Woappi ’11 returns to address graduates

Dr. Yvon Woappi ’11, who researches wound healing and regeneration at his lab at Columbia University, will address the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s 2025 graduating class during commencement exercises May 4.

During commencement Woappi will also receive the Alumni Award of Distinction from the Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association. The award will be presented by Rick Esch, Pitt-Bradford president, and Sarah Lorya ’10, PBAA president. 

“Yvon embodies the incredible potential of a Pitt-Bradford education,” Esch said. “I have been following his remarkable career and achievements over the years, and it’s truly exciting to welcome him back to campus. We are absolutely thrilled to have him here to inspire our graduates as they embark on their own journeys.”

Woappi is director of the Synthetic Regeneration and Systems Physiology Laboratory, which he founded in 2022, and an assistant professor of dermatology in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.

The Woappi Lab is studying new ways to treat extensive injuries to tissues and organs. He and his team are looking for natural substances in the body that help wounds heal faster. They also are developing artificial gene therapies to boost tissue regrowth and studying how the body’s immune system reacts to wounds.

Woappi’s research accomplishments have earned distinctions, prizes, and awards, including the MIT Rising Star Award and designation among the “1000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America” by Cell Press News and the Community of Scholars. He is also an inaugural recipient of the NIH MOSAIC fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which provides mentoring, support, and most importantly, funding to set up and run his own research lab.

Woappi was born in Douala, Cameroon, and immigrated to the United States during middle school. He was introduced to research as a biology undergraduate at Pitt-Bradford, where he worked with Dr. Om Singh, who taught biology at Pitt-Bradford from 2008 through 2016.

“My story couldn’t be possible without Pitt-Bradford,” Woappi said. “It was there that I had the opportunity to grow and experience the impact of faculty and administrators who so genuinely cared about their students. They taught me the value of academic rigor, community, and ambitious dreams. I’m immensely grateful for this enduring gift.”

Woappi says his undergraduate research experience is one reason he prioritizes mentoring researchers in his own lab. After receiving his Bachelor of Science from Pitt-Bradford, he earned a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in systems dermatology at Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston before setting up his own research lab at Columbia. 

Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children and going on nature walks. He is equally an avid chess player.

The Alumni Award of Distinction is presented to alumni for outstanding professional achievement or exemplary service to the community. The most recent recipients of the honor have been Tom Cole ’80-’82, Dr. Larry Schardt ’72-’74 and Rhett Kennedy ’92. 

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