Wei Yan, director of Washington State University’s School of Molecular Biosciences, has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the American Society of Andrology’s Distinguished Andrologist Award.
The award is the highest honor bestowed by the ASA and is presented annually to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to advancing andrology, the medical specialty focused on the male reproductive system. With a membership of over 600 professionals worldwide, the ASA is dedicated to fostering scientific exchange and expanding knowledge in the field of male reproductive health.
“This award is a tremendous honor,” Yan said. “It is the highest recognition in the field of andrology and represents not only my scientific contributions but also my commitment to advancing reproductive health research, mentoring the next generation of scientists, and serving the professional community. I feel deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues, and trainees whose support and collaboration have been instrumental in my journey.”
Yan, an internationally recognized fertility researcher, assumed his current role as director of the School of Molecular Biosciences and its Center for Reproductive Biology on Jan. 1. The school, housed within WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, conducts research in reproductive and developmental sciences, infectious diseases, functional genomics, and DNA repair and chromosome structure.
Yan’s research centers on genetic and epigenetic regulation of fertility and contributions of gametes to reproduction, embryonic development, and health. His lab is currently working to understand how germ cells — sperms and eggs — are formed through a process known as gametogenesis.
One of Yan’s most remarkable discoveries revealed that sperm and eggs not only deliver genetic material from parents to offspring but also carry instructions that regulate when and where genes are activated during fertilization and early embryonic development.
“Moving forward, I aim to further advance our understanding of reproductive health by exploring novel genetic and epigenetic factors influencing fertility. I also hope to contribute to the development of non-hormonal male contraceptives and new diagnostic tools for male infertility,” Yan said. “Additionally, as the director of the School of Molecular Biosciences and the Center for Reproductive Biology, I am committed to fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that drive innovation in reproductive science.”
Before joining WSU, Yan was a principal investigator at The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has published more than 170 research articles in leading journals, and his work has been cited over 14,500 times.
Yan has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Society for the Study of Reproduction’s Research Award in 2018 and The Lundquist Institute’s Senior Investigator Award in 2024. He also was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2017 and as a distinguished fellow by the Society for the Study of Reproduction 2023.
Yan is also a committed mentor and leader, having trained more than 40 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
He earned his MD from China Medical University in 1990 and his PhD from the University of Turku, Finland, in 2000. After completing postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine, he began his independent research career in 2004 at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, where he advanced to full professor.
Yan will be honored at an awards ceremony on March 30 during the joint ASA and International Congress of Andrology meeting in Washington, D.C.