Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Research

Innovative Basic and Clinical Research 

The mission of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine is to improve the lives of patients with disorders of the lungs and breathing through innovative care, education and research.

Clinical research focuses on medical ICU outcomes, and the utility and efficacy of various interventional procedures. Basic laboratory investigations seek to define the mechanisms of pathogen recognition by lung macrophages in the context of host defense function, identifying the roles of critical innate immune receptors in directing and regulating specific host cell innate immune responses.

Physiologic investigations examine the nature of the sympathetic nervous system response to hypoxia, and the mechanisms and behavioral factors underlying breathing discomfort. Ongoing human and animal studies address mechanisms of altered cardiovascular control in sleep apnea and the neurocognitive consequences of sleep apnea and sleep deprivation. Investigators also provide in-depth training in the methods and approaches of biomedical research to train future scientists.

Members of our division conduct innovative clinical and translational research related to lung health, critical illness, and sleep disordered breathing. Our internationally-recognized investigators supervise a variety of research programs, including research in the areas of:

• Healthcare delivery science with a focus on critical care medicine
• Preventable causes of chronic lung disease
• Medical education
• Resuscitation science
• Respiratory and sleep physiology

This research is conducted through funds from the National Institutes of Health, non-federal and educational grants. Researchers in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine are involved in the supervision and teaching of doctoral and postdoctoral research fellows, residents and medical students.