Sharon Irene Smith Rounds

Sharon Irene Smith Rounds is an Associate Dean for Translational Science and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Medicine at Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University. She practices as a pulmonary/critical care physician at the Providence VA Medical Center and has held leadership roles from 1987–2015. Her academic career spans over 35 years with continuous NIH/VA funding.

• MD from Tufts University (1972)
• BA from Wellesley College (1968)
• Research Fellowship at University of Colorado Cardiovascular-Pulmonary Lab
• Chief Resident at San Francisco General Hospital

Research Focus: Mechanisms of lung vascular injury in pulmonary hypertension and acute lung injury, emphasizing endothelial cell apoptosis, small GTPase post-translational processing, and tobacco smoke effects. Her work explores acrolein toxicity, adenosine signaling, and vasodilator therapies for COPD-related pulmonary hypertension.

Publication Trends: Over 140 publications since 1980, with recent emphasis on oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, TRAIL agonists, and precision medicine in pulmonary vascular disease. Collaborations span Brown University, Providence VA, and institutions in Japan and the U.S.

Scientific Awards:
• Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal (2017)
• Fellow of AAAS (2018)
• Breathing for Life Awardee (2019)
• Grover Prize (2019)
• Milton W. Hamolsky Award (2020)

Grant Leadership: Directed NIH NIGMS-funded Rhode Island Center for Clinical Translational Science (U54 GM115677) and VA Merit Reviews on cigarette smoke injury. Co-PI for multicenter tadalafil trials in COPD-pulmonary hypertension. Mentored diversity programs and cardiovascular-pulmonary COBRE grants.

Labs & Collaborations: Leads Brown’s CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology COBRE (2014–2021). Collaborates with researchers in Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology, and Surgery departments. Key network includes Drs. Elizabeth Harrington, Gaurav Choudhary, and James Klinger.