Professor, Associate Director of Clinical Microbiology
University of Texas Medical Center
Dr. Ping Ren is a Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), where she also serves as Associate Director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. She provides oversight for laboratory operations supporting four hospitals, more than 120 outpatient clinics, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice healthcare system. Her leadership ensures high-quality diagnostic services while fostering innovation in clinical testing. Dr. Ren's research focuses on applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to infectious disease diagnostics and outbreak investigations. Her ongoing projects include studying the relationship of SARS-CoV-2 variants and immunization, RSV seasonality and immunoprophylaxis, and advancing molecular approaches to pathogen detection. Beyond her research and clinical responsibilities, Dr. Ren is actively engaged in education and mentorship. She serves as thesis chair for the Master of Laboratory Sciences program and as Associate Director of the CPEP program, guiding trainees toward successful careers in clinical microbiology. Dr. Ren is excited to present her team's latest large retrospective study of over 61,000 cervical cancer screening results. They found that while hrHPV NAATs provide high sensitivity for HPV-driven lesions, Papanicolaou cytology remains essential for detecting clinically significant non-HPV-related gynecologic malignancies, supporting the continued value of co-testing. Dr. Ren looks forward to connecting with colleagues to exchange ideas and foster collaborations.