2026 President’s Scholar Award recipients announced

From L-R: Qingchun Tong, PhD, Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD, Juliana A. Barros, DDS, MS, and Han Zhang, MD. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)

Four distinguished members of the UTHealth Houston community stepped into the spotlight May 1 during the 2026 President’s Scholar Awards luncheon, receiving among the highest honors bestowed upon faculty for their years of excellence, impact, and unwavering dedication.

The ceremony began with remarks from UTHealth Houston President and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair Melina R. Kibbe, MD, who addressed the significance of faculty excellence at the institution.

"Today is about putting our mission areas into action and the faculty whose work advances health in real and lasting ways through discovery science, teaching, and patient care," Kibbe said. "The colleagues we are recognizing today reflect what is possible when intellectual curiosity is matched with academic rigor, and when commitment is paired with purpose. Their achievements are impressive on their own, but what stands out just as clearly is how often that work is collaborative. That spirit of working across disciplines and schools is fundamental to who we are at UTHealth Houston.”

“Today is about putting our mission areas into action and the faculty whose work advances health in real and lasting ways through discovery science, teaching, and patient care,” Kibbe said. “The colleagues we are recognizing today reflect what is possible when intellectual curiosity is matched with academic rigor, and when commitment is paired with the passion and purpose that I’ve already seen from so many people that I’ve met. Their achievements are impressive on their own, but what stands out just as clearly is how often that work is collaborative. That spirit of working across disciplines and schools is fundamental to who we are at UTHealth Houston.”

Following Kibbe’s remarks, Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and emcee of the event, expanded on the significance of the awards themselves.

“The President’s Scholar Awards for Excellence acknowledge the contributions of outstanding faculty members who play a pivotal role in advancing UTHealth Houston’s mission by emphasizing the fundamental importance of research, teaching, and clinical service," said Morano. “What makes these awards especially meaningful is that they come from your peers, the people who see firsthand the impact you make every day.”

Each award, given to deserving individuals nominated by their peers, carries with it the honorary title and a cash prize.

Award Recipients

President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Research
Qingchun Tong, PhD

President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Teaching
Han Zhang, MD

President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Clinical Service
Juliana A. Barros, DDS, MS

President’s Scholar Award for Tripartite Excellence
Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD

About the recipients

Qingchun Tong, PhD
President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Research

Professor and Associate Director, Center for Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology
Hans J. Muller-Eberhard, MD, PhD, and Irma Gigli, MD, Distinguished Chair in Immunology
Cullen Chair in Molecular Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Qingchun Tong, PhD, is a leading researcher in neurobiology and metabolism at UTHealth Houston, where he serves as a professor and associate director for the Center for Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology at The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases at McGovern Medical School. He is also on faculty with UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in the Neuroscience Program and the Molecular and Translational Biology Program.

“This award means not only a recognition to our past research, but also an inspiration for us to perform more impactful research in the future, serving as a role model for a large research community within the university,” Tong said.  

Since joining UTHealth Houston in 2009, Tong has built a research program focused on how the brain regulates feeding, energy balance, and metabolism. His work targets obesity and metabolic disorders by uncovering the neural mechanisms that control body weight and glucose, with the goal of identifying new therapies. 

His lab uses advanced tools—including electrophysiology, optogenetics, in vivo imaging, and gene editing—to map and manipulate neural circuits in animal models. The team has identified several novel brain pathways that respond to environmental stressful cues and co-regulate feeding behaviors and emotional modalities including anxiety and aggression.

Through decades of research and more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, Tong has contributed significantly to the understanding of how brain circuits govern metabolism and behavior. His work continues to advance the field of neuroendocrinology, offering critical insights into the biological basis of metabolic disease and paving the way for future treatments. In particular, the results from his lab illustrate the existence of functional redundancy of brain circuits in promoting obesity development, providing a neural basis for difficulties in reducing obesity. Ongoing research in the lab aims to understand the brain mechanism underlying weight-reducing effects of GLP-1 drugs, a type of clinically popular anti-obesity medicine.

Tong’s groundbreaking work in neuroscience continues to earn national recognition while advancing understanding of the brain’s most complex systems. In addition to four R01 grants where he is currently serving as a PI, Tong has also been awarded funding through W81XWH 19 1 0429, a program supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. This research initiative focuses on genetically dissecting basal forebrain circuits that underlie eating disorders.

Tong’s academic journey began in China, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Anhui Normal University and a master’s degree in physiology from the Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He later moved to the United States to pursue a PhD in neural and behavioral sciences at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. He continued his training with postdoctoral work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston before coming to UTHealth Houston.

Han Zhang, MD
President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Teaching

Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Han Zhang, MD, is an educator and researcher celebrated for the quality and passion of his teaching, as well as his work to enrich anatomy learning at McGovern Medical School.

“As I reflect on this honor, I see it not as a destination, but as a call to keep growing—to keep passing the torch,” Zhang said. “Education is constantly evolving, and I am committed to evolving with it: exploring new methods, embracing new technologies, and always placing students at the heart of everything we do.”

Zhang joined the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy as a postdoctoral fellow in 1992 and a faculty member in 2001. In the decades since, he has inspired countless students. He plays a central role in the medical school’s Foundations of Medicine course, where he lectures, directs labs, and develops curricula for more than 240 students each year. Across his work as an instructor—which also includes neuroscience courses, pre-entry programs, senior electives, international training, and mentorship in the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association—he has won numerous awards for teaching excellence. In 2012 he was inducted into the Academy of Master Educators in the Office of Educational Programs, where he workshops teaching methods with other faculty. Beyond the classroom, Zhang continuously explores new ways to elevate the level of student learning at the university—he created an acclaimed Anatomy Dissection Video series comprising more than 40 chapters, and he is currently building an anatomy museum.

In his research, Zhang advances our understanding of neuroanatomy and neuropsychology. His dedicated lab models marine mollusks to study links between morphological change and synaptic efficiency, illuminating the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory. He is a member of the UTHealth Houston Neuroscience Research Center, as well as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Association of Clinical Anatomists. He has published extensively in the Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography and contributed to McGraw Hill’s “Case Files Anatomy” textbook.

Since 2006, Zhang has won the medical school’s H. John Freeman Award for Faculty Teaching eight times, most recently in 2025. He has won the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award every year since 2003, and in 2015 he received The University of Texas System’s Board of Regents Outstanding Teaching Award.

Zhang began his career as an anatomy instructor at the College of Medicine at Yangzhou University in China, where he earned his MD in 1982.

Juliana A. Barros, DD, MS
President’s Scholar Award for Excellence in Clinical Service

Professor, Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics
Assistant Dean for Clinical Education
UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry

Juliana A. Barros, DDS, MS is a restorative dentist, educator, and researcher whose work focuses on restorative dentistry, biomaterials, and the application of lasers in hard and soft tissue treatments.

“This moment is because so many people have supported me along the way. This award really belongs to all of us,” Barros said. “I hope we keep showing up for each other and keep doing this work with heart, honesty, and a real sense of purpose. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. This is an incredible honor.”

Since joining the School of Dentistry in 2008, Barros has played a key role in advancing clinical education and expanding the use of innovative technologies in dental care. She currently serves as assistant dean for clinical education, professor of restorative dentistry, and acting director of the school’s Laser Clinic. In these roles, she oversees clinical education programs within the predoctoral dental curriculum, working to ensure the integration of current dental practices while fostering the development of future dental professionals.

Barros has been instrumental in shaping the school’s clinical training environment. After serving in the interim assistant dean role beginning in August 2024, she was appointed assistant dean for clinical education, effective July 1. In this role, she oversees all aspects of clinical teaching and works closely with academic and clinical leaders to strengthen the clinical curriculum and competency assessment framework. She has also helped develop and implement clinical protocols aligned with the School of Dentistry’s Standards of Care and departmental practice guidelines.

Passionate about advancing education in laser dentistry, Barros developed the laser dentistry curriculum at the School of Dentistry and has helped expand the use of laser technologies in patient care and dental education. Through her leadership, she has fostered a supportive, high-performance clinical environment while maintaining a strong commitment to student learning and patient care. She also helped coordinate the administration of the ADEX Clinical Licensure Exam at the School of Dentistry, contributing to a 97% pass rate.

Barros is a member of the Academy of Laser Dentistry, the Academy of Operative Dentistry, the International Association for Dental Research, and the Consortium of Operative Dentistry Educators.

She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Uberaba School of Dentistry in Brazil. Dr. Barros completed advanced clinical education in restorative dentistry at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and earned a master’s degree in laser dentistry from the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute and the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

Louisa D. McCullough, MD, PhD
President’s Scholar Award for Tripartite Excellence

Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology
Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston School of Biomedical Sciences

Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD, is a neurologist, physician-scientist, and academic leader whose work focuses on stroke, vascular brain injury, and vascular dementia. Her research helped establish that biological sex influences how brain cells die after stroke, contributing to a shift in experimental design and therapeutic development. Her work has also advanced understanding of how sex-specific biological pathways influence stroke outcomes and has informed efforts to incorporate sex as a biological variable in preclinical research.

“Thank you so much to our university leadership for recognizing me for this award," McCullough said. “And also thank you to all the people who have supported me over my past 11 years now here at UTHealth Houston. I couldn't have done it anywhere else. I really cannot tell you how honored I am to receive this recognition.”

Since joining McGovern Medical School in 2015, McCullough has served as professor and chair of the Department of Neurology. She is co-director of UTHealth Houston Neurosciences and founder of the BRAINS Research Laboratory. She also holds faculty appointments in the Immunology and Neuroscience Programs at UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and served as chief of Neurology at Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center, where she led clinical programs in stroke and neurology services and directed quality and performance improvement efforts, including Vizient based benchmarking.

Her research focuses on how aging, inflammation, and vascular risk shape brain health and recovery, with a particular emphasis on vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. Her group integrates clinical and translational approaches to better understand these processes across the lifespan and identify strategies for prevention and recovery. She is also deeply committed to education and mentorship and founded the UTHealth Houston “K Club,” a structured program that supports early-career investigators in developing successful NIH career development awards.

McCullough has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, including an NIH R35, and the American Heart Association, and has authored more than 250 scientific publications. Her honors include the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award and the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship, among others.

McCullough received her PhD in neuroscience and her MD from the University of Connecticut and completed her neurology residency and vascular neurology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In addition to her cash prize, McCullough was also presented by Kibbe with an engraved medallion commemorating the President’s Scholar Award for Tripartite Excellence.