Juan M. Taboas, PhD

Dr. Juan Taboas is an Associate Professor with the Department of Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is also a Professor in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Taboas earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida and earned his master’s in Engineering Science (Biomechanical Engineering) from Stanford University.  He then entered the MS/PhD program at the University of Michigan, where he earned a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering.  He performed his postgraduate training at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Polymers Division, NIST) and at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, NIH) before he came to Pittsburgh. Dr. Taboas is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the Society for Biomaterials, the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), the Tissue Engineering International and Regenerative Medicine Society (TERMIS), and the American Association for Dental Research (AADR).  He is a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD), and he reviews manuscripts for several journals, including Acta Biomaterialia, Biomedical Materials, PLOS One, and The Journal of Dental Research. Dr. Taboas’ research seeks to regenerate craniofacial and skeletal tissues. His laboratory focuses on regenerating bone and tissues that interface with bone, such as the pulp of teeth and the cartilages of the growth plate and mandibular condyle. They have developed scaffold biomaterials, drug delivery systems, and live-cell imaging methods to study the biology and regeneration of these tissues. With these tools, they can control stem cell differentiation, tissue formation and endochondral ossification. The work is funded by the NIH and DoD. View a list of Dr. Taboas’ publications here.