UPMC Pellegrini Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
University of Pittsburgh
I have 14 years experience as a faculty researcher in an academic surgical department. As Vice Chair for Cardiac Research in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, I practice serving leadership to bring together surgeons, basic scientists, and bioengineers to form synergistic collaborative teams focused on solving unmet clinical needs in cardiothoracic surgery through the building of new research infrastructure and securing new resources. I am also passionate about training the next generation of academic cardiothoracic surgeons through mentorship and by leveraging internal and external resources in my role as the Director of Postdoctoral Research. I have completed nearly 100 hours in formal leadership training.
I have served as PI or Co-I on multiple externally funded grants including an active R01 award from NHLBI and a previous R56 Short Term High Priority Award. I am the Scientific Director of the Cardiac Research Laboratory and I lead a research team focused on the role of the vasa vasorum in cardiopulmonary diseases. Our mission is to understand cell-matrix mechanisms in normal physiology for the development of new and less invasive treatments for cardiovascular pathologies. To achieve this mission, our laboratory partners with cardiothoracic surgeons to leverage an abundance of clinical and surgical expertise to shape and execute clinically-relevant inquiries through basic science experimental designs. Our team of vascular cell and matrix biologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, research coordinators, physician assistants, and nurses strives to provide a dynamic interdisciplinary training environment at an important clinical, basic science, and bioengineering intersection. These facets enable impactful basic science discoveries that translate toward innovative clinical decision making in the management of patients affected by cardiovascular disease. In our lab, we believe that science is real, love is love, immigrants are welcome, diversity is essential, black lives matter, and blood vessels are cool.