Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Learn More About the Department of Medicine

Welcome to the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Our division offers a rich and diverse array of research opportunities across the continuum of basic science, translational research, clinical investigation, and quality improvement. Faculty members are supported by funding from the NIH, NIOSH, AHRQ, NJDOH, the Therapeutic Development Network (TDN), and private philanthropic sources. We maintain strong interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaborations across Rutgers and with external partners, including the Division of Rheumatology, the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers Health, the RWJBarnabas Health Center for Climate, Health, and Healthcare, and the RWJBarnabas Health Clinical Research Center. Our faculty have extensive experience in mentorship and leadership across Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), including:

Reynold A. Panettieri, Jr., MD – Vice Chancellor for Translational Medicine and Science; Director, Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science (Institute for Translational Medicine and Science | Rutgers University)

Alison Morris, MD, MS – Senior Associate Dean for Physician-Scientist Development

Jag Sunderram, MD – Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Department of Medicine

Fellows benefit from structured research career development through resources such as:

Rutgers New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS) (New Jersey Alliance For Clinical and Translational Science | NJ ACTS). NJ ACTS is a statewide initiative encompassing RBHS, Princeton University, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and is funded by the NIH Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program (UL1TR003017; PI Reynold A. Panettieri, Jr., MD). NJ ACTS offers regular seminars and workshops in areas such as biomedical informatics, biostatistics and clinical trial design, bioethics, core services, and research management.

Rutgers Learning Health System Scientist Training and Research Program (LHS STAR NJ) (https://lhsstarnj.rutgers.edu/researchprojects/). LHS STAR NJ is supported by PCORI and funds research projects that use learning health system science to develop and implement real-world interventions within our academic health system

Rutgers P30 NIEHS Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease (CEED – Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease). This Center of Excellence (P30ES005022) has been continuously funded for over 30 years. Housed within EOHSI, the Center serves as a hub for investigators conducting basic and clinical research in environmental health sciences. It sponsors bimonthly seminars, bootcamps, journal clubs, and a dedicated trainee seminar series.

Rutgers P30 Cancer Institute (RCI) (https://www.cinj.org/research/research-overview). RCI is NJ’s only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center funded by a Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA072720). The center benefits from formal establishment of a research consortia alongside Princeton University. Opportunities are available to partner with RCI investigators in clinical, basic, and population-based cancer research studies. Shared resources are available for use in biomedical informatics, biostatistics, genome editing, immune monitoring & flow cytometry, and metabolomics.

National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). NRMN is a Big Ten Academic Alliance NIH-funded initiative that provides professional development, grantsmanship coaching, and mentoring skills training for postdoctoral and faculty investigators across biological, clinical, environmental, and social/behavioral sciences.

Topics of active investigation include:

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Asthma, COPD, & airway smooth muscle biology

Cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

Health inequity reduction

Microbiome and HIV- associated lung disease

Ozone-induced lung disease

Social determinants of health

World Trade Center disaster dust-induced disease

Faculty

Bryan Broderick, MD, MEHP

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Phone732-235-6874

Emailbroderbp@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Ilya Berim, MD

Professor of Medicine

Areas of Expertise Lung Cancer, Pleural Disease & Interstitial Lung Disease

Emailib234@rutgers.edu

Sabiha Hussain, MD

Professor of Medicine and Program Director Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Areas of Expertise General Pulmonary Diseases & Medical ICU

Emailsabiha.hussain@rutgers.edu

Sugeet Jagpal, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Program Director Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Areas of Expertise General Pulmonary Diseases, Medical ICU, Bronchiectasis & Cystic fibrosis

Emailskj24@rutgers.edu

Aesha Jobanputra, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Areas of Expertise Sleep Disorders & Medical ICU

Emailjobanpam@rutgers.edu

Deborah Kim, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Areas of Expertise General Pulmonary Disease & Medical ICU

Emaildeborah.kim@rutgers.edu

William Meng, DO

Assistant Professor

Emailwilliam.meng@rutgers.edu

Alison Morris, MD, MS

Senior Associate Dean for Physician-Scientist Development, Henry Rutgers Professor of Pulmonary Microbiology, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, Associate Director of the Rutgers University Microbiome Program, and Member, Rutgers Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine

Emailalison.morris16@rutgers.edu

Naresh Nagella, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Areas of Expertise Pulmonary Disease

Emailnagellna@rutgers.edu

Thomas Nahass, MD, MS

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Areas of Expertise Critical Care Medicine

Emailt.nahass@rutgers.edu

Diandra Nesbitt, MD

Assistant Professor

Emaildiandra.nesbitt@rutgers.edu

Sarah Orfanos, MD

Assistant Professor

Reynold Panettieri, Jr., MD

Vice Chancellor for Translational Medicine & Science , Professor of Medicine, Director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science, and PI of NJ ACT

Emailrp856@rutgers.edu

Jared Radbel, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Areas of Expertise Interstitial Lung Diseases & Medical ICU

Emailjr1106@rutgers.edu

Jag Sunderram, MD

Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Research, and Interim Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Areas of Expertise General Pulmonary Diseases, Sleep Disorders & Medical ICU

Phone732-235-7840

Emailsunderja@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Our Programs

The Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine offers diagnosis and second-opinion outpatient and inpatient consultations for various adult lung diseases, sleep disorders, and illnesses that require intensive care unit admissions. The division includes highly trained and skilled specialists who are board certified in the fields of pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and sleep medicine.

Division faculty members serve as attending physicians at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). They are responsible for the administration and direction of RWJUH’s Medical Intensive Care Unit, Pulmonary Function Laboratory, Respiratory Therapy, Bronchoscopy Service, and Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center. In addition to providing clinical care, our physicians also participate in the teaching and training of new physicians and conduct research in collaboration with national and international investigators. These physicians attend national and international meetings to present and review the latest findings in the care of patients with lung disease, sleep disorders, and critical care problems.

Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center

The Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is fully accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to serve the needs of cystic fibrosis patients in New Jersey and surrounding states. The primary function of the center is to provide excellent clinical care, resources, and advocacy for adult CF patients and their families. Comprehensive care is provided by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Sabiha Hussain, who has more than 15 years’ experience in CF-related care, education, and research.

Experienced team members in the fields of nursing, nutrition, social work, and respiratory therapy are available to meet the varied needs of the maturing CF patient. A primary function of the CF team is to assist the adult CF patient and family in navigating today’s increasingly complex health care and insurance systems to ensure optimization of care. In concert with our pediatric colleagues, the Robert Wood Johnson Cystic Fibrosis Center is a leader in CF-related education and research in New Jersey.

The Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center

The Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center is a joint program of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and is fully accredited by the American Sleep Disorders Association.

The center evaluates and treats approximately 1,500 patients annually, providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for disorders of sleep and wakefulness. These issues include hypersomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, periodic limb movements in sleep, insomnia, parasomnias (sleep walking, night terrors), and disorders of the sleep–wake schedule. The staff of the center includes specialists in medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, otolaryngology, and dentistry who provide a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care.

Diagnostic services of the center include an outpatient clinic and sleep laboratory where polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing are performed. Patients with sleep apnea receive nasal CPAP/BIPAP evaluation and treatment when indicated. Other treatment services include pharmacological therapy, behavioral therapy, sleep hygiene training, dental appliances, and upper airway surgery in selected cases. Long-term follow-up is provided for all treatment cases.

Interventional Bronchoscopy and Pleural Disease Services

We provide interventional bronchoscopy and pleural disease services for the diagnosis and treatment of malignant and non-malignant airway and mediastinal diseases. Therapeutic bronchoscopy is indicated for relief of symptoms in patients who have central airway obstruction from either malignant or non-malignant central airway obstruction or asthma. Several modalities allow us to tailor therapy for each patient. These modalities include:

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
Thermal techniques, including argon plasma coagulation (APC), electrocautery, laser, and cryotherapy
Endobronchial brachytherapy
Silicone, metallic, and hybrid airway stents
Robotic bronchoscopy with cone beam
Thoracentesis
Chest tubes
Pleuroscopy
Pleurodesis

Medical Critical Care Services

Medical Critical Care Services are provided by the division in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

The Medical Intensive Care Unit is a Leapfrog-compliant ICU that provides care for critically ill patients who have complex, multisystem, life-threatening diseases and is a tertiary referral center for patients with complicated critical care issues.

Diseases diagnosed and managed include, but are not limited to, acute respiratory failure due to COPD, asthma, pneumonia, and ARDS; severe sepsis; life-threatening infections; hypovolemia and distributive shock; gastrointestinal hemorrhage; severe pancreatitis; acute liver and kidney failure; strokes; intracranial hemorrhage; status epilepticus; and endocrine emergencies.

The MICU at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is a 16-bed, state-of-the-art unit with individual patient rooms, a one-patient-per-room design, and a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:2. The nursing staff are registered nurses and more than 80 percent are critical care registered nurses. The MICU also possesses a specially trained and dedicated staff of pharmacists, nutritionists, respiratory therapists, and physical therapists with the expertise to care for critically ill patients.

Patients admitted are under the care of Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group physicians and cared for by a board-certified critical care academic physician, a critical care fellow, and a team of internal medicine residents. Subspecialty faculty covering all fields are available for consultations.

All patients admitted to the MICU at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital are also cared for by a group of in-house board-certified intensivists during the hours of 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. Advanced practice providers are integrated into the care team to ensure continuous coverage and high-quality care.

Pulmonary Consultation Service

The Pulmonary Consultation Service provides help in the diagnosis and state-of-the-art clinical care of patients with various adult respiratory disease, including interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, obstructive lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension and sarcoidosis. We provide consultations to establish or review a treatment plan, as well as longitudinal care of patients, if requested. The service will assess for disease severity, design a personalized treatment plan and arrange for pulmonary rehabilitation, home oxygen, smoking cessation, dietary counseling or other therapies as deemed appropriate.

Details

Advance Your Career

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship is an ACGME accredited program where fellows are exposed to a large diversity of cases through our clinical sites. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is the primary teaching hospital. Fellows rotate in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, NeuroCritical Care Unit, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit and provide in-patient general pulmonary consults and interventional pulmonary consults.

Learn More About Our Fellowship Program

Summary of Overall Division Research Direction

Impact of Division Research

Research by Dr. Riley could improve the course and outcomes of Scleroderma interstitial lung disease by showing the greater efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil (as opposed to the current therapy of choice, cyclophosphamide) in scleroderma interstitial lung disease. A second study involves looking into Bosentan in similar conditions. Dr. Neubauer and Sunderram’s studies documenting heme-oxygenase involvement in central hypoxic responses provide a paradigm for further investigations on how the brain responds to and adapts to hypoxia. Dr. Hussain’s studies quantifying specific environmental influences on airway obstruction in COPD and bronchial asthma and their mechanisms should help clinicians better understand the role of the environment in exacerbations of lung disease. Finally, a better understanding of the evolving pulmonary problems of World Trade Center 9/11 first responders is being uncovered by Dr. Sotolongo in collaboration with Dr. Udasin in EOHSI.

Publications

Gupta N, Gupta S, Morris A, Chandra D. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research productivity of K-awardees. Respir Res. 2025 Sep 2;26(1):268. doi: 10.1186/s12931-025-03301-x. PMID: 40898281; PMCID: PMC12406337.

Yang Z, Cao G, Tan X, Orfanos S, Jude J, Barbet G, An SS, Jiang D, Panettieri RA Jr, Yang Q. Distinct mural cells and fibroblasts promote pathogenic plasma cell accumulation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Eur Respir J. 2025 Jun 5;65(6):2401114. doi: 10.1183/13993003.01114-2024. PMID: 39978854; PMCID: PMC12140907.

Parthasarathi A, Iwata I, Chen C, Li AR, Lye N, Gandhi P, Rua M, Panettieri RA Jr, Radbel J, Anand MP, Bridgeman M, Setoguchi S. Utilization and access to metered-dose inhalers and sustainable alternatives among older adults in the United States: a population-based study. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2025 Jun 5;47:101142. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2025.101142. PMID: 40529851; PMCID: PMC12173656.

Chan BK, Stanley GL, Kortright KE, Vill AC, Modak M, Ott IM, Sun Y, Würstle S, Grun CN, Kazmierczak BI, Rajagopalan G, Harris ZM, Britto CJ, Stewart J, Talwalkar JS, Appell CR, Chaudary N, Jagpal SK, Jain R, Kanu A, Quon BS, Reynolds JM, Teneback CC, Mai QA, Shabanova V, Turner PE, Koff JL. Personalized inhaled bacteriophage therapy for treatment of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis. Nat Med. 2025 May;31(5):1494-1501. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03678-8. Epub 2025 Apr 29. PMID: 40301561; PMCID: PMC12092284.

Konstantinidis I, Papageorgiou SN, Zou RH, Ronit A, Drummond MB, Kunisaki KM, Crothers K, Nouraie SM, Morris A. Effect of HIV on respiratory symptoms, health status, and exertional capacity. AIDS. 2025 Jul 15;39(9):1235-1245. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000004179. Epub 2025 Mar 12. PMID: 40080108; PMCID: PMC12202180.

Konstantinidis I, Zou RH, Papageorgiou SN, Ronit A, Drummond MB, Kunisaki KM, Crothers K, Nouraie SM, Morris A. Effect of Human Immunodeficiency Virus on Lung Function and Structure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2025 Feb;22(2):274-284. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202404-384OC. PMID: 39417747; PMCID: PMC11808551.

An SS, Cao G, Ahn K, Lee J, Jung DY, Denlinger L, Fahy J, Israel E, Moore W, Phillips B, Mauger D, Wenzel S, Panettieri RA Jr. Serum cAMP levels are increased in patients with asthma. J Clin Invest. 2025 Jan 7;135(5):e186937. doi: 10.1172/JCI186937. PMID: 39774028; PMCID: PMC11870724.

Suber TL, Tabary M, Bain W, Olonisakin T, Lockwood K, Xiong Z, Zhang Y, Kohli N, Furguiele L, Peñaloza H, McVerry BJ, Rose JJ, Shah F, Methé B, Li K, Mallampalli RK, Chen K, Fan L, Morris A, Tyurin VA, Samovich SN, Bayir H, Tyurina YY, Kagan V, Lee JS. Oxidized phospholipid and transcriptomic signatures of THC-related vaping associated lung injury. Sci Rep. 2024 Dec 30;14(1):31622. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79585-8. PMID: 39738089; PMCID: PMC11686108.

Pereira NL, Schaible N, Desai A, Chan EC, Ablooglu AJ, Capuano J, Lin E, An Z, Gebski E, Jester W, Ganesan S, Balenga N, Koziol-White C, Panettieri RA Jr, Choudhury S, Krishnan R, Druey KM. N-cadherin antagonism is bronchoprotective in severe asthma models. Sci Adv. 2024 Nov 29;10(48):eadp8872. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adp8872. Epub 2024 Nov 29. PMID: 39612338; PMCID: PMC11606448.

Chipps BE, Papi A, Beasley R, Israel E, Panettieri RA Jr, Albers FC, Cooper M, Darken P, Gilbert I, Trudo F, Weinberg M, Cappelletti C. Albuterol-budesonide rescue reduces progression from asthma deterioration to severe exacerbation. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Oct;12(10):2847-2851. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.06.037. Epub 2024 Jul 2. PMID: 38964735.

Engels SH, Mergen AC, Nassikas N, Radbel J. The Supreme Court's Shadowy Treatment of Public Health. N Engl J Med. 2024 Oct 3;391(13):1173-1175. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2408380. Epub 2024 Sep 4. PMID: 39231314.

Ayappa I, Laumbach R, Black K, Weintraub M, Agarwala P, Twumasi A, Sanders H, Udasin I, Harrison D, de la Hoz RE, Chen Y, Chitkara N, Mullins AE, Castillo HR, Rapoport DM, Lu SE, Sunderram J. Nasal resistance and inflammation: mechanisms for obstructive sleep apnea from chronic rhinosinusitis. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024 Oct 1;20(10):1627-1636. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.11216. PMID: 38888597; PMCID: PMC11446130.

Sanches Santos Rizzo Zuttion M, Parimon T, Bora SA, Yao C, Lagree K, Gao CA, Wunderink RG, Kitsios GD, Morris A, Zhang Y, McVerry BJ, Modes ME, Marchevsky AM, Stripp BR, Soto CM, Wang Y, Merene K, Cho S, Victor BL, Vujkovic-Cvijin I, Gupta S, Cassel SL, Sutterwala FS, Devkota S, Underhill DM, Chen P. Antibiotic use during influenza infection augments lung eosinophils that impair immunity against secondary bacterial pneumonia. J Clin Invest. 2024 Sep 10;134(21):e180986. doi: 10.1172/JCI180986. PMID: 39255040; PMCID: PMC11527449.

Radbel J, Meshanni JA, Vayas KN, Le-Hoang O, Abramova E, Zhou P, Joseph LB, Laskin JD, Gow AJ, Laskin DL. Effects of ozone exposure on lung injury, inflammation, and oxidative stress in a murine model of nonpneumonic endotoxemia. Toxicol Sci. 2024 Aug 1;200(2):299-311. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae062. PMID: 38749002; PMCID: PMC11285192.

Sunderram J, Legard A, De Resende A, Black K, Udasin IG, Lu SE, Romero Castillo H, Ravi SS, Mullins AE, de la Hoz RE, Rapoport DM, Ayappa I. Lack of association of impaired upper airway sensation with the presence or absence of obstructive sleep apnoea or chronic rhinosinusitis in World Trade Center responders. Occup Environ Med. 2024 Jul 10;81(6):302-307. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2023-109262. PubMed PMID: 38871449; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11239276.

Kitsios GD, Blacka S, Jacobs JJ, Mirza T, Naqvi A, Gentry H, Murray C, Wang X, Golubykh K, Qurashi H, Dodia A, Risbano M, Benigno M, Emir B, Weinstein E, Bramson C, Jiang L, Dai F, Szigethy E, Mellors JW, Methe B, Sciurba FC, Nouraie SM, Morris A. Subphenotypes of self-reported symptoms and outcomes in long COVID: a prospective cohort study with latent class analysis. BMJ Open. 2024 Mar 14;14(3):e077869. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077869. PMID: 38485476; PMCID: PMC10941166

Kitsios GD, Sayed K, Fitch A, Yang H, Britton N, Shah F, Bain W, Evankovich JW, Qin S, Wang X, Li K, Patel A, Zhang Y, Radder J, Dela Cruz C, Okin DA, Huang CY, Van Tyne D, Benos PV, Methé B, Lai P, Morris A*, McVerry BJ*. Longitudinal multicompartment characterization of host-microbiota interactions in patients with acute respiratory failure. Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 3;15(1):4708. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48819-8. PMID: 38830853; PMCID: PMC11148165. *Co-senior authors

Hu WT, Kaluzova M, Dawson A, Sotelo V, Papas J, Lemenze A, Shu C, Jomartin M, Nayyar A, Hussain S. Clinical and CSF single-cell profiling of post-COVID-19 cognitive impairment. Cell Rep Med. 2024 May 21;5(5):101561. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101561. Epub 2024 May 13. PMID: 38744274; PMCID: PMC11148803.

De la Fuente JRO, Greenberg P, Sunderram J. The overlap of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea in hospitalizations for acute exacerbation of COPD. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024 Jan 8;. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.11000. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 38189375.

Abstract Listing

Shakarjian MP, Vetrano AM, Gray JP, DeSantis AS, Riley DJ, Laskin JD, Chang Y-C, Gerecke DP, Heck DE. Cell adhesion and migration changes in response to alkylation of laminin322. U.S. Army Med. Defense Biosciences Rev. A138, 2008.
Shakarjian MP, Vetrano AM, Gray JP, DeSantis AS, Riley DJ, Laskin JD, Chang Y-C, Gerecke DR, Heck DE. Disruption of keratinocyte-basement membrane (BM) component interactions by sulfur mustard (SM) analogues. The Toxicologist. A552, 2009

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Welcome to the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Faculty

Our Programs

Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center

The Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center

Interventional Bronchoscopy and Pleural Disease Services

Medical Critical Care Services

Pulmonary Consultation Service

Details

Advance Your Career

Summary of Overall Division Research Direction

Impact of Division Research

Publications

Abstract Listing

For Appointments: 732-235-7840

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