Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Department of Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo David C. Whitcomb, MD, PhD

Gastroenterology

Editor-in-Chief, Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology

Email: whitcomb@pitt.edu
Contact
Office: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
PUH, M2, C Wing - 200 Lothrop St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
E-mail: whitcomb@pitt.edu
Education and Training
Education
BS, Manchester College - North Manchester, IN, 1978
MS - Physiology, Ohio State University - Columbus, OH, 1979
PhD - Physiology, Ohio State University - Columbus, OH, 1983
MD, Ohio State University - Columbus, OH, 1985
Training
Internship, Duke University - Durham, NC, 1986
Residency, Duke University - Durham, NC, 1988
Gastroenterology Fellowship, Duke University - Durham, NC, 1990
Research Interest
Dr. Whitcomb is a Professor of Medicine Emeritus whose research program involves a pancreatic disease focus for modeling complex, multistep gene-environment interactive disorders requiring a precision medicine approach. Dr. Whitcomb's multicenter, genotype-phenotyping hereditary pancreatitis, and North American Pancreatitis Study II (NAPS2) programs, plus acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer studies using reverse engineering and predictive modeling approaches serve as a foundation and pathway for diseases in multiple organ systems. Dr Whitcomb also studies the pathophysiology of severe acute pancreatitis and pain genetics.
Educational Interest
PancreasFest (www.pancreasfest.com)
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Whitcomb DC, Frulloni L, Garg P, Greer JB, Schneider A, Yadav D, Shimosegawa T. Chronic pancreatitis: An international draft consensus proposal for a new mechanistic definition. Pancreatology. 2016; 16(2): 218-24.
Whitcomb DC, Bodhani A, Beckmann K, Sander-Struckmeier S, Liu S, Fuldeore M, Pollack PF, Khurmi RP. Efficacy and Safety of Pancrelipase/Pancreatin in Patients With Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and a Medical History of Diabetes Mellitus. Pancreas. 2016; 45(5): 679-86.
LaRusch J, Lozano-Leon A, Stello K, Moore A, Muddana V, O'Connell M, Diergaarde B, Yadav D, Whitcomb DC. The Common Chymotrypsinogen C (CTRC) Variant G60G (C.180T) Increases Risk of Chronic Pancreatitis But Not Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis in a North American Population. Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2015; 6: e68.
LaRusch J, Jung J, General IJ, Lewis MD, ..., Whitcomb DC & North American Pancreatits Study Group. Mechanisms of CFTR functional variants that impair regulated bicarbonate permeation and increase risk for pancreatitis but not for cystic fibrosis. Anderson MA, Banks PA, Conwell D, Lawrence C, Romagnuolo J, Baillie J, Alkaade S, Cote G, Gardner TB, Amann ST, Slivka A, Sandhu B, Aloe A, Kienholz ML, Yadav D, Barmada MM, Bahar I, Lee MG, Whitcomb DC; North American Pancreatitis Study Group. PLoS Genet. 2014; 10(7): e1004376.
Andersen DK, Andren-Sandberg A, Duell EJ, Goggins M, Korc M, Petersen GM, Smith JP, Whitcomb DC. Pancreatitis-diabetes-pancreatic cancer: summary of an NIDDK-NCI workshop. Pancreas. 2013; 42(8): 1227-37.
Whitcomb DC. What is personalized medicine and what should it replace?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012; 9(7): 418-24.
Aoun E, Chang CC, Greer JB, Papachristou GI, Barmada MM, Whitcomb DC. Pathways to injury in chronic pancreatitis: decoding the role of the high-risk SPINK1 N34S haplotype using meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2008; 3(4): e2003.
Whitcomb DC, Gorry MC, Preston RA, Furey W, Sossenheimer MJ, Ulrich CD, Martin SP, Gates LK Jr, Amann ST, Toskes PP, Liddle R, McGrath K, Uomo G, Post JC, Ehrlich GD. Hereditary pancreatitis is caused by a mutation in the cationic trypsinogen gene. Nat Genet. 1996; 14(2): 141-5.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: PancreasFest 2019: Team Science for complex Pancreatic Diseases and Pancreatic Cancer: Goals, Milestones and Methods
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: R13
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2020
Title: Digestive Diseases Training Program
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: T32 DK063922
Start Year: 2018
End Year: 2023
Title: Cationic Trypsinogen (PRSS1) Activity in Hereditary Pancreatitis and Related Inflammatory and Fibrotic Diseases of the Pancreas
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Shire
Grant Number: RES
Start Year: 2017
End Year: 2020
Title: Mechanism of Systemic Inflammation-Associated Endothelial and Epithelial Cell Dysfunction Following Acute Pancreatitis, Trauma and Burns
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Department of Defense
Grant Number: RES W81XWH-17-1-0502
Start Year: 2017
End Year: 2020
Title: Consortium for the Study of Pancreatitis: Pittsburgh Clinical Center
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: U01 DK108306
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2020
Title: Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer: Pittsburgh Clinical Center
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: U01 DK108306
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2020
Notable Achievements
Fred B. Thomas Memorial Lecture, Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio, 2015
George E. Palade Medal for Lifetime Contributions to Pancreatic Research, the International Association of Pancreatology, Shanghai, China, 2015
Lifetime Achievement and Mentoring Award, Collaborative Alliance for Pancreatic Education and Research, 2015
David K Ginsberg MD Memorial Lecture, University of Pennsylvania, 2014
Frank R. Burton MD Memorial Lecture, Saint Louis University Medical Center Medicine Grand Rounds, 2014
The Andrea Gianaris Pancreatic Cancer Lectureship. Indiana University School of Medicine, 2013
The Berkowitz Distinguished Lecturer, Medicine Grand Rounds, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2012
Basil I Hirschowitz Visiting Professor Lectureship. University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2012
Weser Lectureship - “Pancreatitis and Personalized Medicine” UTHSCAS Medical Ground Rounds, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 2012
Ranked as one of “20 Great Physicians in Pennsylvania”; Becker’s ACS Review, 2011

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

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