculty. it has been a pleasure to watch her succeed! I look forward to see what she accomplishes next.
For her part, Hou describes Sutin as‘ an invaluable mentor,’” inspiring her work in aging and providing generous guidance on grant writing and career development.
Colleagues describe Hou as having a quiet dignity, of being ambitious but not in an overbearing way, and of being kind and supportive, always there and ready to help. Some even wonder when she sleeps.
So what fuels this dynamo?
“ I grew up in a small, impoverished village in Sichuan, China, where only three of more than 20 children in my age cohort went on to college. I was the first in my extended family to pursue higher education and the only one to complete graduate training,” Hou said.“ Witnessing the diverse and often difficult paths of peers – including early parenthood, incarceration, and even tragic loss – sparked a lifelong curiosity about what shapes human development and why people’ s life trajectories diverge.
“ That question led me to psychology, with a goal of helping individuals overcome challenges and achieve better outcomes.”
She wrestled for years whether to stay a practitioner or become a researcher, ultimately choosing the latter.
“ My doctoral work focused on how environmental and social factors— such as discrimination, immigration, and socioeconomic adversity— affect children and families, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds.”
Hou founded the Development, Environment and Resilience( DEaR) Lab at the College of Medicine, which bridges developmental, clinical and quantitative psychology.
“ My lab’ s mission is to advance equitable, evidence-based approaches to mental health and well-being, particularly for underrepresented groups such as individuals with genetic disorders,” Hou said.
“ Ultimately, I hope my legacy will be twofold: advancing science that improves the lives of individuals among underserved groups, and cultivating the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers committed to equity, resilience and mental health.”
Photo: Assistant Professor Yang Hou, Ph. D., speaking at the 2025 NF1 Conference.( Photo courtesy of Yang Hou.)