Meilan Han MD, MS

MeiLan Han, MD MS, is a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan Health. Dr. Han received her medical degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan. Dr. Han has also completed a Master's Degree program in Biostatistics and Clinical Study Design at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Dr. Han’s research has focused on defining phenotypes in COPD using imaging. She is a lead investigator for several NIH-sponsored COPD studies. She also serves on the scientific advisory committees for both the COPD Foundation and the American Lung Association, on the board for the COPD Foundation, and serves as a spokesperson for the American Lung Association. She is currently a Deputy Editor for the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and serves on the editorial boards for Thorax, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and Journal of the COPD Foundation. She is also a member of the Global Obstructive Lung Disease scientific committee which is charged with developing an internationally recognized consensus statement on COPD diagnosis and management.

Dr. Han’s research focuses on understanding patient heterogeneity to define disease subtypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In particular, Dr. Han has expertise in thoracic CT imaging with a particular focus on better understanding early disease and diversity in the pathways towards disease progression. Working with colleagues at the University of Michigan, Dr. Han has helped to validate the application of a dynamic image registration technique (Parametric Response Mapping) to thoracic CT scans in COPD. She is the University of Michigan Principal Investigator for both the SPIROMICS and COPDGene studies, which are NIH-funded cohort studies in COPD. She is also Co-Principal Investigator on a study to develop a new screening tool for COPD in primary care, as well as a study of bronchodilator effectiveness in early COPD.