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Drs. Silvia Vilarinho, Andrew Wang Named Physician Scientist Training Program Leadership

June 27, 2023

New leadership in the Yale Internal Medicine Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) was recently announced. Silvia Vilarinho, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (digestive diseases) and of pathology; was appointed to director, with Andrew Wang, MD/PhD, assistant professor of medicine (rheumatology) being named associate director of the program.

The PSTP program, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Research pathway within the Yale Internal Medicine Traditional Residency Program, is considered a short track into fellowship training because residents in this program complete two clinical years of internal medicine residency along with three years of research training.

Vilarinho replaces Charles Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine) and of microbial pathogenesis; who has served as PSTP director since September 2021. Vilarinho is a physician-scientist who studies liver diseases of unknown causes using genetics and genomics. Her lab is based within the Yale Liver Center in the Section of Digestive Diseases.

“It has been a great pleasure to working and learning from Charles this past year,” said Vilarinho. “Thank you to the department leadership for entrusting me with the responsibility to lead the PSTP. I am looking forward to an exciting future for physician-scientists in our department.”

Wang steps into the associate director role, succeeding Vilarinho. Wang’s lab uses broad range of techniques across physiology, metabolism, inflammation, neurobiology, and immunology coupled with patient samples to learn how the environment can affect a disease’s course.

“We’re extremely excited to work with Drs. Vilarinho and Wang. Both are graduates of our PSTP and have since become nationally prominent, independent physician scientists. We are grateful for their support of the program and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in their new leadership roles,” said Mark David Siegel, MD, professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine) and program director of the Yale Internal Medicine Traditional Residency Program.

The ABIM Physician-Scientist Research Pathway was established in the 1970’s. Previous directors of the program include John Wysolmerski, MD, and Peter Aronson, MD.

The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.