The Mass General Research Institute (MGRI) is home to a research community of 9,500+ individuals working to understand disease and develop solutions to medicine’s most pressing challenges.

But who are they and what do they do when they’re not conducting research? Learn more about them in this new series, #HumansOfMGRI.

From clinical research coordinators to postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, graduate students and principal investigators—they are all part of the Mass General Research Institute.

Our next guest in the series is Hoang Le, PhD.

What lab/department do you work in?

I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurology’s Genetics and Aging Research Unit, which is directed by Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi.

My lab focuses on the molecular genetics of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

When and why did you get interested in the work that you are doing?

I have been interested in neuro-immunology since 2010 when I was a graduate student at the College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University in South Korea.

After completing my graduate program, I applied for a postdoctoral training at Mass General for Neurodegenerative Disease and was accepted in the laboratory of Dr. Tanzi, who has emphasized and pioneered the key roles of neuroinflammation in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.

Working with wonderful and talented people in the lab at Mass General, I study functions of brain resident immune cells, microglia, in Alzheimer’s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). I hope we could find effective drugs for preventing/treating the diseases within a decade.

What do you like to do outside of work? 

Outside of the lab, I enjoy my time with my wife and two and half-year-old son. We love walking around Charlestown and Boston.

What is your favorite TV show, podcast, book, or movie? 

My favorite TV show is How I Met Your Mother, my favorite podcast is the Neurology podcast by the American Academy of Neurology and my favorite movie is Forever My Girl.

My favorite books are Super Brain, Super Genes, and The Healing Self (all were written by my supervisor, Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi).

A fun fact about yourself

When I was a child, I was a firm believer in ghosts!

About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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