Faculty
Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD
Charles F. Reynolds III and Ellen G. Detlefsen Endowed Chair in Geriatric Psychiatry, Professor, Bioengineering and Clinical and Translational Science, Director, Clinical Research Training in Late-Life Mood Disorders, Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory
Research Focus: Computational and neuroimaging studies of late-life mental health disorders
Timothy Billiar, MD
George Vance Foster Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery , Distinguished Professor of Surgery , Vice-President and Chief Academic Officer, University of Pittsburgh Physicians , Associate Medical Director, UPMC International and Commercial Services Division
Research Focus: Host response to severe trauma and surgical sepsis
Craig Byersdorfer, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Immunology
Research Focus: Graft versus host disease, T cell metabolism, Bone marrow transplantation for non-malignant hematopathology
Stephen Chan, MD, PhD
Research Focus: Molecular mechanisms of pulmonary vascular disease and pulmonary hypertension (PH)
Charleen Chu, MD, PhD
A. Julio Martinez Chair, Neuropathology, Director, Ophthalmic Pathology, Co-Director, Pathologist Investigator Residency Research Training Program, Professor of Pathology
Research Focus: Mechanisms regulating mitochondrial quality control in neurons – function, turnover (mitophagy), biogenesis, and transport
The autophagy-lysosomal system and calcium dysregulation in dendrite injury and neurodegeneration
Compartmentalized kinase signaling in familial neurodegeneration (PINK1, tau, VCP, LRRK2)
Mitochondrial and phospho-proteomics, post-translational mechanisms
Gilles Clermont, MD
Director, Systems Medicine Program, CRISMA Center, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Co-Director, Clinical Research, Investigation, and Systems Modeling of Acute illness (CRISMA) Laboratory, Medical Director, Center for Inflammation and Regenerative Modeling, Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Industrial Engineering, & Mathematics, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Associate Professor of Clinical and Translational Science
Research Focus: Physiological Variables to Predict Diagnose and Treat Cardiorespiratory Instability
Computational Analysis of Noninvasive Ventilation
Detecting deviations in clinical care in ICU data streams
Quantitative Model-Based Medical Decision Support by Bayesian Inference
Computational Models of Infectious Disease Threats
Lan Coffman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Research Focus: Ovarian cancer microenvironment, understanding and targeting the cancer-supporting stromal tissues which are critical to the survival, growth and spread of ovarian cancer.
Terence Dermody, MD
Vira I. Heinz Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Physician-in-Chief and Scientific Director, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Research Focus: Viral replication and pathogenesi|
Reovirus and celiac disease
Vaccine development
Thomas Diacovo, MD
Chief, UPMC Newborn Medicine Program, Director of Neonatal Cardiovascular Research, Heart Institute, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine , Professor Emeritus, Columbia University Medical Center , Founding Member of the SciVelo-CHP Steering Committee
Research Focus: Neonatal and Pediatric Platelet Function and Pharmacology
MicroRNA-mRNA Profiles in Neonatal Cardiac Patients
Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of Novel Anti-platelet / Anti-coagulants for use in
Pediatric Patients at Risk for Thrombosis
Precision Medicine in the Diagnosis of Genetic Disorders in Neonates
Development of Class I PI3K Inhibitors for use as Modulators of the Immune Response and as Anti-leukemic agents
DigitalTechnologies to Reduce Infant Mortality
Yohei Doi, MD, PhD
Director, Center for Innovative Antimicrobial Therapy, Associate Professor of Medicine
Research Focus: Mechanism of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria
Alexandre Dombrovski, MD
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Focus: Reinforcement learning; Decision-making in suicidal behavior; Borderline personality disorder
Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD
Director of the Sleep and Schizophrenia Program, Department of Psychiatry, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Focus: Neurobiology of schizophrenia; Sleep regulation in health and disease; Neuroplasticity and non-invasive brain stimulation
Toren Finkel, MD, PhD
G. Nicholas III and Dorothy B. Beckwith Endowed Chair in Translational Medicine, Director of the Aging Institute, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology
Research Focus: Aging, mitochondrial function, cellular metabolism, cardiovascular disease
Zach Freyberg, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Cell Biology
Research Focus: Schizophrenia; Antipsychotic drug action; Metabolism; Neurodegeneration; Dopamine signaling
David Geller, MD, FACS
Richard L. Simmons Professor of Surgery , Chief, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery , Director, UPMC Liver Cancer Center
Research Focus: Liver cancer cell signaling and hepatic I/R injury
Jacqueline Ho, MD
Co-Director, Pediatric Scientist Development Program , Fellowship Director, Pediatric Nephrology Program, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Research Focus: The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in kidney development and disease
Daniel Kaplan, MD, PhD
Director of the Cutaneous Biology Research Core, Professor of Dermatology and Immunology
Research Focus: Development of innate and adaptive responses to epicutaneous C. albicans infection
Relationship of pain-sensing neurons in the skin with host defense
The ability of keratinocytes to retain dendritic cells and T cells in the epidermis
Development of humoral responses to cutaneous pathogens
Plasticity of individual skin-resident dendritic cell subsets
Tolerance and suppression of immune responses by Langerhans cells
Erin Kershaw, MD
Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Endowed Chair of Obesity and Diabetes Research, Associate Professor, Medicine
Research Focus: Pathogenesis and treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders
Thomas Kleyman, MD
Chief, Renal-Electrolyte Division, Sheldon Adler Professor of Medicine, Professor of Medicine and of Cell Biology and Physiology, Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology
Research Focus: Epithelial transport physiology. We are examining mechanisms by which external factors, including Na+, proteases, and shear stress, regulate the activity of epithelial Na+ channels.
Bernhard Kühn, MD
Associate Director, Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, Director, Pediatric Institute for Heart Regeneration and Therapeutics, Director, Research in Cardiology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh , Associate Professor, Pediatrics University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Research Focus: Cardiomyocyte proliferation
Heart regeneration
Fadi Lakkis, MD
Frank & Athena Sarris Chair in Transplantation Biology, Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Professor of Surgery, Immunology and Medicine, Scientific Director of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute
Research Focus: Fundamental mechanisms of acute and chronic rejection in solid organ transplantation
David Lewis, MD
Chair, Department of Psychiatry , Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Thomas Detre Professor of Academic Psychiatry
Research Focus: Neural circuitry of the prefrontal cortex and related brain regions, and the alterations of this circuitry in schizophrenia
Philana Lin, MD, MSc
Fellowship Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Program, Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Research Focus:
Peter Lucas, MD, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Pathology, Director of Translational Pathology, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Research Focus: Relationship between chronic inflammation and the development of vascular, metabolic, and neoplastic diseases
Beatriz Luna, PhD
Staunton Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Research Focus: Brain basis underlying the transition from adolescent to adult level cognitive control (working memory, response inhibition, reward processing). fMRI, DTI, PET, MRSI and cognitive testing are used
Mioara Manole, MD, FAAP
Director of Basic and Translational Research, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Associate Director, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Research Focus:
Linda McAllister-Lucas, MD, PhD
Research Focus: Dysregulated intracellular signaling in cancer pathogenesis
Colleen McClung, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science
Research Focus: Interested in discovering the molecular mechanisms of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and drug addiction
Pamela Moalli, MD, PhD
Fellowship Director, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery, UPMC Medical Education Program, Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Associate Professor, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Associate Professor, Clinical & Translational Research Institute
Research Focus: Biomaterials used in reconstructive pelvic surgeries: impact of current devices and the development of novel solutions
Defining mechanisms of maternal birth injury and optimizing repair
Defining mechanisms of failure after reconstructive pelvic surgeries
Defining novel solutions to pelvic floor failure
Deepika Mohan, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery
Research Focus: Physician decision-making in time-sensitive conditions
Heuristics and biase
Kevin Mollen, MD
Samuel P. Harbison Assistant Professor of Surgery, Surgical Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Scholar, R.K. Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research
Research Focus: Mitochondrial dysfunction within the intestinal epithelium of patients with IBD
Patrick Moore, MD, MPH
Distinguished and American Cancer Society Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Research Focus: Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), the viral cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma
Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV), the viral cause of Merkel cell carcinoma
Methods to search for undiscovered human tumor viruses
Michael Morowitz, MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery and Human Genetics
Research Focus: Dysbiosis and Outcomes after Critical Illness
Alison Morris, MD, MS
Division Chief, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, UPMC Chair of Translational Pulmonary and Critical Care Research, Vice Chair of Clinical Research for the Department of Medicine , Professor of Medicine, Immunology and Clinical and Translational Research
Research Focus: Translational research on HIV-associated pulmonary disease as well as on the role of the microbiome in pulmonary-related diseases
Radhika Muzumdar, MD
Chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Cell Biology
Research Focus: Regulators of glucose metabolism
Novel mitochondria-associated peptides
GH/IGF axis on glucose and energy homeostasis
Role of hypothalamus in whole-body energy and glucose metabolism
Matthew Neal, MD
Roberta G. Simmons Endowed Assistant Professor of Surgery Departments of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine
Research Focus: Trauma-induced coagulopathy and hemostasis following trauma and hemorrhagic shock
Measurement of coagulopathy in trauma and sepsis
Clinical outcomes in trauma/hemorrhagic shock
Clinical outcomes in massive transfusion
Immunomodulation and transfusion of red blood cells
Acute care surgery outcomes research and surgical rescue
Outcomes research focusing on emergency general surgery, elective abdominal wall reconstruction, and surgical rescue
Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD
Director, Program for Genetics and Psychosis, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics
Research Focus: Treatment and rehabilitation for psychoses
Seyed Nouraie, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Research Focus: Assessment of the pulmonary complication of obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Kyle Orwig, PhD
Director, Fertility Preservation Program of UPMC, Professor, Departments of OB/GYN & Reproductive Sciences, Developmental , Professor, Developmental Biology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Research Focus: Stem cells, germ lineage development, fertility and infertility
Udai Pandey, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Human Genetics & Neurology
Research Focus: Cellular and molecular basis of human neurodegenerative diseases
Marta Peciña, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Research Focus: Depression; Mechanisms of treatment response & placebo effects; Functional and molecular neuroimaging
Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab)
Pittsburgh Foundation-Emmerling Endowed Chair in Psychotic Disorders, Director of the Mood and Brain Laboratory, The Clinical and Translational Affective Neuroscience Program, Professor, Psychiatry and Translational Science
Research Focus: The use of multimodal neuroimaging techniques to elucidate functional and structural abnormalities in emotion processing, reward processing and emotional regulation circuitries that are associated with specific psychiatric disorders, and symptom dimensions in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders
Edward Prochownik, MD, PhD
Director of Oncology Research, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Paul C. Gaffney Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry Section of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Research Focus: Evaluation of molecular inhibitors of the c-myc oncoprotein
Regulation of and by the Myc oncoprotein
Function and pharmacologic regulation of the c-Myc oncoprotein
Impact of c-Myc oncoprotein expression on cellular metabolism
Matthew Rosengart, MD, MPH
Vice Chair of Academic Training, Professor of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine, Director, University of Pittsburgh Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program, Co-Director, University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery, Surgical Outcomes Research Center
Research Focus:
J. Peter Rubin, MD, FACS
UPMC Endowed Professor and Chair of Plastic Surgery, Director, UPMC Wound Healing Services, Professor of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh
Research Focus:
Ulka Sachdev-Ost, MD
Site Chief of Vascular Services, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Associate Professor, Surgery
Research Focus: Dr. Sachdev-Ost’s research has focused on the role of danger signaling, toll-like receptors (TLRs) and autophagy in regulating recovery from ischemic muscle injury. This work has potential implications in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Recently, she has also been studying growth and functional characteristics of muscle satellite cells that are harvested from patients with PAD, to determine whether they can be used in therapeutic applications. Finally, she is also studying the role of inflammation in patients with chronic venous insufficiency.
Yoel Sadovsky, MD
Executive Director, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Elsie Hilliard Hillman Chair of Women’s Health Research, Distinguished Professor of OBGYN, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Vice Chair of Research, Department of OBGYN and Reproductive Sciences, Associate Dean, Women's Health Research and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
Research Focus: Placental biology, seeking to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying placental dysfunction, which impacts pregnancy and impedes fetal growth with devastating consequences to the mother and newborn
Melanie Scott, MD, PhD
Director of Graduate Education for Surgery Research, Associate Professor of Surgery
Research Focus: The role of the inflammasome and caspase-1 in trauma and hemorrhage
The role of the inflammasome and caspase-1 in sepsis
Inflammasome activation and metabolic control in the liver and during surgery
Sruti Shiva, PhD
Director, Nitric Oxide Metabolomics Core Facility, Co-Director, Center for Metabolic and Mitochondrial Medicine , Associate Professor of Chemical Biology/Pharmacology
Research Focus: Redox Biology
Signal Transduction
Translational Biomarkers
Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology
Mark Shlomchik, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Immunology
Research Focus: B cell immune response and how the immune system is activated in systemic autoimmunity leading to pathogenesis
Sanjeev Shroff, PhD
Professor and Gerald E. McGinnis Chair in Bioengineering
Research Focus: Myocardial proteins and whole heart mechano-energetic function; Vascular stiffness and cardiovascular function; Large-scale mathematical models of biological systems
Thomas Smithgall, PhD
William S. McEllroy Professor of Biochemistry, Chair, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Research Focus: Drug discovery and development targeting protein-tyrosine kinase signaling pathways in myeloid leukemia and HIV-1 accessory factors to combat AIDS.
Gwendolyn Sowa, MD, PhD
Tenured Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Co-Director of the Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research at the University of Pittsburgh , Medical Director of the UPMC Total Care- Musculoskeletal Health Program
Research Focus: Active research program investigating the role of mechanical forces in disc degeneration
Richard Steinman, MD, PhD
Associate Dean, Director Medical Scientist Training Program
Research Focus: Cancer Pharmacology
Robert Sweet, MD
UPMC Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience and Professor of Neurology, Director, Clinical Core, Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Director, T32, Training for Transformative Discovery in Psychiatry
Research Focus: Neurobiological mechanisms underlying the occurrence of psychotic symptoms, delusions and hallucinations
Edith Tzeng, MD
Chief of Vascular Surgery, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Professor, Surgery
Research Focus: Vasoprotective functions of carbon monoxide and nitrite/nitrate in vascular injury
Innate immunity and danger signals in angiogenesis and vascular injury
Role of carbon monoxide and nitrite/nitrate in wound healing and aortic aneurysm formation
Translation of inhaled carbon monoxide and dietary nitrite/nitrate to clinical application through clinical trials of post-stenting restenosis
Flordeliza Villanueva, MD
Vice Chair for Pre-Clinical Research, Director of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging, Director of the Center for Molecular Imaging & Therapeutics, Professor of Medicine and Clinical and Translational Science
Research Focus: Translational cardiovascular research
Jerry Vockley, MD, PhD
Cleveland Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research, University of Pittsburgh, Professor of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Chief, Division of Medical Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Director, Center for Rare Disease Therapy, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Research Focus: Mitochondrial architecture of mitochondrial metabolism
Molecular and functional characterization of inborn errors of fatty acid oxidation and branched chain amino acids
Development of novel therapeutic agents for inborn errors of metabolism
Characterization of a knock out porcine model for phenylketonuria
Patient-oriented clinical research on long chain fatty acid oxidation disorders and phenylketonuria
David Volk, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Research Focus: Disruptions in prenatal ontogeny in cortical parvalbumin neuron dysfunction in schizophrenia
Ora Weisz, PhD
Professor of Medicine and of Cell Biology, and Clinical and Translational Science, Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Department of Medicine, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, School of Medicine, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Excellence, Health Sciences
Research Focus: Regulation of kidney proximal tubule dynamics and function
Alan Wells, MD, DMSc
Executive Vice-Chairman of the Section of Laboratory Medicine, Medical Director for the UPMC Clinical Laboratories, Thomas J. Gill III Professor of Pathology
Research Focus: Aims to understand cell responses in the context of tissue and organismal biology
Sally Wenzel, MD
Director, University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute @ UPMC, Chair, Dept of Environmental and Occupational Health, GSPH, UPMC Chair of Translational Airway Biology
Research Focus: Pioneered the concept of asthma phenotypes, including the progression to molecular phenotyping.
John Williams, MD
Henry L. Hillman Endowed Chair in Pediatric Immunology, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases
Research Focus: Clinical and basic investigation of human respiratory viruses
Judith Yanowitz, PhD
Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Focus: Genome Integrity
Meiotic crossover formation
Germline aging and infertility
DNA double-strand break repair pathways
Germ cell fate specification
Brian Zuckerbraun, MD
Chief, Division of Trauma and General Surgery, Henry T. Bahnson Professor, Surgery
Research Focus: Investigations into the protective responses within the liver that limit injury in response to hemorrhage or sepsis
Vascular injury and pulmonary arterial hypertension