Dr. Yiping W. Han is Professor of Microbial Sciences in the Section of Oral & Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dental medicine, and in Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Medicine (Medical Sciences), and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, at Columbia University. She is also a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Digestive and Liver Diseases Research Center and Institute of Human Nutrition. Dr. Han received BS in Biochemistry from Nanjing University in China, MS and PhD in Microbiology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and postdoctoral training at UCLA. Dr. Han is a world-renowned expert in host-pathogen interactions, bacterial genetics, and translational studies. She is a pioneer in elucidating the role of oral microbiota in systemic complications such as pregnancy complications and cancer and coined the term “mobile microbiome”. Her laboratory has demonstrated how oral bacteria translocate into the pregnant uterus causing preterm birth and stillbirth. Her lab was also the first to report how oral commensal bacteria stimulate gastrointestinal cancer and has identified novel host and microbial biomarkers as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Dr. Han is an inventor of multiple issued patents and an elected Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology. Dr. Han has served on the editorial board of mLife and Scientific Reports among others and is an Editor of mBio. In July 2024, Dr. Han will become President of the Anaerobe Society of the Americas and President-Elect of Sino-Micro Group.