Haotian (Howie) Wu, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
On the web
Overview
I am an environmental epidemiologist whose research seeks to understand how environmental exposures influence human health across the lifespan. My lab develops, adapts, and applies advanced molecular profiling approaches within large human population studies, including RNA sequencing, DNA methylation profiling, extracellular vesicle isolation, metabolomics, and exposomics to characterize both environmental exposures and the biological responses they induce. We also leverage statistical, bioinformatic, and machine learning methods to integrate high-dimensional molecular data and uncover exposure–disease relationships.
A central goal of our research program is to develop approaches that provide tissue- and cell-specific biological information from minimally invasive biospecimens such as blood. By combining molecular epidemiology with emerging technologies such as extracellular vesicle profiling, we aim to study otherwise inaccessible tissues, including the brain, heart, and lung, in human populations. Through this work, we seek to advance our understanding of the biological pathways through which environmental exposures affect health while developing tools that support earlier disease detection, risk prediction, and targeted prevention and intervention strategies.
A central goal of our research program is to develop approaches that provide tissue- and cell-specific biological information from minimally invasive biospecimens such as blood. By combining molecular epidemiology with emerging technologies such as extracellular vesicle profiling, we aim to study otherwise inaccessible tissues, including the brain, heart, and lung, in human populations. Through this work, we seek to advance our understanding of the biological pathways through which environmental exposures affect health while developing tools that support earlier disease detection, risk prediction, and targeted prevention and intervention strategies.
https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/research-labs/wu-lab
Office Location: 630 West 168th Street, VP&S Room 16-421G
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- BS with Honours, 2011 Biomedical Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
- MS, 2013 Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA
- PhD, 2018 Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA
Research
Selected Publications
Li W, Eckhardt CM, Kalia V, Laurent LC, Brennan K, Hou W, Yuan Y, Long P, Guo H, Schwartz JD, Wu T, Baccarelli AA, Wu H. Circulating extracellular microRNAs as tissue-specific biomarkers of human health and disease. Nat Commun. 2026 Apr 28. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72578-3.
Pierri B, Eitan E, Witwer KW, Re DB, Baccarelli AA, Wu H. Tissue-Specific Extracellular Vesicles Enriched From Circulation: Exploring the Liquid Biopsy Perspective. J Extracell Biol. 2026 Jan 30;5(2):e70106. doi: 10.1002/jex2.70106.
Reho P, Kalia V, Jackson GL, Wang F, Eiten E, Brennan K, Brickman AM, Mayeux R, Miller GW, Vardarajan BN, Baccarelli A, Wu H. Preclinical Alzheimer's disease shows alterations in circulating neuronal-derived extracellular vesicle microRNAs in a multiethnic cohort. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Mar;21(3):e70050. doi: 10.1002/alz.70050.
Wu H, Kalia V, Manz KE, Chillrud L, Dishon NH, Jackson GL, Dye CK, Orvieto R, Aizer A, Levine H, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Pennell KD, Baccarelli AA, Machtinger R. Exposome Profiling of Environmental Pollutants in Seminal Plasma and Novel Associations with Semen Parameters. Environ Sci Technol. 2024 Aug 6;58(31):13594-13604. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10314.
Wu H, Eckhardt CM, Baccarelli AA. Molecular mechanisms of environmental exposures and human disease. Nat Rev Genet. 2023 May;24(5):332-344. doi: 10.1038/s41576-022-00569-3.
Eckhardt CM, Gambazza S, Bloomquist TR, De Hoff P, Vuppala A, Vokonas PS, Litonjua AA, Sparrow D, Parvez F, Laurent LC, Schwartz J, Baccarelli AA, Wu H. Extracellular Vesicle-Encapsulated microRNAs as Novel Biomarkers of Lung Health. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2023 Jan 1;207(1):50-59. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202109-2208OC.
Pierri B, Eitan E, Witwer KW, Re DB, Baccarelli AA, Wu H. Tissue-Specific Extracellular Vesicles Enriched From Circulation: Exploring the Liquid Biopsy Perspective. J Extracell Biol. 2026 Jan 30;5(2):e70106. doi: 10.1002/jex2.70106.
Reho P, Kalia V, Jackson GL, Wang F, Eiten E, Brennan K, Brickman AM, Mayeux R, Miller GW, Vardarajan BN, Baccarelli A, Wu H. Preclinical Alzheimer's disease shows alterations in circulating neuronal-derived extracellular vesicle microRNAs in a multiethnic cohort. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Mar;21(3):e70050. doi: 10.1002/alz.70050.
Wu H, Kalia V, Manz KE, Chillrud L, Dishon NH, Jackson GL, Dye CK, Orvieto R, Aizer A, Levine H, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Pennell KD, Baccarelli AA, Machtinger R. Exposome Profiling of Environmental Pollutants in Seminal Plasma and Novel Associations with Semen Parameters. Environ Sci Technol. 2024 Aug 6;58(31):13594-13604. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10314.
Wu H, Eckhardt CM, Baccarelli AA. Molecular mechanisms of environmental exposures and human disease. Nat Rev Genet. 2023 May;24(5):332-344. doi: 10.1038/s41576-022-00569-3.
Eckhardt CM, Gambazza S, Bloomquist TR, De Hoff P, Vuppala A, Vokonas PS, Litonjua AA, Sparrow D, Parvez F, Laurent LC, Schwartz J, Baccarelli AA, Wu H. Extracellular Vesicle-Encapsulated microRNAs as Novel Biomarkers of Lung Health. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2023 Jan 1;207(1):50-59. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202109-2208OC.