Albert Y. Han, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology

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Overview

Albert Y. Han, MD, PhD, is a fellowship-trained head and neck surgical oncologist and a board-certified otolaryngologist at Keck Medicine of USC. Dr. Han offers expert patient care in the surgical treatment of benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck, including mouth, throat and larynx cancer at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine. He also specializes in advanced skin cancer and salivary gland tumors, as well as thyroid and parathyroid disorders.

Dr. Han is an assistant professor of clinical otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He leads a research laboratory that focuses on the molecular mechanisms of the formation and recurrence of head and neck cancers. His research team is particularly interested in the role of viruses and bacteria in the progression of cancer, as well as identifying biomarkers to develop new ways to diagnose head and neck cancers early and noninvasively. Dr. Han has authored more than 50 published works, including journal articles and book chapters.

Outside of clinical practice, Dr. Han is passionate about improving health services across communities in Los Angeles, including establishing a free community health center for the Korean immigrant population. He enjoys traveling throughout Southern California with his family.

Education and Training

  • University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California — BA — 05/2007 — Computer Science
  • David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California — MD — 06/2017 — Medicine
  • University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California — PhD — 06/2015 — Neuroscience
  • UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California — Residency — 06/2022 — Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas — Fellowship — 07/2023 — Head and Neck Surgical Oncology

Publications

  • Persistent disparities in head and neck cancer survival in the United States. Cancer Causes Control. 2026 Jun 25; 37(7).. View in PubMed
  • Swab-Derived Viral Load as a Biomarker of Tumor Biology in HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Head Neck. 2026 Apr 28.. View in PubMed
  • Predictors of Recurrence in Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2026 Jul; 175(1):126-135.. View in PubMed
  • Enhanced glycolysis and nicotinamide metabolism in HPV-positive head and neck cancer. Sci Rep. 2025 Nov 28; 15(1):42714.. View in PubMed
  • Incidence and Outcomes of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients With Schizophrenia. OTO Open. 2025 Jul-Sep; 9(3):e70164.. View in PubMed
  • Complications After Transoral Surgery for Oropharyngeal Cancer: An ACS-NSQIP Database Study. Laryngoscope. 2025 07; 135(7):2385-2391.. View in PubMed
  • Mechanisms of crosstalk between the oropharyngeal microbiome and human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal carcinogenesis: a mini review. Front Oncol. 2024; 14:1425545.. View in PubMed
  • Speech and Swallowing Outcomes of Surgically Managed Cervical Chordoma: A Case Series. Laryngoscope. 2024 08; 134(8):3706-3712.. View in PubMed
  • Current status of sinonasal cancer survivorship care. Head Neck. 2023 09; 45(9):2458-2468.. View in PubMed
  • Is lobectomy sufficient for multifocal papillary thyroid microcarcinoma? Am J Otolaryngol. 2023 Jul-Aug; 44(4):103881. Park KW, Han AY , Kim CM , Wang MB , Nguyen CT . View in PubMed