Research
The University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine is a formidable leader in cutting-edge research. Our basic scientists, clinical researchers, and clinicians work daily to make research discoveries that will positively impact the world’s healthcare.
Our numbers:
- With 758 faculty, we are the largest department within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
- Our NIH funding level is ranked in the top 10 nationally among other Departments of Internal Medicine.
- The medical school’s NIH funding level ranks fifth in the nation.
Our clinicians and scientists are engaged in advanced research that is changing people’s lives and furthering our understanding of science. From papers published in high-impact journals to grants and awards received across every stage of research, all are reflections of our investigators’ skill, dedication, and commitment.
Latest High-Impact Publications
 | Fever of Unknown Origin. Haidar G, Singh N. N Engl J Med. 2022 Feb 3;386(5):463-477. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra2111003. PMID: 35108471. |
 | Colorectal Cancer Screening: Randomized Trials Are Essential to Support Recommendations. Bretthauer M, Schoen RE, Cross AJ, Pinsky PF. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Jan;175(1):129-130. doi: 10.7326/M21-3770. Epub 2021 Nov 9. PMID: 34748373. |
| Long-Term Survival after Kidney Transplantation. Hariharan S, Israni AK, Danovitch G. N Engl J Med. 2021 Aug 19;385(8):729-743. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra2014530. PMID: 34407344. |
 | Myofibroblast transcriptome indicates SFRP2hi fibroblast progenitors in systemic sclerosis skin. Tabib T, Huang M, Morse N, Papazoglou A, Behera R, Jia M, Bulik M, Monier DE, Benos PV, Chen W, Domsic R, Lafyatis R. Nat Commun. 2021 Jul 19;12(1):4384. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24607-6. PMID: 34282151; PMCID: PMC8289865. |
 | The Race to Resolution of Benign Biliary Strictures: Slow and Steady vs Pedal to the Covered Metal? Ertem FU, Slivka A. Gastroenterology. 2021 Jul;161(1):31-33. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.04.032. Epub 2021 Apr 19. PMID: 33887221. |
 | Metabolic Syndrome Mediates ROS-miR-193b-NFYA-Dependent Down Regulation of sGC and Contributes to Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension in HFpEF. Satoh T, Wang L, Espinosa-Diez C, Wang B, Hahn SA, Noda K, Rochon ER, Dent MR, Levine A, Baust JJ, Wyman S, Wu YL, Triantafyllou GA, Tang Y, Reynolds M, Shiva S, St Hilaire C, Gomez D, Goncharov DA, Goncharova EA, Chan SY, Straub AC, Lai YC, McTiernan CF, Gladwin MT. Circulation. 2021 Jun 23. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.053889. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34157861. |
| A high-throughput screen for TMPRSS2 expression identifies FDA-approved compounds that can limit SARS-CoV-2 entry. Chen Y, Lear TB, Evankovich JW, Larsen MB, Lin B, Alfaras I, Kennerdell JR, Salminen L, Camarco DP, Lockwood KC, Tuncer F, Liu J, Myerburg MM, McDyer JF, Liu Y, Finkel T, Chen BB. Nat Commun. 2021 Jun 23;12(1):3907. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24156-y. PMID: 34162861. |
 | The dynamics of human bone marrow adipose tissue in response to feeding and fasting. Fazeli PK, Bredella MA, Pachon-Pea G, Zhao W, Zhang X, Faje AT, Resulaj M, Polineni SP, Holmes TM, Lee H, O'Donnell EK, MacDougald OA, Horowitz MC, Rosen CJ, Klibanski A. JCI Insight. 2021 Jun 22;6(12):138636. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.138636. PMID: 33974568. |
| Racial Diversity Among American Cardiologists: Implications for the Past, Present, and Future. Johnson AE, Talabi MB, Bonifacino E, Culyba AJ, Davis EM, Davis PK, De Castro LM, Essien UR, Maria Gonzaga A, Hogan MV, James AJ, Jonassaint CR, Jonassaint NL, Matheo L, Nance MA, Napo GS, Olafiranye O, Owusu-Ansah S, Pierson-Brown TN, Conrad Smith AJ, Suber TL, Torres O, Tripp R, Ufomata E, Wilson JD, South-Paul JE. Circulation. 2021 Jun 15;143(24):2395-2405. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.053566. Epub 2021 Jun 14. PMID: 34125564. |
 | A no-Wnt situation for alveolar macrophage self-renewal. Suber T, Camiolo MJ, Ray A. Immunity. 2021 Jun 8;54(6):1099-1101. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.05.013. PMID: 34107266. |
| Recommendations for Statistical Reporting in Cardiovascular Medicine: A Special Report From the American Heart Association. Althouse AD, Below JE, Claggett BL, Cox NJ, de Lemos JA, Deo RC, Duval S, Hachamovitch R, Kaul S, Keith SW, Secemsky E, Teixeira-Pinto A, Roger VL; American Heart Association Scientific Publishing Committee Statistics Task Force. Circulation. 2021 May 25:CIRCULATIONAHA121055393. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055393. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34032474. |
 | Precision Medicine for COVID-19: Phenotype Anarchy or Promise Realized? DeMerle K, Angus DC, Seymour CW. JAMA. 2021 May 25;325(20):2041-2042. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.5248. PMID: 33961002. |
| Reducing Low-Value Care and Improving Health Care Value. Oakes AH, Radomski TR. JAMA. 2021 May 4;325(17):1715-1716. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.3308. PMID: 33830184. |
| Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes After the Introduction of the Medicare Sepsis Performance Measure (SEP-1). Barbash IJ, Davis BS, Yabes JG, Seymour CW, Angus DC, Kahn JM. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Apr 20. doi: 10.7326/M20-5043. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33872042. |
| Effect of Poloxamer 188 vs Placebo on Painful Vaso-Occlusive Episodes in Children and Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Casella JF, Barton BA, Kanter J, Black LV, Majumdar S, Inati A, Wali Y, Drachtman RA, Abboud MR, Kilinc Y, Fuh BR, Al-Khabori MK, Takemoto CM, Salman E, Sarnaik SA, Shah N, Morris CR, Keates-Baleeiro J, Raj A, Alvarez OA, Hsu LL, Thompson AA, Sisler IY, Pace BS, Noronha SA, Lasky JL 3rd, de Julian EC, Godder K, Thornburg CD, Kamberos NL, Nuss R, Marsh AM, Owen WC, Schaefer A, Tebbi CK, Chantrain CF, Cohen DE, Karakas Z, Piccone CM, George A, Fixler JM, Singleton TC, Moulton T, Quinn CT, de Castro Lobo CL, Almomen AM, Goyal-Khemka M, Maes P, Emanuele M, Gorney RT, Padgett CS, Parsley E, Kronsberg SS, Kato GJ, Gladwin MT. JAMA. 2021 Apr 20;325(15):1513-1523. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.3414. PMID: 33877274; PMCID: PMC8058640. |
| Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy: Prediction Without Prevention of Sudden Death. Estes NAM, Saba S. Circulation. 2021 Apr 6;143(14):1374-1376. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052929. Epub 2021 Apr 5. PMID: 33819073. |
| Integrated Multiomics Reveals Glucose Use Reprogramming and Identifies a Novel Hexokinase in Alcoholic Hepatitis. Massey V, Parrish A, Argemi J, Moreno M, Mello A, Garca-Rocha M, Altamirano J, Odena G, Dubuquoy L, Louvet A, Martinez C, Adrover A, Aff S, Morales-Ibanez O, Sancho-Bru P, Milln C, Alvarado-Tapias E, Morales-Arraez D, Caballera J, Mann J, Cao S, Sun Z, Shah V, Cameron A, Mathurin P, Snider N, Villanueva C, Morgan TR, Guinovart J, Vadigepalli R, Bataller R. Gastroenterology. 2021 Apr;160(5):1725-1740.e2. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.12.008. Epub 2020 Dec 10. PMID: 33309778. |
| Scaling Up Covid-19 Vaccination in Africa - Lessons from the HIV Pandemic. Nachega JB, Sam-Agudu NA, Mellors JW, Zumla A, Mofenson LM. N Engl J Med. 2021 Mar 31. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2103313. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33789005. |
| Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation and Thromboembolic Risk in Wild-Type Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy . Bukhari S, Barakat AF, Eisele YS, Nieves R, Jain S, Saba S, Follansbee WP, Brownell A, Soman P. Circulation. 2021 Mar 30;143(13):1335-1337. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052136. Epub 2021 Mar 29. PMID: 33779268. |
| In chronic noncancer illness, palliative care reduces symptoms and health care use but does not improve QoL . Topoll A, Arnold R. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Mar;174(3):JC31. doi: 10.7326/ACPJ202103160-031. Epub 2021 Mar 2. PMID: 33646840. |
| PDLIM2 repression by ROS in alveolar macrophages promotes lung tumorigenesis. Li L, Sun F, Han L, Liu X, Xiao Y, Gregory AD, Shapiro SD, Xiao G, Qu Z. JCI Insight. 2021 Feb 4:144394. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.144394. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33539325. |
 | Recurrent deletions in the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein drive antibody escape. McCarthy KR, Rennick LJ, Nambulli S, Robinson-McCarthy LR, Bain WG, Haidar G, Duprex WP. Science. 2021 Feb 3:eabf6950. doi: 10.1126/science.abf6950. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33536258. |
 | A Fbxo48 inhibitor prevents pAMPKα degradation and ameliorates insulin resistance. Liu Y, Jurczak MJ, Lear TB, Lin B, Larsen MB, Kennerdell JR, Chen Y, Huckestein BR, Nguyen MK, Tuncer F, Jiang Y, Monga SP, O'Donnell CP, Finkel T, Chen BB, Mallampalli RK. Nat Chem Biol. 2021 Jan 25. doi: 10.1038/s41589-020-00723-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33495648. |
 | The secretome mouse provides a genetic platform to delineate tissue-specific in vivo secretion. Liu J, Jang JY, Pirooznia M, Liu S, Finkel T. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jan 19;118(3):e2005134118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2005134118. PMID: 33431665; PMCID: PMC7826384. |
Latest Grants, $ 1 Million and Above
 | PI: Prithu Sundd, PhD, Vascular Medicine Institute/Division of PACCM Title: Pulmonary arteriole occlusion by platelet-neutrophil micro-emboli in Acute Chest Syndrome Project timeline: 6/1/2021-5/31/2025 Direct Costs: $1,240,024 Agency/Type of Grant: NHLBI R01 |
 | PI: Adam Straub, PhD, Vascular Medicine Institute Title: Role of Xanthine Oxidase in Heme-induced Vascular Dysfunction Project timeline: 5/1/2021-2/28/2025 Direct Costs: $2,097,758 Agency/Type of Grant: NHLBI R01 |
 | PI: Shihui Liu, MD, PhD, Aging Institute/Division of Infectious Diseases Title: Developmental therapy for selectively targeting MEK-ERK pathway in cancer cells and tumor stromal compartment Project timeline: 4/7/2021-3/31/2026 Direct Costs: $1,607,490 Agency/Type of Grant: NCI R01 |
 | PI: Melanie Königshoff, MD, PhD, Division of PACCM Title: CurePF-Translational models for pulmonary fibrosis Project timeline: 2/1/2021-1/31/2023 Direct Costs: $1,695,604 Agency/Type of Grant: Three Lakes Foundation Research Grant |
 | PI: Samit Ghosh, PhD, Vascular Medicine Institute/Division of Hematology/Oncology Title:Molecular and Cellular Pathogenesis of Kidney Disease in Sickle Cell Disorders Project timeline: 1/1/2021-12/31/2024 Direct Costs: $1,279,884 Agency/Type of Grant: NIDDK R01 |
 | PI: Bokai Zhu, PhD, Aging Institute/Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism Title: Decoding the regulation and functions of mammalian 12h-clock Project timeline: 9/30/2020-5/31/2025 Direct Costs: $1,500,000 Agency/Type of Grant: NIGMS DP2 New Innovator Award |
 | PI: Anthony Kanai, PhD, Renal-Electrolyte Division Title: PDE5 Inhibition of Afferents and Interstitial Cells in Overactive Mouse Bladders Project timeline: 9/8/2020-6/30/2025 Direct Costs: $2,398,965 Agency/Type of Grant: NIDDK R01 |
 | PI: Dhiraj Yadav, MD, MPH, Division of Gastroenterology Title: Consortium for the Study of Pancreatitis: Pittsburgh Clinical Center Project timeline: 9/3/2020-6/30/2025 Direct Costs: $1,499,985 Agency/Type of Grant: NIDDK U01 |
 | PI: Sonya Borrero, MD, MHS, Division of General Internal Medicine Title: Development and validation of a novel, person-centered measure of post-conception pregnancy acceptability (the Post-CAP) Project timeline: 9/1/2020-6/30/2025 Direct Costs: $2,656,179 Agency/Type of Grant: NICHD R01 |
 | PI: Nathaniel M. Weathington, MD, PhD, Division of PACCM Title: Macrophage Immunometabolism alteration by intense beta agonist therapy. Project timeline: 9/1/2020-8/31/2024 Direct Costs: $1,604,080 Agency/Type of Grant: NHLBI R01 |
 | PI: Brett Kaufman, PhD, Vascular Medicine Institute/Division of Cardiology Title: Mitochondrial G-quadruplex structures in health and disease Project timeline: 8/1/2020-6/30/2024 Direct Costs: $1,019,516 Agency/Type of Grant: NIGMS R01 |
 | PI: Divay Chandra, MD, MSc, Division of PACCM Title: Role of FBXO24 mediated ubiquitination of FoxP1 protein in the pathogenesis and treatment of COPD Project timeline: 7/15/2020-6/30/2025 Direct Costs: $1,507,559 Agency/Type of Grant: NHLBI R01 |
 | PI: Kevin Kraemer, MD, MSc, Division of General Internal Medicine Title: University of Pittsburgh Collaboration in Addiction Training Scholars (PittCATS) Program Project timeline: 7/1/2020-6/30/2025 Direct Costs: $2,499,950 Agency/Type of Grant: NIDA K12 |
 | PI: Kang Kim, PhD, Division of Cardiology Title: Prevent Unnecessary Carotid Intervention and Stroke using Noninvasive Transcutaneous Ultrasound Thermal Strain Imaging (US-TSI) Project timeline: 6/15/2020-5/31/2024 Direct Costs: $2,172,649 Agency/Type of Grant: NHLBI R01 |