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David Pitrak

Professor of Medicine
Chief, Section of Infectious Diseases
University of Chicago

David Pitrak

I am the Chief of our Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health and oversee the clinical, research, and educational activities of 14 clinical faculty members.  Our group has expertise with a breadth of infectious diseases.  We are especially involved with infections in immunocompromised hosts, including HIV patients, solid organ and stem cell transplant recipients, and patients with other acquired or primary immunodeficiency syndromes.  I conduct clinical immunology lab studies.  I am part of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research, and Co-Director of the Clinical Core.  There is great interest in the role of the microbiome in complications of HIV infection.  We are responsible for hospital epidemiology, and were part of a microbiome study of the hospital environment and patients, and colonization with pathogenic bacterial and fungi.  We lead antimicrobial stewardship, and antimicrobials are huge drivers of changes in the microbiome.  We conduct clinical trials of new therapies and treatment strategies for C. difficile infection, as well as new therapeutics for infections.  Our group is well equipped to participate in human-based clinical microbiome studies in any of these areas.

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Publications [Pubmed]