Kartik N. Rajagopalan

Kartik N. Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He also holds a secondary appointment at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute and directs a research lab focused on energy regulation during infection. His clinical specialization is in medical critical care.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin (magna cum laude)
• M.D. and Ph.D. in Cancer Biology via the Perot Family Scholars MSTP at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Research Interests: His work explores systems-level energy regulation during infection, emphasizing leptin signaling, adipose tissue metabolism, and the interplay between metabolic and immune responses. Current projects investigate leptin's role in preserving physiological stability during infections and fatty acid metabolism in collaboration with the Patel Lab.

Scientific Awards:

• Magna cum laude, University of Texas at Austin

Professional Roles: After completing residency and fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a postdoc at Rockefeller University, he joined UT Southwestern as a faculty member in 2023. He continues to practice as an intensivist alongside his research.