Jason Akulian

Jason Akulian, MD MPH MBA, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves as Section Chief for Interventional Pulmonology and Pulmonary Oncology, Director of the Interventional Pulmonary Fellowship Program, and Co-Director of the UNC Lung Cancer Translational Research Program.

• Education:
  • BS, University of California at Riverside
  • MD, St. George's University School of Medicine
  • Residency, University of Connecticut
  • Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University
  • MPH, Loma Linda University
  • MBA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

His research focuses on immune responses to malignant and infectious pleural diseases, aiming to develop prognostic biomarkers and immunologically directed therapeutics. He leads the Carolina Center for Pleural Diseases and UNC Pleural Fluid Registry, emphasizing the pleural space as a target for sampling and treatment of tumor microenvironments. Collaborative work includes preclinical and clinical studies on robotic bronchoscopy and blood-based biomarkers for lung cancer risk stratification.

Recent research trends highlight pleural disease management, bronchoscopy innovations, and therapeutic biomarker development through clinical trials and device evaluations.

He contributes to medical device applications, clinical procedure optimization, and translational research, with leadership roles in interventional Pulmonology training and lung cancer detection programs.

Contact: jason_akulian@med.unc.edu | Office: 8006 Burnett-Womack, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 | Phone: 919-966-2531