Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Joseph M. Pilewski, MD
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Associate Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology, Physiology & Pediatrics Phone: 412-647-8477 |
Bio
Dr. Pilewski is a native of western Pennsylvania, and joined the PACCM faculty in 1994. He completed undergraduate studies in Philosophy at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA, and obtained his Doctor of Medicine with honors at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. He completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine, and a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Pilewski is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine with secondary appointments in Pediatrics and Cell Biology and Physiology.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Pilewski has a longstanding interest in Cystic Fibrosis and other diseases causing bronchiectasis and bronchiolitis. He is Co-director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis program at the Antonio J and Janet Palumbo CF Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Pilewski’s other focus is lung transplantation, with special interest in patients with suppurative lung diseases like CF. He has been Medical Director of the Lung Transplant Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since 2004.
Academic and Research Interests
Dr. Pilewski’s research interests mirror his clinical interest and expertise. He directs a research program in epithelial cell biology focused on ion transport and mucin structure and function in normal and Cystic Fibrosis airways, and leads translational research projects focused on development of new therapies for CF and other diseases of mucus obstruction, and identification of biomarkers of disease activity. He is a co-investigator on NIH and CF Foundation sponsored center grants focused on CF, and a co-investigator in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Development Network.
Key Publications
Myerburg MM, Latoche JD, McKenna EE, Stabile LP, Siegfried JS, Feghali-Bostwick CA, Pilewski JM. Hepatocyte growth factor and other fibroblast secretions modulate the phenotype of human bronchial epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007 Jun;292(6):L1352-60. Epub 2007 Feb 16.
Myerburg MM, Butterworth MB, McKenna EE, Peters KW, Frizzell RA, Kleyman TR, Pilewski JM. Airway surface liquid volume regulates ENaC by altering the serine protease-protease inhibitor balance: a mechanism for sodium hyperabsorption in cystic fibrosis. J Biol Chem. 2006 Sep 22;281(38):27942-9. Epub 2006 Jul 26.
Pilewski JM, Frizzell RA. Role of CFTR in airway disease. Physiol Rev. 1999 Jan;79(1 Suppl):S215-55. Review.
PubMed Link
Dr. Pilewski has contributed to many articles, including those in Medical News Today and Bio-Medicine.