Derick Han PhD

Dr. Derick Han, who joined KGI in June 2013, has spent much of his career researching the role of mitochondria in physiology and pathophysiology, particularly in the liver. As a post-doctoral researcher and then an assistant professor of research medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), his focus has been largely on mitochondrial remodeling in the liver caused by metabolic stress, such as alcohol feeding and obesity. He also has been engaged in research examining signal transduction pathways that mediate drug-induced liver injury.

Dr. Han was the recipient of USC’s Research Center for Liver Diseases Pilot Project Award and the Zumberge Research and Innovation Award and has been principal and co-principal investigator on several grants from the National Institutes of Health. His teaching experience includes serving as a lecturer and instructor at USC’s School of Pharmacy and as an adjunct professor of biochemistry at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Dr. Han holds a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology and toxicology from USC and a B.A. in sociology and biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.