After three years’ postdoctoral training in Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio), she started her first faculty position as Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Piscataway, NJ). In 2012, she joined Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Ohio State University Medical Center as Associate Professor. In the fall of 2016, she relocated her research group to the University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing and Health Innovation as Associate Professor with tenure.

Her research interest is focused on calcium signaling in cancer, muscle and heart diseases. Her discoveries include the identification of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of the store-operated calcium entry in skeletal muscle fatigue and a number of cancers, such as esophageal cancer. Dr. Pan’s current effort is to understand the precise mechanisms underlying the dysregulation of calcium channels in different diseases and to search for novel biomarkers for early detection or prognosis and therapeutic targets for patients. In particular, they identified Orai1, a calcium channel protein overexpressed in esophageal cancer tumor tissues as a potential chemotherapy target. As the principal investigator, her research has received multiple funding supports from National Institute of Health, American Diabetes Association, Pelotonia, Texas STARs Award as well as industry.