Joshua Englert, MD

I began my training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. While in medical school, I was selected for a one-year Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship that allowed me to work in the laboratory of Dr. Mitchell Fink studying mechanisms of organ dysfunction during sepsis. Following medical school, I completed Internal Medicine Residency Training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. During that time, I worked with physician-scientists during clinical rotations in the ICU and witnessed how high-impact scientific research and evidence-based patient care can be integrated at the bedside. I went on to pursue Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship training in the Harvard Combined Program (Mass General/Brigham and Women’s/Beth Israel Deaconess). I completed my post-doctoral research training in the laboratories of Drs. Augustine Choi and Rebecca Baron at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where I obtained expertise in molecular biology, animal models of critical illness, and lung mechanobiology.

In 2015, I joined the faculty at The OSU Wexner Medical Center and started my own independent laboratory. My work has been funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Defense, American Thoracic Society, and the Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research. In addition to my laboratory research program, I have served as an investigator for over 30 ICU trials. I am deeply committed to training the next generation of biomedical scientists and serve as the Associate Program Director for the OSU Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship program.

My current research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to lung injury during the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). My laboratory uses microfluidic models of the alveolar microenvironment, preclinical ARDS models that mirror the course of ICU patients, and human biospecimens to identify novel therapeutic targets to treat or prevent lung injury. Despite advances in biomedical science over the past several decades, the standard of care for ARDS patients is supportive care with mechanical ventilation to allow time for the lungs to heal. Unfortunately, mechanical ventilation can lead to further lung injury (i.e., ventilator-induced lung injury), and many patients are unable to recover. The mission of my research program is to develop novel therapies to treat and prevent lung injury in these patients.

Research interests

• Acute respiratory distress syndrome
• Ventilator-induced lung injury
• Nanoparticle drug delivery
• Sepsis

Active funding

• R01HL142767 - Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of lung injury during mechanical ventilation
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  Role: Principal Investigator
• R01HL141217 – The pivotal role of macrophages in regulating pulmonary fibrosis
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  Role: Co-investigator
• R01HL142093 – Therapeutic modulation of zinc for lung injury and mechanobiology
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  Role: Co-investigator, site Principal Investigator
• OSU College of Medicine Dean’s Discovery Research Program - TSLP mediates asthma exacerbations following ozone exposure
  The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center College of Medicine
  Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Awards and honors

• 2021: Carol B. Basbaum Award in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement, Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology Assembly, American Thoracic Society
• 2021: Ohio State University Department of Medicine Rising Star Award
• 2019, 2020: American Thoracic Society RCMB Assembly Rising Star Award
• 2019: Emerging Leaders in Medicine Award, Central Society of Clinical and Translational Research
• 2018: BAL Award in recognition for excellence in teaching, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• 2017: Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research
• 2017: K Travel Award, Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research
• 2014: Young Physician Scientist Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation
• 2014: Chairman’s Research Award, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’ Hospital
• 2005: Brinton Prize for highest academic performance in graduating class, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• 2005: Alpha Omega Alpha, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• 2003: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Student Research Fellowship
• 2001 – 2003: Robert and Gertrude Harris Foundation Scholarship for Academic achievement, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine