Research 

Our research program focuses on clinical and basic investigation in lung disease. Our overriding mission is to translate our basic research discoveries for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of lung disease and as a way to identify novel and effective treatments for lung disease.

The School of Medicine faculty is relatively small (800 total faculty members), and thus has a rich history of collaboration across the University. Thus, in addition to choosing a laboratory within the division, fellows are encouraged to explore training in laboratories across other departments (genetics, cardiology, radiology) to obtain a unique set of skills to apply to lung research. Our fellows have multiple opportunities to fund a 4th year of research, including a K12 'Omics of Lung Diseases, a Stanford CTSA (which often funds an MPH or MSc degree), Biodesign, etc.

We have identified 28 senior mentors with expertise in 7 translational research areas highly relevant to lung disease: Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Immunology, Genetics and Genomics, lung cancer, lung imaging, the microbiome, stem cells, and lung injury and repair.

The basic investigative work of Glenn Rosen, MD, Mark Nicolls, MD, Tushar Desai, MD, and Peter Kao, MD focuses on analysis of signal transduction pathways involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, pulmonary hypertension, transplant rejection, and fibrotic lung disease. Michael Gould MD has a robust clinical investigative program focusing on the quality and cost-effectiveness of care in patients with lung cancer. The additional clinical investigative programs of Roham Zamanian, MD in pulmonary hypertension, David Weill, MD and Gundeep Dhillon, MD in the study of factors contributing to chronic rejection in lung transplant recipients, Ware Kuschner, MD in the study of smoking and COPD, Stephen Ruoss, MD in non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease, and Ann Weinacker, MD in ICU outcomes research complement the basic studies in these areas and extend these findings to patients.

We benefit from collaborations with many basic science departments in the university and clinical divisions in the Department of Medicine to broaden and strengthen our basic and clinical research. For example, PCCM faculty has ongoing active collaborations with Marlene Rabinovitch, MD Professor of Pediatric Cardiology, in the study of pulmonary hypertension; Irving Weissman, MD Professor of Pathology, in the study of lung cancer stem cells Mark Krasnow, MD Department of Biochemistry, in the study of lung development, and Judith Shizuru, MD Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation, in the study of lung stem cells.

Our NIH T32 training grant offers trainees the opportunity to develop expertise in clinical investigation by obtaining a Masters in Clinical Epidemiology followed by clinical investigation with a mentor in our division, a mentor in health research policy or basic/translational research in our division, or with a mentor involved in lung-related research in the Department of Medicine or basic science divisions in the university. We will continue our integrative and collaborative research to enhance our ability to translate basic research findings and improve the treatment of patients with respiratory disease.