Research
Our division's research reputation in asthma, stem cell, obesity, and lung disease has grown internationally. Faculty involvement in clinical research projects include asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, critical care, and cystic fibrosis. Basic science and translational research focuses on airway disease biology, obesity and lung diseases, animal modeling of asthma and other airway diseases.
The Pulmonary division is home to an American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Center, one of 18 such centers in the country, and the only one in New England. Much of the research takes place at the Vermont Lung Center, funded by an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence grant, in its third five-year cycle.
Research Programs
Additional areas of research include:
- Mathematical modeling of lung mechanics
- Occupational & environmental lung diseases
- Pulmonary physiology and lung mechanics in asthma
- Pathogenesis of acute lung injury
- Airway epithelial signaling in inflammation
- Redox signaling and inflammatory lung disease
- Signaling pathways and gene regulation of cytokines
- Oxidative stress in lung inflammation
- Repopulation of pulmonary epithelium with stem cell transplantation
- Gene & stem cell therapies for lung disease
- Impact of system changes and organization on medical outcomes in the ICU
- Communication with critically and seriously ill patients and their families
- Clinical trials in critically ill patients (e.g. exercise, nutrition, and novel interventions) to improve outcomes