Our training program is centered on three research themes (basic, clinical, and public health/epidemiology), each of which is represented by 6-8 training faculty. These areas of focus reflect our efforts to increase the emphasis on providing a training program that highlights cross-disciplinary and translational research. Importantly, the breadth and depth of experience in diabetes and endocrine research at the University of Pittsburgh has enabled us to accomplish this goal, all the while maintaining the outstanding quality of our training faculty. Due to the diversity of research projects, we encourage trainees to work with the best mentors available that can help them achieve their individualized career goals, whether or not they are in the Endocrine Division.
Each trainee is expected to assemble a mentoring team consisting of a primary mentor and at least two additional research mentors that have complementary expertise. We strongly recommend that primary mentors are selected from our diverse set of outstanding Training Faculty. Additional mentors may be any committed, highly skilled, appropriately trained mentor that is both willing and able to make a unique contribution to the trainee’s research project and/or career development (pending approval by the training committee).
Basic Research Hub



Donald B. DeFranco, PhD
Vice Chair for Medical Education
Associate Dean for Medical Student Research
Research Interest:
Glucocorticoid action in the fetal
and newborn brain
H. Henry Dong, PhD
Associate Vice Chair for Research,
Department of Pediatrics
Research Interest:
Mechanisms of beta cell compensation and failure; pathophysiology of insulin resistance and diabetic dyslipidemia
Toren Finkel, MD, PhD
Director, Aging Institute of UPMC and Pitt
G. Nicholas Beckwith III and Dorothy B. Beckwith Chair in Translational Medicine
Research Interest:
Mitochondrial function, cellular metabolism,
and oxidative stress/aging



Michael Jurczak, PhD
Director of Rodent Phenotyping, Center for Metabolism and Mitochondrial Medicine
Director, Oroboros Respirometry Core, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
Research Interest:
Obesity-associated metabolic disease with
a predominant focus on the liver
Erin E. Kershaw, MD
Chief, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
Endowed Chair for Obesity & Diabetes Research
Research Interest:
The role of intracellular lipid and steroid metabolism in glucose homeostasis and insulin action; lipotoxicity; adipose tissue biology
Alison B. Kohan, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
Research Interest:
Lipoproteins in metabolic and
inflammatory disease with an
emphasis on intestinal lipid biology



Francisco J. Schopfer, PhD
Vice Chair for Biotechnology Development
Research Interest:
Formation, signaling and metabolic/inflammatory effects of
bioactive fatty acids; novel mitochondria associated peptides
Vijay Yechoor, MD
Director, Diabetes and Beta Cell Biology Center
Diabetes and Metabolic Bone Disease Endowed Chair
Research Interest:
Regulation of beta cell function by oxidative stress pathways, the circadian clock, and epigenetic factors; the role of Tead1
and the hippo pathway in beta cell function
Bokai Zhu, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
Research Interest:
The mammalian 12h clock in the regulation of proteostasis, metabolism and aging
Clinical Research Hub



Silva Arslanian, MD
Director, Pediatric Clinical and Translational Research Center (PCTRC)
Scientific Director, Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism (CPROM)
Richard L. Day Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science
Research Interest:
Insulin sensitivity and beta cell function during childhood growth and development in health and disease
Anita P. Courcoulas,
MD, MPH, FACS
Chief, Division of Minimally Invasive
Bariatric and General Surgery
Anthony M. Harrison, MD Chair in Surgery
Director, SAGES Fellowship Program, UPMC
Co-Director, University of Pittsburgh Surgical Outcomes Research Center
Research Interest:
Surgical outcomes, clinical trials, and emerging technologies in bariatric surgery; translational mechanistic studies related to metabolism
Pouneh K. Fazeli, MD, MPH
Director, Neuroendocrinology Unit
Medical Director, Pituitary Center of Excellence
Research Interest:
Hormonal adaptations to undernutrition (i.e. anorexia nervosa); bone marrow adipose tissue function



Maisa Feghali, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology
& Reproductive Services
Research Interest:
Diabetes in pregnancy
Susan L. Greenspan, MD
Director, Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Center
Research Interest:
Geriatric osteoporosis, including its pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment
John Jakicic, PhD
Chair, Department of Health and Physical Activity
Director, Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center
Director, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center
Director, Healthy Lifestyle Institute
Research Interest:
Lifestyle approaches to the prevention and treatment of chronic health conditions that include obesity and diabetes, with a focus on exercise


Frederico G. S. Toledo, MD
Director of Clinical Research,
Center for Metabolic and Mitochondrial Medicine
Research Interest:
Pathogenesis and treatment
of diabetes mellitus in humans
Joseph M. Zmuda, PhD
Director, Heinz Nutrition Laboratory
Research Interest:
Effects of endocrine changes, aging,
and genetics on musculoskeletal
health and body composition
Public Health/Epidemiology Research Hub



Tina Costacou, PhD
Associate Professor, Epidemiology
Research Interest:
Effects of modifiable environmental factors (e.g. nutrition, obesity) and their sex and genetic interactions on diabetes
Esa Matius Davis,
MD, MPH, FAAFP
Director, UPMC Tobacco Treatment Service
Director, Career Education and Enhancement for Health Care Research Diversity (CEED) Program
Research Interest:
Perinatal maternal obesity and associated metabolic outcomes; gestational diabetes; chronic disease risk (i.e. tobacco use)
Vicki Helgeson, PhD
Director of Graduate Studies,
Carnegie Mellon University
Research Interest:
Psychosocial factors involved in
chronic illness, including diabetes



Allison L Kuipers, PhD
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
Research Interest:
Molecular determinants of cardiovascular
and other cardiometabolic diseases
Iva Miljkovic, MD, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor, Epidemiology
Research Interest:
Epidemiology of obesity and ectopic fat deposition, with a special interest in high-risk minority, international, and elderly populations
Sanjay R. Patel, MD, MS
Director, Center for Sleep and
Cardiovascular Outcomes Research
Medical Director, UPMC Comprehensive
Sleep Disorders Program
Research Interest:
The epidemiology of the bidirectional relationship between sleep health
and metabolic disease


Anne-Marie Rosland, MD, MS
Research Scientist, VA Center for
Health Equity Research and Promotion
Research Interest:
Improvement of health care and self-management
support for people with diabetes; social networks
and health; the health impact of changes in
primary care organization and policy
Linda M. Siminerio, RN, PhD, DCES
Executive Director,
University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute
Research Interest:
Implementation and evaluation of care
delivery models that include team-based and
self-management approaches in diabetes
clinical practice