معرفی
Charles Dela Cruz is an Associate Professor at Yale University School of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, specializing in Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine. He is the founding director of the Center for Pulmonary Infection Research and Treatment (CPIRT) and leads a research laboratory focused on respiratory infections and chronic lung diseases such as COPD.
His educational background includes an MD and PhD from Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Toronto, respectively, with training in immunology and virology. He completed his residency and fellowship at Yale.
Dr. Dela Cruz's research centers on the role of respiratory infections in lung inflammation, injury, and repair, particularly in the context of cigarette smoke exposure and COPD. His lab employs preclinical mouse models and human biosamples to investigate immune regulators such as type I interferon and interleukin-15 in viral exacerbations of COPD. His work bridges basic science and clinical translation, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets.
His recent publications highlight ongoing research in lung injury, fungal and viral infections, immune phenotyping in respiratory failure, and the impact of e-cigarettes on lung epithelial cells. The articles span immunology, infectious diseases, and critical care, reflecting a strong focus on mechanistic and translational pulmonary research.
- YCCI Scholar (2011)
- American Thoracic Society Fellow
- Pulmonary Infection and Tuberculosis (PI-TB) Mid-Level Career Award
- Chair, NHLBI Lung Cellular and Molecular Immunity Study Section
- Elected Chair, Gordon Conference on Acute Lung Infections (2022)
- Co-Editor, Fishman’s Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 6th Edition
Dr. Dela Cruz actively mentors researchers and collaborates with prominent scientists including Lokesh Sharma, Naftali Kaminski, and Akiko Iwasaki. He has served on editorial boards for journals such as Frontiers in Immunology and Plos One. His lab, CPIRT, supports interdisciplinary research in pulmonary infection and immunity, with access to human biospecimens and advanced preclinical models.
