Download - Volume 5, Issue 1 The PACCM Insider
Dear PACCM Family:
It seems that winter is finally taking it’s
final bow and spring is approaching!
Yet even during those long winter
months, our Division continued to thrive
a s e v i d e n c e d b y s o m a n y
accomplishments from our faculty and
trainees. I am thrilled to share these
with you. Memorable highlights in this
issue include a multi-divisional Winter
Party, our PACCM research retreat, our
successful fellowship match, and ongo-
ing contributions from our research
team.
We have also been overwhelmed with
many letters, notes, and emails from
both colleagues and patient families re-
garding our outstanding clinical faculty
and staff. We are so proud to work
among these compassionate and caring
individuals!
As we look forward to warmer weather,
we also look forward to sharing your
future successes and celebrations.
Enjoy!
Rama Mallampalli, MD
April 13, 2018
Volume 5, Issue 1
The PACCM Insider
Inside this issue:
Winter Holiday Party 2
Provost’s Inaugural Lecture 2
In the News 3
New Chair, Environmental &
Occupational Health
3
Patient Sarcoidosis Event 3
Selected Publications 4-5
Promotions & Appointments 6
New Hires 6
Mechanical Ventilation Book 6
Clinical Stars 7
2017 Excellence in Patient
Experience Certificate
7
Transplant Awareness 7
Grants, Award, and Notable
Mentions
8
Upcoming Events 9
Fellows Research Retreat 10
68th Lindau Nobel Laureate
Meeting Participant
11
Parker B. Francis Awardee 11
Fellows 11
Fellows Match 11
Celebrations 12
-Contributed by Matt Morrell, MD Faculty Spotlight
A Note from the Chief...
Silpa Kilaru has been a vital member of the PACCM faculty
since 2012 as an Assistant Professor. After medical school
training at the Ohio State University, she completed her
housestaff training, fellowship, and served as Chief Fellow at
Georgetown University Hospital where she displayed her
talents as a superb clinician educator. Silpa was heavily
recruited as a transplant pulmonologist prior to joining
PACCM. She has emerged as a leader in the lung transplant
program, recently taking on important responsibilities in
fellow lung transplant education within the Division. Over
the years, she has successfully mentored numerous fellows
and internal medicine residents in her outpatient clinic
where she has received outstanding reviews as a clinician
educator. Her transplant outpatient clinic is highly sought
after by trainees due to the time and dedication that she spends in trainee education.
Silpa also has a clear passion for patient care. She is cherished by her transplant
patients who have provided wonderful feedback on her compassionate care. She
currently has a five-star rating on the UPMC Physician website and has exceptional
comments on the Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. In 2017, she received the
Award for Excellence in Patient Experience by the Wolff Center at UPMC. Silpa has also
“stepped up to the plate” for the Division in the transplant clinical operation with a high
volume of patient responsibilities serving as an invaluable clinician. We are
indeed very fortunate to have her as a member of PACCM !
Silpa Kilaru, MD
Page 2 The PACCM Insider
Winter Holiday Party
On February 22, approximately 330 people from PACCM, the Vascular Medicine Institute, and the division of Cardiology
joined together to celebrate collaborations and friendships after the new year.
The Music Hall Foyer within the Carnegie Museum
provided an elegant backdrop to a festive event.
Provost’s Inaugural Lecture
Anuradha Ray, PhD
Anuradha Ray, PhD, presented “Immune Networks & Metabolism in the Balancing Act
Between Immune Tolerance & Asthma” as part of the Provost’s Inaugural Lecture series on
March 1. The Provost’s Inaugural Lecture series invites University of Pittsburgh faculty
members to give a lecture marking their recent appointments to endowed chairs.
Volume 5, Issue 1 Page 3
In the News
Kavitha Bagavathy, MD
Effective May 1, Sally Wenzel, MD will accept the role of Chair of Environmental and
Occupational Health in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.
Although she will be missed on a daily basis, Dr. Wenzel will continue to keep an
appointment with PACCM, as well as be the acting Director of the newly expanded
Asthma Environmental Lung Health Institute. Dr. Wenzel succeeds Dr. Bruce Pitt, an
iconic leader and visionary at this institution who has been an integral colleague with us
in PACCM. We anticipate that Dr. Wenzel will be highly successful in spearheading
exciting initiatives, synergizing science jointly with our Division, and building on the rich
tradition of excellence that exists within Environmental and Occupational Health.
New Chair of Environmental & Occupational Health
Sally Wenzel, MD
Patient Sarcoidosis Event
Over 100 patients and caregivers attended a special patient
sarcoidosis event on Saturday, March 3.
The Simmons Center co-sponsored the day with the Foundation for
Sarcoidosis to help educate and support those affected by this
disease.
Dr. Kavitha Bagavathy appeared on UPMC Health Talk on WKST radio on Feb 13. Dr.
Bagavathy discussed inpatient critical care services available at UPMC Jameson during
the broadcast. The audio is now online here.
Dr. Sally Wenzel and the Asthma Institute were included in a recent USNews article,
regarding a patient who traveled back and forth from Chicago to receive their outstand-
ing care.
Dr. Wenzel was also included in a Post-Gazette article regarding a recent study which
identified a key protein in the cell-death pathway. (Cell. 2017 Oct 19;171(3):628-641)
Dr. Wenzel is a lead investigator on the study, along with Dr. Hülya Bayir (Children’s
Hospital) and senior author, Dr. Valerian Kagan (Environmental and Occupational
Health).
Ringer KP, Roth MG, Garey MS, Piorczynski TB, Suli A, Hansen
JM, Alder JK. Comparative Analysis of Lipid-Mediated CRISPR-
Cas9 Genome Editing Techniques. Cell Biol Int. 2018 Feb 19.
[Epub ahead of print]
Alder JK, Hanumanthu VS, Strong MA, DeZern AE, Stanley SE,
Takemoto CM, Danilova L, Applegate CD, Bolton SG, Mohr DW,
Brodsky RA, Casella JF, Greider CW, Jackson JB, Armanios M.
Diagnostic utility of telomere length testing in a hospital-based
setting. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Feb 20. [Epub ahead of
print]
Qu Y, Olonisakin T, Bain W, Zupetic J, Brown R, Hulver M, Xiong
Z, Tejero J, Shanks RM, Bomberger JM, Cooper VS, Zegans ME,
Ryu H, Han J, Pilewski J, Ray A, Cheng Z, Ray P, Lee JS. Throm-
bospondin-1 protects against pathogen-induced lung injury by
limiting extracellular matrix proteolysis. JCI Insight. 2018 Feb
8;3(3). [Epub ahead of print]
Bain W, Lee JS. Ventilator Circuit Trash May Be a Research
Treasure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 Jan 11. [Epub
ahead of print] No abstract available.
Barbash IJ, Rak KJ, Kuza CC, Kahn JM. Hospital Perceptions of
Medicare's Sepsis Quality Reporting Initiative. J Hosp Med.
2017 Dec;12(12):963-968.
Bednash JS, Mallampalli RK. Targeting Deubiquitinases in Can-
cer. Methods Mol Biol. 2018;1731:295-305
Bon J, Zhang Y, Leader JK, Fuhrman C, Perera S, Chandra D,
Bertolet M, Diergaarde B, Greenspan SL, Sciurba FC. Radio-
graphic Emphysema, Circulating Bone Biomarkers, and Progres-
sive Bone Mineral Density Loss in Smokers. Ann Am Thorac Soc.
2018 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of print]
Bueno M, Brands J, Voltz L, Fiedler K, Mays B, St Croix C, Sem-
brat J, Mallampalli RK, Rojas M, Mora AL. ATF3 represses PINK1
gene transcription in lung epithelial cells to control mitochondri-
al homeostasis. Aging Cell. 2018 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print]
Potoka KP, Wood KC, Baust JJ, Bueno M, Hahn SA, Vanderpool
RR, Bachman T, Mallampalli GM, Osei-Hwedieh DO, Schrott V,
Sun B, Bullock GC, Becker-Pelster EM, Wittwer M, Stampfuss J,
Mathar I, Stasch JP, Truebel H, Sandner P, Mora AL, Straub AC,
Gladwin MT. NO-independent sGC Activation Improves Vascular
Function and Cardiac Remodeling in Sickle Cell Disease. Am J
Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2017 Dec 21. [Epub ahead of print]
Chen K, Kolls JK. PTENtiating CFTR for Antimicrobial Immunity.
Immunity. 2017 Dec 19;47(6):1014-1016.
Rochon ER, Corti P, Gladwin MT. Hemoglobin α in Pulmonary
Endothelium: Ironing Out Nitric Oxide Signaling. Am J Respir Cell
Mol Biol. 2017 Dec;57(6):639-641.
Maron BA, Brittain EL, Choudhary G, Gladwin MT. Redefining
pulmonary hypertension. Lancet Respir Med. 2017 Dec 18.
[Epub ahead of print]
Willen SM, Gladwin MT. What is the role of screening for pulmo-
nary hypertension in adults and children with sickle cell dis-
ease? Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2017 Dec
8;2017(1):431-434.
Gladwin MT. Cardiovascular complications in patients with sick-
le cell disease. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program.
2017 Dec 8;2017(1):423-430.
Selected Publications Maron BA, Wertheim BM, Gladwin MT. Under Pressure to Clarify
Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Risk. Am J Respir Crit Care
Med. 2017 Dec 7.
Groetzinger LM, Miller TJ, Rivosecchi RM, Smith RE, Gladwin MT,
Rivera-Lebron BN. Apixaban or Rivaroxaban Versus Warfarin for
Treatment of Submassive Pulmonary Embolism After Catheter-
Directed Thrombolysis. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2018 Jan 1.
[Epub ahead of print]
Khalid F, Rehman S, Gupta S. Eighty-five-year-old man with mo-
saic attenuation on chest imaging. BMJ Case Rep. 2018 Jan
13;2018. No abstract available.
Kitsios GD. Translating Lung Microbiome Profiles into the Next-
Generation Diagnostic Gold Standard for Pneumonia: a Clinical
Investigator's Perspective. mSystems. 2018 Mar 13;3(2).
Olonisakin TF, Lee JS. Fighting Bacterial Pathogens in the Lung:
Platelets to the Rescue? Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2018 Mar;58
(3):282-283.
Lennox AT, Coburn SL, Leech JA, Heidrich EM, Kleyman TR, Wen-
zel SE, Pilewski JM, Corcoran TE, Myerburg MM. ATP12A pro-
motes mucus dysfunction during Type 2 airway inflammation.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 1;8(1):2109.
Hensley MK, Levine A, Gladwin MT, Lai YC. Emerging Therapeu-
tics in Pulmonary Hypertension. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol
Physiol. 2018 Feb 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Alvarez RA, Miller MP, Hahn SA, Galley JC, Bauer E, Bachman T,
Hu J, Sembrat J, Goncharov D, Mora AL, Rojas M, Goncharova E,
Straub AC. Targeting Pulmonary Endothelial Hemoglobin α Im-
proves Nitric Oxide Signaling and Reverses Pulmonary Artery
Endothelial Dysfunction. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2017 Dec;57
(6):733-744.
Ensor CR, Iasella CJ, Harrigan KM, Morrell MR, Moore CA, Shi-
gemura N, Zeevi A, McDyer JF, Venkataramanan R. Increasing
tacrolimus time-in-therapeutic range is associated with superior
one-year outcomes in lung transplant recipients. Am J Trans-
plant. 2018 Mar 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Tipton L, Müller CL, Kurtz ZD, Huang L, Kleerup E, Morris A, Bon-
neau R, Ghedin E. Fungi stabilize connectivity in the lung and
skin microbial ecosystems. Microbiome. 2018 Jan 15;6(1):12.
Lim SH, Morris A, Li K, Fitch AC, Fast L, Goldberg L, Quesenberry
M, Sprinz P, Methé B. Intestinal microbiome analysis revealed
dysbiosis in sickle cell disease. Am J Hematol. 2017 Dec 23.
[Epub ahead of print]
Gingo MR, Nouraie M, Kessinger CJ, Greenblatt RM, Huang L,
Kleerup EC, Kingsley L, McMahon DK, Morris A. Decreased
Lung Function and All-cause Mortality in HIV-Infected Individu-
als. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2018 Jan 9. [Epub ahead of print]
Alcántara C, Patel SR, Carnethon M, Castañeda S, Isasi CR, Da-
vis S, Ramos A, Arredondo E, Redline S, Zee PC, Gallo LC. Stress
and Sleep: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/
Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study. SSM Popul
Health. 2017 Dec;3:713-721.
Petrov ME, Weng J, Reid KJ, Wang R, Ramos AR, Wallace DM,
Alcantara C, Cai J, Perreira K, Espinoza Giacinto RA, Zee PC,
Sotres-Alvarez D, Patel SR. Commuting and Sleep: Results From
the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sueño
Ancillary Study. Am J Prev Med. 2018 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of
print]
The PACCM Insider Page 4
Holguin F, Moughrabieh MA, Ojeda V, Patel SR, Peyrani P,
Pinedo M, Celedón JC, Douglas IS, Upson DJ, Roman J. Respira-
tory Health in Migrant Populations: A Crisis Overlooked. Ann Am
Thorac Soc. 2017 Feb;14(2):153-159.
Matthews KA, Patel SR, Pantesco EJ, Buysse DJ, Kamarck TW,
Lee L, Hall MH. Similarities and differences in estimates of
sleep duration by polysomnography, actigraphy, diary, and self-
reported habitual sleep in a community sample. Sleep Health.
2018 Feb;4(1):96-103. Epub 2017 Dec 13.
Doarn CR, Latifi R, Poropatich RK, Sokolovich N, Kosiak D, Hosti-
uc F, Zoicas C, Buciu A, Arafat R. Development and Validation of
Telemedicine for Disaster Response: The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization Multinational System. Telemed J E Health. 2018
Jan 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Banno A, Reddy AT, Lakshmi SP, Reddy RC. PPARs: Key Regula-
tors of Airway Inflammation and Potential Therapeutic Targets in
Asthma. Nucl Receptor Res. 2018;5. Epub 2017 Dec 11.
Ioja S, Singamsetty S, Corey C, Guo L, Shah F, Jurczak MJ,
McVerry BJ, Shiva S, O'Donnell CP. Nocturnal Hypoxia Improves
Glucose Disposal, Decreases Mitochondrial Efficiency, and In-
creases Reactive Oxygen Species in the Muscle and Liver of
C57BL/6J Mice Independent of Weight Change. Oxid Med Cell
Longev. 2018 Feb 4;2018:9649608. eCollection 2018.
Coons JC, Bunner C, Ishizawar DC, Risbano MG, Rivera-Lebron
B, Mathier MA, Chan SY, Simon MA. Impact of four times daily
dosing of oral treprostinil on tolerability and daily dose achieved
in pulmonary hypertension. Pulm Circ. 2018 Jan-Mar;8(1):
2045893217744512.
Carr LL, Jacobson S, Lynch DA, Foreman MG, Flenaugh EL,
Hersh CP, Sciurba FC, Wilson DO, Sieren JC, Mulhall P, Kim V,
Kinsey CM, Bowler RP. Features of Chronic Obstructive Pulmo-
nary Disease as Predictors of Lung Cancer. Chest. 2018 Feb 13.
[Epub ahead of print]
Rennard SI, Merrill D, Tal-Singer R, Sciurba FC. The St. George's
Respiratory Questionnaire Appendix to the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration Draft Guidance on COPD: Why a Small Step Forward
Is So Important. Chest. 2017 Nov;152(5):914-916.
Shah FA, Singamsetty S, Guo L, Chuan BW, McDonald S, Cooper
BA, O'Donnell BJ, Stefanovski D, Wice B, Zhang Y, O'Donnell CP,
McVerry BJ. Stimulation of the endogenous incretin glucose-
dependent insulinotropic peptide by enteral dextrose improves
glucose homeostasis and inflammation in murine endotoxemia.
Transl Res. 2017 Nov 21. [Epub ahead of print]
Strock SB, Alder JK, Kass DJ. From Bad to Worse: When Lung
Cancer Complicates Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. J Pathol.
2017 Dec 27.
Peker Y, Strollo PJ Jr. A meta-analysis of positive airway pres-
sure treatment for cardiovascular prevention: why mix apples
and pears? Evid Based Med. 2017 Nov 18. [Epub ahead of
print]
Luyster FS, Strollo PJ Jr, Thunström E, Peker Y. Long-term use of
continuous positive airway pressure therapy in coronary artery
disease patients with nonsleepy obstructive sleep apnea. Clin
Cardiol. 2017 Dec 14. [Epub ahead of print]
Suber T, Mallampalli RK. An Emerging Role for Megalin as a
Regulator of Protein Leak in Acute Lung Injury. Am J Respir Cell
Mol Biol. 2017 Nov;57(5):504-505.
Haque MM, Tejero J, Bayachou M, Kenney CT, Stuehr DJ. A
Cross-Domain Charge Interaction Governs the Activity of NO
Synthase. J Biol Chem. 2018 Feb 2. [Epub ahead of print]
Choi S, Haghighi B, Choi J, Hoffman EA, Comellas AP, Newell JD,
Wenzel SE, Castro M, Fain SB, Jarjour NN, Schiebler ML, Barr
RG, Han MK, Bleecker ER, Cooper CB, Couper D, Hansel N, Kan-
ner RE, Kazeroni EA, Kleerup EAC, Martinez FJ, O'Neal WK,
Woodruff PG, Lin CL. Differentiation of quantitative CT imaging
phenotypes in asthma versus COPD. BMJ Open Respir Res.
2017 Nov 9;4(1):e000252. eCollection 2017.
Dunican EM, Elicker BM, Wenzel SE, Meyers DA, Bleecker ER,
Phillips BR, Mauger DT, Gordon ED, Woodruff PG, Peters MC,
Fahy JV; National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Severe
Asthma Research Program (SARP). Mucus plugs in patients with
asthma linked to eosinophilia and airflow obstruction. J Clin
Invest. 2018 Feb 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Albano GD, Bonanno A, Moscato M, Anzalone G, Di Sano C, Ric-
cobono L, Wenzel SE, Profita M. Crosstalk between mAChRM3
and β2AR, via acetylcholine PI3/PKC/PBEP1/Raf-1 MEK1/2/
ERK1/2 pathway activation, in human bronchial epithelial cells
after long-term cigarette smoke exposure. Life Sci. 2017 Nov
22. [Epub ahead of print]
Click B, Anderson AM, Koutroubakis IE, Rivers CR, Babichenko
D, Machicado JD, Hartman DJ, Hashash JG, Dunn MA, Schwartz
M, Swoger J, Barrie Iii A, Wenzel SE, Regueiro M, Binion DG.
Peripheral Eosinophilia in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel
Disease Defines an Aggressive Disease Phenotype. Am J Gastro-
enterol. 2017 Nov 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Leng S, Diergaarde B, Picchi MA, Wilson DO, Gilliland FD, Yuan
JM, Siegfried JM, Belinsky SA. Gene Promoter Hypermethylation
Detected in Sputum Predicts FEV1 Decline and All-cause Mortal-
ity in Smokers. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 Feb 13. [Epub
ahead of print]
Zank DC, Bueno M, Mora AL, Rojas M. Idiopathic Pulmonary
Fibrosis: Aging, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Cellular Bioener-
getics. Front Med (Lausanne). 2018 Feb 5;5:10.
Cai J, Wei J, Schrott V, Zhao J, Bullock G, Zhao Y. Induction of
deubiquitinating enzyme USP50 during erythropoiesis and its
potential role in the regulation of Ku70 stability. J Investig Med.
2017 Nov 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Zhao J, Minami Y, Etling E, Coleman JM, Lauder SN, Tyrrell V,
Aldrovandi M, O'Donnell V, Claesson HE, Kagan V, Wenzel S.
Preferential Generation of 15-HETE-PE Induced by IL-13 Regu-
lates Goblet Cell Differentiation in Human Airway Epithelial
Cells. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2017 Dec;57(6):692-701.
Luo X, Xue L, Xu H, Zhao QY, Wang Q, She YS, Zang DA, Shen J,
Peng YB, Zhao P, Yu MF, Chen W, Ma LQ, Chen S, Chen S, Fu X,
Hu S, Nie X, Shen C, Zou C, Qin G, Dai J, Ji G, Su Y, Hu S, Chen J,
Liu QH. Polygonum aviculare L. extract and quercetin attenuate
contraction in airway smooth muscle. Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 15;8
(1):3114.
Volume 5, Issue 1 Page 5
Promotions and Appointments
Bill Chen, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Conferral of Tenure
Page 6 The PACCM Insider
New Hires
Michael Dorff, MHA - UPP Division Administrator for PACCM
Benjamin Crandall, RPSGT - Sleep Manager, UPMC Presby, Monroeville & Mercy
Sleep Labs
Brittany Manning - Fellowship Coordinator
Jacob West-Roberts - Bioinformatics Engineer (Methé lab)
Kristine Cihil -- Lab Manager (Mallampalli)
Ritchie Koshy -- Clinical Research Coordinator (McDyer)
Rachel Nettles - Lab Specialist (Morris)
Qiang Zhang - Health Sciences Research Fellow (X. Wang)
Jiadi Luo - Visiting Scholar (K. Chen)
Jia Liu - Visiting Scholar (Y. Zhao)
Sue Dong - Visiting Scholar (Y. Zhao)
Micaelan Jean Valesky - Research Coordinator (S. Patel)
Kaitlin Bocian -Lab Technician (Rose)
Annabel Ferguson - Research Technician (K. Chen)
Mark Rath -- Lab Specialist (Alder)
Michael Dorff, MHA UPP Division Administrator, PACCM
Ron Poropatich, MD
Director, Center for Military Medicine
Research, Health Sciences
Kristen Veraldi, MD, PhD
Acting Chief of Staff
Butler VA
Welcome to all the new members of our PACCM Family!
by John W. Kreit (Author)
Mechanical Ventilation (Pittsburgh Critical Care Medicine)
April is designated as Transplant Awareness Month.
This past week, a new ExVivo machine has been on
display in the Presbyterian and Montefiore Hospital
lobbies, on a rotating basis.
Clinical Stars
Page 7 Volume 5, Issue 1
Transplant Awareness
2017 Excellence in Patient Experience Certificate
Michael Donahoe, MD
Silpa Kilaru, MD
John Kreit, MD
Jared Chiarchiaro, MD
Roy Semaan, MD
Silpa Kilaru, MD was recognized by patient’s family for
wonderful treatment of lung transplant patients as well as
those waiting for transplant.
Roy Semaan’s work and attitude are often complimented
by patients, especially the veterans. Thanks to Dr.
Semaan, we have been able to expand our services and
offer excellence to our veteran population.
Will Holmes (Sleep Center) was selected as a 2018
Presbyterian Above & Beyond Honorable Mention Winner!
The UPMC Above and Beyond Awards are a recognition of
staff commitment to excellence in customer service.
These winners are selected by the Presbyterians Executive
team from all of the nominees throughout the last 12
months.
In 2016, Peggy Stoeff, CRNP and Betsy Ellenberger, CRNP
were recognized as PACCM awardees for their exemplary
patient care. That exceptional care was again recently
acknowledged by a family for the comfort and compassion
that Peggy and Betsy provided to a family member during
her final days of illness.
Kristen Veraldi, MD, PhD was recently praised by a patient
who traveled from Chicago for a consultation as a second
opinion and commented that the visit was one of the best
interactions with a medical professional ever received.
Kudos to Deborah Piontek and Shawn McCurdy for their
knowledge and professionalism in executing the quality
pulmonary rehab program in the CLC and lung transplant
program. Thanks also to Kayla Kline’s dedication as a
therapist. Many lung disease patients in the United States
have no access to a pulmonary rehabilitation program, but
Dr. Mike Donahoe has been at the forefront to maintain
support of the program here at UPMC.
Joy DeLuna, MD received an Above and Beyond
nomination in November 2017 for patient care. Dr.
DeLuna developed a comprehensive, easy-to-read flow
chart of a patient’s complicated antibiotic regimen.
Georgios Kitsios – K23: Microbiome-based Diagnosis of
Pneumonia in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Bill Chen— R35 Award: Systematic Investigation of Protein
Ubiquitination in ARDS.
Xingan Wang won the Competitive Medical Research Fund
Award for 2018 for a project entitled: “Biological Repair of
Extended-Criteria Donor Lungs with Ex Vivo Lung
Perfusion (EVLP)-Based Therapy in a Mouse Lung
Transplant Model.”
Divay Chandra (left) was
selected to receive an AFMR
Scholar Award for his
outstanding work, “Inhibition
of the SCFFBXO3 E3 Ligase
as a Novel Anti-Inflammatory
Therapy for Atherosclerosis”,
featured at the 2018 Eastern
Regional Meeting on March
16, Philadelphia.
Belinda Rivera, Mark Gladwin and Michael Risbano
presented “From Dusk til Dawn: A case based evolution of
an acute PE to CTEPH”, at the AHA meeting in Los Angeles
in November 2017. Mark Gladwin and Mike Risbano
chaired the session, Belinda was an invited speaker. The
session will be podcasted on the AHA website.
Sally Wenzel was invited to participate as speaker at the
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in November 2017
during the Flexner Discovery Lecture Series, featuring the
world's most eminent scientists, who speak on the highest
-impact research and policy issues in science and
medicine today.
Sally Wenzel was also invited to participate as speaker at
the Menkes Lectureship on January 11, 2018. The Harold
and Marilyn Menkes Memorial Lectureship in lung health
and disease was established at the Bloomberg School,
whereby a leading pulmonary scientist would be invited to
the School to interact with students, fellows and faculty.
Daniel Kass was invited to join the editorial board of the
European Respiratory Journal, as well as to serve on Lung
Injury, Repair and Remodeling Study Section for
February 2018.
Grants, Awards, & Notable Mentions
Page 8 The PACCM Insider
Belinda Rivera Lebron received an invitation to chair a
Bayer advisory board in Puerto Rico for CTEPH Feb 22-23,
2018.
Jessica Bon Field was invited to be a Peer Reviewer for
the AHA Career Development Award – Organ Basic
Sciences.
Barbara Methé participated in a comprehensive science,
operations, management and informatics review of the
Department of Energy’s (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI)
in Walnut Creek, California in December 2017. This panel
helps to evaluate the JGI for its current value to science,
its operational efficiency, and to determine guidance on
their future efforts.
Yutong Zhao received an invitation to serve as a member
of Editorial Board for the two journals, AJP-Lung and
Cellular Signaling.
Kathy Lindell was accepted as one of the first ATS Fellows
and will be recognized at the International Conference in
May.
Kathy Lindell was also nominated for service on the
Pulmonary Board of the American Board of Internal
Medicine. This board oversees initial board certification
and periodic recertification of pulmonologists in the Unit-
ed States.
Frank Sciurba has agreed to join the local ALA advisory
board and will provide invaluable COPD and University of
Pittsburgh representation.
Kelly Tatone and Nick
Bonfiglio (right), from
the Asthma Institute,
participated in a
University of Pittsburgh
fitness challenge by
climbing steps at the
Cathedral of Learning!
Upcoming Events
Page 9 Volume 5, Issue 1
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS COMING SOON - In conjunction with the
2018 Pittsburgh International Lung Conference. Be ready to submit
when portal opens! An email notification will be sent soon!
2018 PACCM AWARDS - An email will be sent soon for your chance
to nominate an outstanding co-worker, mentor, educator and more.
The annual Fundamentals of Bench Research Course is scheduled
for July 16-27, 2018 and registration is open to all clinical fellows
and physician scientists at the Instructor level in the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Details for registration can be found on the PACCM website.
Faculty Alumni, Patty George, invites you to participate in the Fifth
Annual PHenomenal Hope 5K on April 21, 2018 – North Shore.
Keep up with weekly divisional conferences by visiting the
PACCM Web Calendar!
Clicking on an event will expand to show speaker information.
The 2018 Fellows Research Retreat was held on February 5-7, beginning in our BST 1295 conference room before moving
to Seven Springs Mountain Resort.
Our fellows had the opportunity to interact with Dr. Lynn Schnapp, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of
Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Sleep Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. PACCM trainees and third
year fellows presented brief overviews of their current research before Dr. Schnapp rounded out the afternoon by giving a
lecture on the extracellular environment.
Once at Seven Springs, faculty provided overviews of the resources available to the fellows, as well as summaries of the
individual Centers of Excellence within our Division.
The annual rivalry continued during the bowling competition on Tuesday evening.
Congratulations to our 2018 Bowling Champions: (Below) Captain: Michael Dorff
Joe Pilewski, MD, Janet Lee, MD,
Jennifer Newitt, MD, and Chris O’Donnell, PhD,
Page 10 Volume 5, Issue 1
Fellows Research Retreat
Craig Riley, MD taught a recent Pulmonary STEP Review course and
received high accolades regarding his enthusiasm and ability to explain
difficult concepts in multiple ways.
Dan Dunlap, MD received a shout-out from the UPMC Presby/Shadyside
nurses for his compassion and advocacy for patients.
Fellows
It’s a Match!
The following seven outstanding
new people will be joining our
fellowship program in July:
Priya Borker
Beth Israel Deaconess
Christopher Franz
Mt. Sinai
Ioannis Konstantinidis
Mt. Sinai
Taylor Lincoln
Palliative Care Division
Kevin Misner
UT Southwestern
Kaveh Moghbeli
University of Pennsylvania
Niall Prendergast
Washington University, St. Louis
Page 11 Volume 5, Issue 1
Please join us!
Fellows Welcome
Luncheon
July 5, 2018
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
BST 1295
Parker B. Francis Award
Congratulations to Marc Gauthier, MD, a 2018
Parker B. Francis awardee!
This highly competitive program is designed to
provide support to new investigators who are
beginning careers in pulmonary science.
Marc Gauthier, MD
Tolani Olonisakin, a third year student in the
MSTP program and a researcher in Dr. Janet
Lee’s lab, has been selected as one of the
students around the world to participate in the
68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting taking
place from June 24 - 29, 2018 in Lindau,
Germany. Once every year, about 30 Nobel
Laureates convene in Lindau to meet the next
generation of leading scientists, 500-600
undergraduates, PhD students, and post-doc
researchers from all over the world. The Lindau
Novel Laureate Meetings foster the
exchange among scientists of different
generations, cultures, and disciplines.
68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Participant
Tolani Olonisakin
Fellows Did You Know…
Previous issues of the
PACCM Insider
can be found online here!
Be sure to notify us of all newsworthy items!
• New Grants
• Honors & Awards
• Promotions & New Appointments
• Special Presentations/Seminars
• Engagements/Marriages/Births
• Share photos of your colleagues!
Send info to: [email protected]
@PACCMPITT
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BIRTHS
Congratulations to all of our growing PACCM
families!
Luca Maximous Rindos was welcomed by parents,
Stephanie and Noah, on December 22, 2017.
Marta Bueno and Jesus Tejero welcomed son, Lucas
Samuel, on January 4, 2018.
Mabel Claire was welcomed by parents, Eleanor and
Shane Valenzi, on January 20, 2018.
Adam and Bethany Fitch welcomed daughter, Elise
Amora, on February 17, 2018.
Hania Ali was welcomed by parents, Faraaz and
Kehkeshan Shah, on February 22, 2018.
Anna Marie Chekan welcomed her second grandson,
Benjamin Milan, on March 27, 2018.
Celebrations
@PACCM Follow us on Twitter!
Above: Benjamin Milan Chekan, with grandmother, Anna Marie
www.dom.pitt.edu/PACCM
Editor-in-Chief: Rama Mallampalli, MD
Deputy Editor: Keven Robinson, MD
Senior Editor and Creative Designer: Terri Dobransky
Above: Elise Amora Fitch, with parents, Adam and Bethany
Above: Hania Ali Shah, with dad, Faraaz
Right: Mabel Claire Valenzi
Below: Lucas Samuel Tejero Bueno
Right: Luca Maximous Rindos with
parents, Stephanie and Noah