Kelley Yan, MD, PhD

Kelley Yan, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist trained in diverse disciplines including clinical gastroenterology, structural biology, and stem cell biology. This multidisciplinary background provides her with a unique perspective and opportunity to study intestinal stem cell (ISC) biology at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Her love of science began with an appreciation for undergraduate studies in chemistry and the physical sciences, which evolved during graduate school into a desire to understand how 3D structure or molecular form enables biological function and confers specificity in protein-protein or protein-nucleic acid interactions. She has experimentally examined these interactions in signal transduction—particularly ligand/receptor interactions—using structural biology and biophysical methods. Her medical training deepened her passion for clinical gastroenterology and guided her toward regenerative medicine, fueled by a personal commitment to serving her patients. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Yan pursued further scientific training in ISC biology and developed expertise in rigorous mouse genetics, in vivo models, ex vivo 3D organoid culture systems, and single-cell genomics to study stem cell fate decisions.