Shelly Lu, MD, is a physician-scientist engaged in teaching, clinical work and basic science research. Dr. Lu has been working in the fields of S-adenosylmethionine and glutathione metabolism for over 20 years and has received uninterrupted funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1992. She currently has NIH-funded research programs that investigate molecular mechanisms of fatty liver, liver injury and liver cancer. Many of the research projects have translational applications, such as identifying biomarkers that can differentiate simple fatty liver from those with a more severe form called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and examining agents that are effective in preventing and treating both liver and colon cancers.

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Dr. Lu has authored over 200 original papers, invited reviews and chapters, served as a standing member of NIH study section multiple times, as associate editor of multiple journals including Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and received multiple awards — including the AGA Outstanding Women in Science Award — and was inducted into honorary societies for physician scientists, such as the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2002 and the Association of American Physicians in 2006.

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Dr. Lu has engaged actively in teaching at all levels, mentoring over 50 pre-doctoral and postdoctoral trainees and over 20 junior faculty during her career. Many of her mentees are faculty in different institutions in the United States and abroad. She was recognized as an outstanding mentor with the Mayo Soley Award for Lifetime Achievement in Science and Mentoring in 2012.

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Dr. Lu completed medical school at UCLA, followed by her residency at Cedars-Sinai and fellowship at UCLA. Prior to joining Cedars–Sinai in 2015, Dr. Lu served on the faculty at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.