Research Leadership

Peter Bitterman, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota, received his medical degree from Yale University, and completed his residency at the University of Chicago and his fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.   He has been the Director of Research at the University of Minnesota Lillihei Heart Institute and the Associate Director for the MD/PhD Training Program within the Medical School.  He is a Research Program Leader for the Center for Lung Science and Health and was recently appointed as Vice Chair for Research within the Department of Research.  His latest research efforts has centered around translational control of the protein synthesis apparatus and developing new methods to test novel translational repressors as potential anti-cancer and anti-fibrotic agents in collaboration with medicinal chemists in the College of Pharmacy.   Dr. Bitterman recently received the American Thoracic Society 2007 Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishment for his significant contributions in the understanding, prevention and treatment of lung disease, especially involving acute lung injury and repair and cancer control.
 

O'Brien BioBank for Lung Research

Director, Christine Wendt, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine 
 

Chris Wendt, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine and is Section Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the VA Medical Center of Minneapolis. Her major clinical focus has been on advanced therapies for patients with emphysema/COPD. She participates in the National Institutes of Health COPD Clinical Research Network and COPDGene grant to find the genetic basis for developing COPD. Her research is centered on identifying biomarkers as tools for early detection of disease, monitoring disease progression and/or understanding mechanisms of disease in COPD as well as lung transplant rejection. She is a close collaborator with Gary Nelsestuen, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics at the University of Minnesota, which is a predominant leader in the field of proteomics. Dr. Wendt is the Director of the O'Brien BioBank which maintains specimens and data, including that of patients with COPD, for research studies within the Center for Lung Science and Health.