Dr. Thannickal is a Professor of Medicine and the Harry B. Greenberg Chair in the Department of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Tulane, Dr. Thannickal was a Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the Ben Vaughan Branscomb Chair of Medicine in Respiratory Disease, director of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, and Vice Chair for Research in the UAB Department of Medicine. He has also served on the faculty at the University of Michigan and Tufts University School of Medicine, where he completed his fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
Dr. Thannickal’s research is focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms of lung repair and regeneration. Active studies in his research lab involve elucidating mechanisms of cellular senescence, oxidative stress, and aging in the context of chronic lung diseases, in concert with the development of therapeutics and biomarkers for complex lung diseases. The clinical impact of his work is evidenced by current and emerging anti-fibrotic therapies in pre-clinical/clinical development, including inhibitors of FAK/Akt, MRTF-A/ROCK, BRD4, and NOX4. His research program is funded by the National Institutes of Health, including a translational Program Project grant from the NHLBI, and a Merit Award from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. Thannickal is an elected member of American Association of Physicians, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. He is the recipient of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Recognition Ward for Scientific Accomplishments. He currently serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Clinical Investigation (Consulting Editor), as well those of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and the American Journal of Pathology, he is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
