Christopher P. O'Donnell, PhD

• Otago University, B.Ph.Ed., Physical Education, 1982
• Otago University, B.S., Mathematics, 1982
• Otago University, B.S., Physiology (Honors I), 1983
• Cambridge University, Ph.D., Physiology, 1988
• University of California, San Francisco, Fellowship, Physiology, 1991

Dr. O’Donnell joined Dean Gladwin on September 1, 2022, as a Vice Dean. He will lead the research mission and serve as an advisor to the Dean in matters of research strategy and operations. His responsibilities will include overseeing the school’s broad research functions, building new scientific partnerships within the University of Maryland System, and engaging in collaborative opportunities with industry and federal agencies. In the area of operations, Dr. O’Donnell will partner with the Office of Business Affairs within the Dean’s Office to review current financial strategies and institute long-term planning initiatives.

Dr. O’Donnell, originally for New Zealand, is a Professor of Medicine who trained at Cambridge University, England, before conducting his postdoctoral studies at the University of California, San Francisco. He was appointed to faculty at Johns Hopkins Medical School where he served for 13 years before being recruited to the University of Pittsburgh in 2004.

In addition to his research, Dr. O’Donnell had a significant leadership role in the Department of Medicine (as Executive Vice Chair to Mark Gladwin), and also at the institutional level as an Associate Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences. He was appointed the Chief Operating Officer for the Pitt COVID-19 Medical Response Office and helped shepherd the University through the unchartered waters of the pandemic before leaving for his new role at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

physiology, obstructive sleep apnea, Sleep apnea, Cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease,

O’Donnell CP, Schaub CD, Haines AS, Berkowitz DE, Tankersley CG, Schwartz AR, Smith PL. Leptin prevents respiratory depression in obesity. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999 May;159(5 Pt 1):1477-84. PMID: 10228114.

Tagaito Y, Polotsky VY, Campen MJ, Wilson JA, Balbir A, Smith PL, Schwartz AR, O'Donnell CP. A model of sleep-disordered breathing in the C57BL/6J mouse. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2001 Dec;91(6):2758-66. PMID: 11717244.

Polotsky VY, Li J, Punjabi NM, Rubin AE, Smith PL, Schwartz AR, O'Donnell CP. Intermittent hypoxia increases insulin resistance in genetically obese mice. J Physiol. 2003 Oct 1;552(Pt 1):253-64. PMID: 12878760.

Iiyori N, Alonso LC, Li J, Sanders MH, Garcia-Ocana A, O'Doherty RM, Polotsky VY, O'Donnell CP. Intermittent hypoxia causes insulin resistance in lean mice independent of autonomic activity. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Apr 15;175(8):851-7. PMID: 17272786.

McGaffin KR, Sun CK, Rager JJ, Romano LC, Zou B, Mathier MA, O'Doherty RM, McTiernan CF, O'Donnell CP. Leptin signalling reduces the severity of cardiac dysfunction and remodelling after chronic ischaemic injury. Cardiovasc Res. 2008 Jan;77(1):54-63. PMID: 18006469.

Ray NB, Durairaj L, Chen BB, McVerry BJ, Ryan AJ, Donahoe M, Waltenbaugh AK, O'Donnell CP, Henderson FC, Etscheidt CA, McCoy DM, Agassandian M, Hayes-Rowan EC, Coon TA, Butler PL, Gakhar L, Mathur SN, Sieren JC, Tyurina YY, Kagan VE, McLennan G, Mallampalli RK. Dynamic regulation of cardiolipin by the lipid pump Atp8b1 determines the severity of lung injury in experimental pneumonia. Nat Med. 2010 Oct;16(10):1120-1127. PMID: 20852622.

Singamsetty S, Watanabe Y, Guo L, Corey C, Wang Y, Tejero J, McVerry BJ, Gladwin MT, Shiva S, O'Donnell CP. Inorganic nitrite improves components of the metabolic syndrome independent of weight change in a murine model of obesity and insulin resistance. J Physiol. 2015 Jul 15;593(14):3135-45. PMID: 25952686.