On September 1, 2021, the Department of Pathology welcomes a new faculty member to the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, directed by Ralph Sanderson, Ph.D.

Han-Fei Ding, Ph.D., joins the Department as Professor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology. Dr. Ding was previously a Professor in the departments of Pathology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Medical College of Georgia and a Professor in the Graduate School at Augusta University. He served as an active member of the Georgia Cancer Center.

Ding received his medical degree from Anhui Medical College in Hefei, China, and his Ph.D. in Basic Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Alabama. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and joined the faculty at the University of Toledo College of Medicine in 2001. In 2008, he joined the Medical College of Georgia and was promoted to full professor in 2013.

Ding has a long-standing interest in cancer biology. His postdoctoral study focused on epigenetic regulation of transcription and p53 regulation of oncogene-induced apoptosis. Since becoming an independent investigator, his lab has been recognized for pioneering work on NF-kB2 in lymphoma, histone methylation in the regulation of cancer metabolism, and mapping neuroblastoma metabolic dependencies.

Ding’s research focuses on defining the molecular basis of cancer cell metabolic reprogramming, specifically oncogenes and enzymes that control the epigenetic states of chromatin and RNA. His goal is to identify key metabolic pathways required for supporting cancer growth and progression, which could be targeted therapeutically.

Ding’s research has been continually supported by extramural funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), American Cancer Society, and the US Department of Defense (DoD). He has authored or contributed to more than 75 publications, and his past major awards include the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Richard A. Smith Prize for Outstanding Research, the NCI’s Howard Temin Award (K01), and the Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Cancer Scientist Award, among others. He has served as an ad hoc reviewer for 12 scientific journals and has delivered more than 25 lectures throughout his tenure.

Ding’s teaching experience is extensive, having trained Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows since 2001. He served on the Graduate Student Advisory Committee at Augusta University from 2010 until 2021, and is an active member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association for Cancer Research, and the Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Han-Fei Ding to the UAB Department of Pathology. His expertise in cancer biology and extensive teaching experience will be a wonderful addition to the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology.