Zongqi Xia, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology, Biomedical Informatics, Bioengineering, Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Director of Research, Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Principal Investigator, Pittsburgh Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases & Institute of Multiple Sclerosis Research and Care, University of Pittsburgh
Director, Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology Research Program, University of Pittsburgh
Director, Clinical Neuroimmunology / Multiple Sclerosis Training Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
E-mail
Interests
The Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology research program lies at the intersection between data science (e.g., biostatistics, machine learning, artificial intelligence) and clinical and translational neuroimmunology. Our mission is to advance precision medicine for patients with neuroimmunological and neurodegenerative disorders.
Ongoing research initiatives include:
Research Focus 1. Individual Differences in Multiple Sclerosis
Investigation of the multi-modal drivers of individual differences in disease onset, disease progression and treatment response will pave the way to ultimately test primary prevention strategies and provide individually tailored management.
Research Focus 2. Real-World Evidence Generation
Robust real-world evidence generated from integrated analyses of clinical data (eg, electronic health records, insurance claims) and research data will improve outcome prediction and bridge comparative effectiveness gaps due to absent randomized clinical trial evidence.
Research Focus 3: Informatics for Clinical Discovery
Tools that leverage real world clinical data for improving outcomes in chronic neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease have the potential for widespread dissemination at the point of care.
We seek highly motivated individuals to join our team:
1. Clinical research assistant
2. Laboratory research scientist
3. Data scientist
4. Post-doctoral fellow: data science, physician-scientist
Training
BA | Biology | Swarthmore College | 1997 |
PhD | Neuroscience | Case Western Reserve University | 2003 |
MD | Medicine | Case Western Reserve University | 2005 |
Internship | Internal Medicine | University Hospitals of Cleveland | 2005-2006 |
Residency | Neurology | Brigham and Women's Hospital & Massachusetts General Hospital | 2006-2009 |
Post-doc | Translational Neuroimmunology and Genomics | Brigham and Women's Hospital | 2009-2013 |
M.M.Sc | Clinical Investigation | Harvard Medical School | 2011-2013 |
Positions Held
Visiting Scientist | Broad Institute | 2009- |
Instructor | Harvard Medical School | 2010-2013 |
Assistant Professor | Harvard Medical School | 2013-2015 |
Lecturer | Harvard Medical School | 2016- |
Collaborator Scientist | Brigham and Women's Hospital | 2016-2024 |
Assistant Professor | University of Pittsburgh | 2016-2021 |
Associate Professor | University of Pittsburgh | 2021- |
Honors and awards
1993-1994 Merit Award (City of Philadelphia)
1993-1997 Senator Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship
1997-2005 National Research Service Award (Medical Scientist Training Program at Case Western Reserve University)
2003 Dean’s Prize for MD/PhD Candidate (Case Western Reserve University)
2005 Benjamin Kean Traveling Fellowship (American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)
2005 Frederick C. Robbins MD Travel Fellowship (Case Center for Global Health and Diseases)
2005 Neurology Department Graduation Award (Case Western Reserve University)
2009 Board certification (American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology)
2009-2010 National Research Service Award (Harvard Medical School Autoimmunity Training Program)
2010-2013 Clinician Scientist Development Award (National Multiple Sclerosis Society and American Academy of Neurology)
2016 European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, 32nd Congress (London, UK), Best Poster Award
2017 Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forum, 2nd Annual Meeting, Young Investigator Award
Selected Publications
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Buxp9TkAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate
Lab Members
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Nicole Myers
RN, Former Research Assistant
nicole.myers@pitt.eduNicole is a clinical research assistant. She received her BS at Penn State University and has been a basic science research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh for over a decade with positions at the Schools of Public Health, Medicine, and Dental Medicine. She is interested in translational research and is currently attending nursing school.
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Kelsey Michenko
MS, Former Research Assistant
kmichenko@pitt.eduKelsey is a clinical research assistant. She graduated in 2016 from Franklin and Marshall College with her BA in Biology. In college she worked on research projects ranging from synthesizing stable hydrocarbon radicals to starting a longitudinal study identifying the distribution of P. cinereus. She is interested in neurodegenerative diseases and attending physician assistant school.