Our Leadership

 

Pictured from left to right: back row -- Stephen Badylak, Johnny Huard; middle row -- William Wagner, Harvey Borovetz, John Murphy; front row -- Robert Kormos, Alan Russell)

Alan J. Russell, PhD, is director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He also serves as professor of surgery and has secondary appointments in the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, Dr. Russell is the executive director of the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative and director of the National Tissue Engineering Center.

John N. Murphy is the executive director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a research professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, is the director of the Center for Preclinical Studies at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a research professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Badylak developed one of the first regenerative medicine products to be widely used, a substance that promotes wound healing and is used to repair hernias and reconstruct tendons.

Harvey Borovetz, PhD, is deputy director of artificial organs and medical devices at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Chairman of the Department of Bioengineering, and the Robert L. Hardesty professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Borovetz develops artificial heart devices for both adults and children.

Johnny Huard, PhD, is deputy director of cellular therapy at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, holds the Henry J. Mankin Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery Research at the University of Pittsburgh, and is the Director of the Stem Cell Research Center of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Huard was the discoverer of stem cells in adult muscle tissue. He is researching ways to use these and other adult stem cells as therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other orthopaedic injuries and diseases.

William Wagner, PhD, is deputy director of tissue engineering and biomaterials at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and associate professor of surgery, chemical engineering, and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Among his many projects, Dr. Wagner develops laboratory-made materials that can help heal heart tissue and blood vessels.

Robert Kormos, MD, is medical director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, director of the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kormos is an expert in the use of ventricular assist devices, implantable pumps that take over some of the work of the heart.