Aiwu Ruth He, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. She earned her M.D. from the Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. Dr. He completed postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health under the mentorship of Dr. Simeon Taylor, followed by an internal medicine residency at the Brody School of Medicine and a Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital.

Dr. He is a recognized leader in liver cancer research and patient care, with a primary focus on developing innovative therapeutics for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and biliary tract cancer (BTC). During her early career under the mentorship of Dr. Lopa Mishra, she investigated the role of SPTBN1, an adaptor protein for SMAD3 in TGF-β signaling, in the development of HCC. Her work demonstrated that the loss of SPTBN1 promotes oncoprotein expression, enhances tumorigenicity, and activates STAT3—a pathway known to drive HCC progression—highlighting STAT3 inhibition as a promising therapeutic target.

In collaboration with Drs. Yukai He and Jill Smith, Dr. He explored novel treatments such as 8F8 CAR-T therapy and CCK-BR antagonists for HCC. Partnering with Dr. Fung-Lung Chung, she identified the DNA adduct γ-OHPdG as a predictive and preventive biomarker for HCC. Supported by a Northwest Chemoprevention Consortium grant, she led a Phase I clinical trial of Polyphenon E in cirrhotic patients, establishing its efficacy in suppressing γ-OHPdG and supporting strategies for HCC prevention.

Dr. He leads numerous clinical trials focused on primary liver and biliary tract cancers. She is deeply committed to a programmatic, multidisciplinary approach to clinical practice, ensuring optimal outcomes for her patients across the continuum of care.

Outside of hier clinical duties, Dr. He serves as the Director of Hepatobiliary Cancers in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, as well as the Director of Liver Transplant Oncology at the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation. In these roles, she oversees clinical research on hepatobiliary cancers.