Research and Clinical Trials at the Department of Surgery

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. These 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.

The department strongly encourages resident participation in independent, ongoing research projects. This provides special experience and training for those interested in academic surgery.

Our Research Facilities and Multidisciplinary Centers

The various divisions of the Department of Surgery collaborate on research in core and shared facilities at:

• The Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower
• UPMC Montefiore, Scaife Hall
• The Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center

Multidisciplinary centers include:​​

• General Surgery and Vascular Labs​
  Researchers in the labs investigate the regulation and function of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), hemorrhagic shock, sepsis, apoptosis, and cell signaling.
• 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.
• Multidisciplinary Acute Care Clinical Research Organization (MACRO)
  The Departments of Surgery, Critical Care Medicine, and Emergency Medicine jointly run MACRO as an internal clinical research organization focusing on acute care research.
• The Pittsburgh Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Center for Biomedical Research
  A joint program of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, the NMR Center hosts several collaborative research projects.
• Pittsburgh Surgical Outcomes Research Center (PittSORCe)
  PittSORCe is devoted to transforming the conduct of clinical research within the Department of Surgery bringing together integrative teams comprised of world-class University of Pittsburgh clinical scientists and clinicians, all within an innovative multidisciplinary research infrastructure.
• Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute
  A transplant division in the Department of Medicine, the institute enjoys the co-support of the Department of Surgery.
• The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)
  Faculty in the section of Surgical Oncology are active in all of the research programs at UPCI. Members of the department co-lead UPCI programs focusing on gastrointestinal oncology, urologic oncology, and biological oncology.