Rate My Professor Yiping Han

Yiping W. Han is Professor of Microbial Sciences in the Section of Oral & Diagnostic Sciences at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Medicine (in Medical Sciences) at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. She is a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Digestive and Liver Diseases Research Center, and the Institute of Human Nutrition. Han earned her BS in Biochemistry from Nanjing University, China, her MS in Microbiology in 1989 and PhD in Microbiology in 1993 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1997. She is a world-renowned expert in host-pathogen interactions and translational studies, pioneering research on the role of oral microbiota in systemic complications such as pregnancy disorders and cancer. Han coined the term “mobile microbiome” to describe the translocation of oral bacteria to extra-oral sites.

Her laboratory investigates the mechanisms by which oral bacteria, particularly Fusobacterium nucleatum, contribute to extra-oral infections and inflammation, including preterm birth, stillbirth, neonatal sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and appendicitis. Key findings include the identification of the adhesin FadA as a virulence factor and potential diagnostic/therapeutic target. Notable publications include “Fusobacterium nucleatum promotes colorectal carcinogenesis by modulating E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling via its FadA adhesin” (Cell Host & Microbe, 2013), “Fusobacterium nucleatum: a commensal-turned pathogen” (Current Opinion in Microbiology, 2015), “Circulating IgA antibodies against Fusobacterium nucleatum adhesin FadA are a potential biomarker for colorectal neoplasia” (Cancer Research Communications, 2022), and “Fusobacterium nucleatum secretes amyloid-like FadA to enhance pathogenicity” (EMBO Reports, 2021). Han has secured multiple NIH R01 grants, including “Investigation of FadA adhesin from Fusobacterium nucleatum” (2020-2025) and “Microbial and host biomarkers in colorectal cancer oncogenesis” (2025-2030). She is an inventor on multiple issued patents and has lectured broadly. Awards include the 2025 Fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2022 Fellowship of the American Academy of Microbiology, and NIH Independent Scientist Award (2006-2011). Han serves as President of the Anaerobe Society of the Americas, President of Columbia University Asian Faculty Association, and Editor of mBio.