Huiping Zhang, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Huiping Zhang, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Medicine (Section of Biomedical Genetics) at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. He previously held academic appointments at Yale University School of Medicine, where he completed his postdoctoral training and advanced through roles as Research Associate Scientist (equivalent to Research Assistant Professor), Assistant Professor (tenure-track), and Research Scientist (equivalent to Research Associate Professor) before joining Boston University as an Associate Professor in 2017. Dr. Zhang’s research investigates the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying substance use disorders (SUDs) and related psychiatric conditions. His work has been supported by multiple NIH awards, including a K99/R00, an R21, and two R01 grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). He has also served as a subcontract Principal Investigator on two R01 projects funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In addition to his research, Dr. Zhang is actively engaged in academic publishing. He serves on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals, including PLOS ONE, Frontiers in Genetics, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, and Complex Psychiatry.

Publications

  • Published 9/19/2025

    Ngo AL, Nguyen L, Gharavi Alkhansari N, Zhang H. m6A RNA Methylation in Psychiatric Disorders: An Emerging Epitranscriptomic Axis. Epigenomes. 2025 Sep 19; 9(3). PMID: 40981072.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/13/2025

    Yin XY, Wu YM, Yang Q, Zhu ZH, Hou WL, Wang M, Lv J, Yu X, Zhang H, Hui L. Increased plasma TRANK1 levels in first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia: Association with delayed memory decline. Asian J Psychiatr. 2025 Sep 13; 113:104700. PMID: 40972056.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/26/2025

    Koo JS, Zhang H. Decoding the role of m6A RNA methylation regulators in psychiatric and substance use disorders. Neurochem Int. 2025 Aug 26; 190:106035. PMID: 40876784.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/30/2025

    Jia N, Yin X, Zhu Z, Hou W, Yang Q, Zhu H, Zhang H, Yu X, Yu Q, Hui L. Comprehensive transcriptome analysis and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA establishment of schizophrenia based on induced pluripotent stem cells. Schizophr Res. 2025 Jul; 281:22-29. PMID: 40311511.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/19/2025

    Koo JS, Zhan Q, Zhang H. Acetaldehyde-driven mRNA methylation and expression changes in ethanol-metabolizing enzyme genes. Epigenetics. 2025 Dec; 20(1):2493865. PMID: 40252050.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Professor, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Education

  • Queen's University, PhD
  • Tongji Medical University, MS
  • Central China Normal University, BS