Provost Inaugural Lecture: Dr. David Perlmutter
In celebration of his appointment, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated 
faculty member David Perlmutter, MD, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, presented the April 22, 2014, Provost Inaugural Lecture. His presentation was entitled, “The Role of Autophagy in Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency: Evolving in Pittsburgh.”
Dr. Perlmutter is the Vira I. Heinz Endowed Chairman of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also a Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology in the School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Perlmutter is the Physician-in-Chief and Scientific Director of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
Before joining the faculty of the University, Dr. Perlmutter held several prestigious positions in the field of pediatrics. His professional experiences immediately prior to coming to Pittsburgh include holding the positions of Donald Strominger Chair and Professor in Pediatrics, as well as Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, at Washington University School of Medicine, and Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Perlmutter is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences as well as many other notable organizations. In 2006, he was awarded the Sass-Kortsak Award for Pediatric Liver Research from the Canadian Liver Association, and in 2011, he received the Shwachman Award for Lifetime Achievement from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. At the present time, Dr. Perlmutter serves on the editorial boards of Autophagy, Clinical and Translational Science, and Rare Diseases. He is also on the Scientific Advisory Board of Stemnion Technologies and on the Scientific Advisory Council of the March of Dimes Foundation. He also serves on the National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovators Award Review Panel. Dr. Perlmutter holds 3 patents and 6 applied patents while remaining an active faculty member and research participant at the University.
Dr. Perlmutter is the author/co-author of many publications for his most recent research regarding disorders of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Primarily, his efforts have focused on liver, lung, and gastroenterological diseases. The projects in which Dr. Perlmutter is currently involved include the following:
- New therapies for liver fibrosis and hyperproliferation in Alpha1-AT deficiency
- Novel pharmacological strategies for liver disease in antitrypsin deficiency
- Pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma in antitrypsin deficiency
- Molecular basis of pediatric diseases
- Basic/translational research training for CHP pediatric training for CHP pediatric fellows
Dr. Perlmutter holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester, and received his MD from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1978. After graduating, Dr. Perlmutter completed his Residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in1979, and followed through with a Fellowship in Medicine (Gastroenterology and Nutrition) at Boston’s Children’s Hospital.
