Research and Clinical Trials
UPMC is home to groundbreaking research activities conducted by faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. University of Pittsburgh scientists contributed to more than 18,000 medical research papers in the last 10 years, ranking UPMC among the top medical research institutions in the country. The medical center’s investigators stand at the leading edge of research, developing the procedures, drugs, and devices of tomorrow’s medicine.
Almost every member of the Department of Surgery engages in clinical or laboratory research. Faculty interests cover a wide spectrum of subjects, including surgical metabolism; cardiovascular and gastrointestinal physiology; transplantation; mechanical circulatory assisting devices; surgical techniques and equipment, such as membrane oxygenation or stapling devices; studies of hemorrhagic and septic shock; and surgical oncology. Resident participation in independent, ongoing research projects is strongly encouraged, and the program is designed to provide special experience and training for those interested in academic surgery.
Research takes place in core and shared facilities in the Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, UPMC Montefiore, Scaife Hall, and the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, with collaboration among the divisions of the Department of Surgery. Multidisciplinary centers include:
- The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)
The section of Surgical Oncology participates actively with UPCI. Members of the Department co-lead UPCI programs focusing on gastrointestinal oncology, urologic oncology, and biological oncology. Surgery faculty are active in all of the research programs at UPCI.
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The Pittsburgh Genetics Institute Several faculty members hold co-appointments in the
Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. Researchers at the institute are leaders in ongoing programs in genetic screening endocrinology, vascular disease, breast cancer, oncogeny research, and gene therapy. Most clinical operative gene therapy protocols at the University of Pittsburgh are centered in the Department of Surgery.
The University of Pittsburgh Artificial Heart Institute
Initiated by surgical faculty members, the institute has become a designated surgical training center for bioengineering technologies and an incubator for spinoff companies.
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The Department of Bioengineering (School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh)
The Department of Bioengineering is a joint program of the School of Engineering, Department of Surgery, and Department of Orthopaedics. Research studies are well supported, and the program has generated numerous life-enhancing inventions.
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