Department of Medicine News
Update in Internal Medicine 2019
Advances Changing Practice
October 10-11, 2019
Registration now open!
Department of Medicine 18th Annual Research Day
Save the dates! DOM Research Day will be held on April 27-28, 2020.
Pitt and UPMC receive $19.2M NIH grant to study red cell exchange treatment for sickle cell disease
Can Red Cell Exchange Treat Advanced Sickle Cell Disease?
Dr. Alison Morris named Chief of the Division of PACCM
Alison Morris, MD, MS, has been appointed chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine (PACCM) beginning July 1, 2019. She is currently the vice chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Medicine.
Pitt Receives $5.8 Million for Opioid Research in Appalachia
Jane Liebschutz, MD, MPH, Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, will establish the Appalachian Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network (CTN) to conduct opioid-related research in the region over the next five years.
Dr. Samir Saba Named Chief of Cardiology
Samir Saba, MD, has been appointed co-director of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and chief, Division of Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Specializing in cardiac electrophysiology, Saba’s work focuses on cardiac resynchronization, the development and use of implantable cardiac devices and the treatment of cardiac rhythm abnormalities.
Harnessing the power of AI to identify people at risk of opioid misuse and overdose
Walid Gellad, MD, MPH, is teaming up with Allegheny County officials and national health care databanks to better identify at-risk individuals for opioid overdose using machine learning.
Curavi Acquires TripleCare, Prepares to Rapidly Expand Telemedicine Services
Curavi Health Inc. has acquired TripleCare, a New York-based provider of telemedicine services for skilled nursing facilities. The acquisition positions Curavi, a wholly owned subsidiary of UPMC Enterprises, for rapid growth. Together, the combined entity will serve nearly 100 facilities across 14 states.
Department of Medicine Names Naudia Jonassaint to New Position of Vice Chair for Diversity and Inclusion
The Department of Medicine has appointed Naudia Jonassaint, MD, MHS, to the position of Vice Chair for Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Jonassaint, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and a transplant hepatologist, will work to develop new initiatives and programs to enhance diversity and inclusion across the department.
People Drink More in Colder Regions, Bataller-led Study Finds
Where you live could influence how much you drink. New research from Ramon Bataller, MD, PhD, found that people living in colder regions with less sunlight drink more alcohol than their warm-weather counterparts.
Two PACCM Faculty Are First in Early Study to Use New Device to Treat Chronic Bronchitis
Drs. Frank Sciurba and Roy Semaan in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine treated the first two patients in an Early Feasibility Study of an electrosurgical system created to treat the persistent symptoms of chronic bronchitis.
A Mobile App to Help Patients Better Describe Their Pain
Team Led by Internal Medicine’s Charles Jonassaint, PhD, MHSc, Creates “Painimation”
Department of Medicine Biotech Company Raises Over $5 Million
Globin Solutions, Inc., a startup biotechnology company formed last year by scientists from the University of Pittsburgh, completed over $5 million in Series A funding for its development of an antidote to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Jane Schell, MD, wins Hasting Center/Cuniff-Dixon Foundation Early Career Award
Jane Schell, MD, was awarded the Hasting Center/Cunniff-Dixon Foundation Early Career Award for her dedication to improving the care of seriously ill patients with kidney disease.
Melissa McNeil Wins Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health
Melissa McNeil, MD, MPH, was awarded the Bernadine Healy Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health from the Academy of Women’s Health. The national honor was presented in early May during the 25th Anniversary Congress on Women’s Health in...
Pitt, UPMC Plan $200 Million Immunotherapy Center, World-Class Innovation Hub in Bloomfield
The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC are partnering to create a UPMC Immune Transplant and Therapy Center (ITTC), which will be based in a world-class innovation hub to be developed in Bloomfield. UPMC has made an initial $200 million, three-year funding...
Six Department of Medicine Divisions Rank Among Top 20 in Nation
UPMC was recognized on the national stage once again for its clinical expertise, as one of only 20 hospitals nationwide included on the annual U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2017. “This marks the 18th year UPMC has been named...