Hughie Tao, Xiaoyu

About Me

I am an Associate Professor at the Macao University of Tourism and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH). My work sits at the intersection of lifestyle medicine, data science, and travel medicine, applying decision science, causal inference, and AI-oriented analytics to public health problems with a focus on health systems, behavioral determinants, and the epidemiology of mobility.

Since dedicating myself to higher medical education in 2019, I have been deeply engaged in frontline teaching. To date, I have delivered over 1,000 hours of instruction to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Throughout this journey, I have been committed to integrating foundational theoretical knowledge with cutting-edge clinical and research advancements. My goal is to help medical students at different stages build rigorous academic and clinical reasoning, laying a solid professional foundation for their medical careers.

Research Interests

Lifestyle Medicine

Healthspan management, behavioral determinants, and prevention-oriented care.
Decision Science & AI

Data analytics and causal inference for public health decision support.
Travel Medicine

Medical tourism, travel epidemiology, and disease mobility governance.

Education

DrPH, Epidemiology and Biostatistics — Macau University of Science and Technology
PhD (Online), Computer Science — The University of Southern Mississippi
MPH — Macau University of Science and Technology
MSc (Online), Big Data and Business Analytics — University of Barcelona
BSc, Public (Health) Administration — Jilin Medical University
BSc (Second Degree), Applied Psychology — Jilin Medical University

Professional Experience

Associate Professor — Macao University of Tourism (Present)
Assistant Professor & Research Associate Professor — The Crestone College (5 years)
Executive Director — Hong Kong Public Health Technology Research Center (1 year)
Discipline Leader — Guangzhou College of Commerce (1 year)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow — School of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology (1 year)

Professional Certifications

Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH)
Certification in Public Health (CPH) — National Board of Public Health Examiners, USA
Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP-P)
Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®)
Teaching Qualification for Higher Education
Pharmacist
Health Manager

Research Grants

2023 — Guangdong Provincial Private Education Special Fund Project. Co-PI, RMB 1,200,000
2022–2023 — Ministry of Education Industry-University Cooperative Project. PI, RMB 50,000
2021–2022 — Macao Higher Education Fund Project. CI, MOP 308,200

Honors & Awards

Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH)
Dr. Henry Fok Foundation Scholarship, Macao SAR (2021)
3rd Prize, Macao Postgraduate Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (2018)

Software Copyrights

Exercise and Nutrition Integrated Health Management System (UTM) V1.0 — 2025SR1988601
Personalized Travel Health Information Analysis and Decision Support System (UTM) V1.0 — 2026SR0500804