Charles Dela Cruz, MD, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Locations
Appointments
Biography
Dr. Dela Cruz completed his research training through an MD/PhD program in the area of immunology and virology from University of Toronto and Yale. Clinically, he is trained in internal medicine, and specializes in pulmonary and critical care medicine and is currently an Associate Professor at Yale University in the same department. He is also the founding director for the Center for Pulmonary Infection Research and Treatment (CPIRT). www.cpirt.yale.edu. His laboratory is interested in studying the role of respiratory infection in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic lung diseases. Specifically, his work focuses on how lung infection contribute to inflammation, injury and tissue repair in the lung. This has allowed the lab to carefully study the molecular and cellular responses of several novel mediators in the lung.
His laboratory focuses on two main research programs. (1) Studying novel immune regulators in the lung during respiratory infections. (2) Studying the effects of cigarette smoke (CS) exposure in the pathogenesis of airway and lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using preclinical genetic mouse models and human biosamples. The goal of the lab is also to be able to confirm and translate the findings using biospecimens from the established and establishing cohort of human patients with various lung diseases.
COPD is a composite entity that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is a leading cause of death in the world, and is a disease that is in need of new treatments. One of the goal of our laboratory is to investigate the interaction between CS and respiratory virus infection in the pathogenesis of COPD and identify novel therapeutic targets for this respiratory disease. It has been long thought that the frequent respiratory infections in COPD patients are due to their depressed immune function. Our studies have revealed that CS-exposed hosts have an over-exaggerated immune reaction to viral infections. Frequent acute COPD exacerbations correlate with increased rate of disease progression and more loss of lung function in COPD especially if it is due to viral infections. Our studies have shown that CS exposure has an impressive ability to regulate the innate immunity in the lung after influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. CS enhances the inflammation, alveolar destruction and airway fibrosis caused by influenza virus and RSV. These effects are mediated by type I interferon and RIG-like helicase antiviral innate immune pathway. CS exposure also results in the induction of interleukin-15 in the setting of these respiratory infections. We hypothesize that these novel mechanistic pathways may explain the heightened inflammatory response and worsening lung functions in COPD patients with multiple virally-induced exacerbations, and the chronic lung inflammation seen in stable COPD patients. We have also translated our findings by studying these immune mediators in patients infected with various respiratory viruses and have thus far collected >300 human biosamples.
YCCI Scholar 2011
Education & Training
- FellowYale University School of Medicine (2009)
- ResidentYale University School of Medicine (2005)
- MDYale University School of Medicine (2003)
- PhDUniversity of Toronto (2000)
- BSUniversity of Toronto (1994)
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
Elected Chair, Gordon Conference, Biology of Acute Lung Infections; Vice-chair (2022) | 2021 | |
Chair, NHLBI, Lung Cellular and Molecular Immunity (LCMI) Study Section | 2020 | |
co-Editors, Fishman’s Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 6e, Michael A. Grippi, Robert M. Kotloff, Allan I. Pack, Charles S. Dela Cruz, Camille Kotton, Danielle Antin-Ozerkis | 2019 | |
American Thoracic Society (ATS) Fellow | 2018 | |
Pulmonary Infection and Tuberculosis (PI-TB) Mid-Level Career Award | American Thoracic Society (ATS) | 2018 |
Patterson Trust Clinical Scholar Award | 2015 | |
Patterson Trust Clinical Scholar Award | 2014 | |
American Thoracic Society (ATS) Microbiology, Tuberculosis and Respiratory Infection (MTPI) Junior Level Career Award | 2014 | |
Yale Medicine Atkins Physician Scientist Lecture | 2013 | |
Translational Science Scholars Award | 2012 | |
Yale CTSA YCCI Clinical Translational Faculty Scholar Award | 2011 | |
Federation of Clinical Immunology Society Travel Grant | 2010 | |
Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI) Young Clinical Scientist Award (5 yrs) | 2009 | |
American Thoracic Society Fellows Career Development Award (declined) | 2008 | |
American Thoracic Society International Conference Award | 2008 | |
Parker B. Francis Foundation Fellowship in Pulmonary Research (3 Years) | 2008 | |
2nd Place Award, Fifth Annual Respiratory Disease Young Investigators Forum | 2008 | |
National Jewish Hospital Pulmonary Mycobacterial Program | 2006 | |
Johnson & Johnson Physician Scholar in International Health (Yale, Anchorage, Alaska) | 2004 | |
American College of Physician Internal Medicine Award | 2003 | |
Infectious Diseases Society of America Medical Scholarship | 2002 | |
University of Toronto MD/PhD Fellowship Award | 2000 | |
Canadian Society of Immunology Award | 2000 | |
Canadian Association for HIV Research Scholarship | 2000 | |
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation Intern Award | 2000 | |
2nd place, Eastern Student Research Forum | 1999 | |
Institute of Medical Sciences Merit Scholarship | 1998 | |
Institute of Human Virology Travel Scholarship (2 Years) | 1998 | |
Medical Research Council of Canada Graduate Scholarship (4 Years) | 1996 | |
Ontario Graduate Scholarship | 1996 | |
Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council Undergraduate Award | 1992 | |
Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Fellowship (3 Years) | 1992 | |
University of Toronto Faculty Scholar, Dean’s Certificate Award (4 Years) | 1991 | |
University of Toronto Trinity College Dr. H. Parsons Scholarships (3 Years) | 1990 | |
Governor General of Canada Award, Canada Scholarship & Ontario Scholarship | 1990 |
Professional Service
Organization | Role | Date |
---|---|---|
DOD Study Section on COVID-19 | Chair | 2020 |
Medical School Committees | Dean’s COVID-19 Response Coordination (CoReCT) team | 2020 - Present |
Medical School Committees | CoReCT Translational Studies Committee | 2020 - Present |
Medical School Committees | CoReCT Clinical Trial Studies Committee | 2020 - Present |
Medical School Committees | IMPACT (Implementing Medical and Public Health Action against Coronavirus in Connecticut) COVID Biorepository (sub-PI) and member of Board of Governance | 2020 - Present |
Departmental Committees | YSM Translational Medicine working group | 2020 - Present |
Departmental Committees | COVID-19 Yale New Haven Hospital Treatment Committee | 2020 - Present |
NHLBI, LCMI Study Section | Chair | 2020 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | ATS Pulmonary Infection and Tuberculosis Assembly, Program Committe | 2019 - 2020 |
NHLBI, LCMI Study Section | Member | 2019 |
American Thoracic Society | Host Response to Lung Infections | 2019 |
American Thoracic Society | What you can't see might hurt you: the interplay between the microbiome and immunity in lung disease | 2019 |
Departmental Committees | Medical Student Research for Department of Internal Medicine | 2019 - Present |
Teaching/Mentorship | CB601 MD/PhD – research course for MD/PhD students | 2019 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | PITB, Planning Committee | 2019 - Present |
Media regarding COVID (WNTH, NPR, NYtimes, Washington Post, Rolling Stones, Frances foundation, others) | Featured Expert and Consultant | 2019 - Present |
Public Service | Media regarding COVID (WNTH, NPR, NYtimes, Washington Post, Rolling Stones, Frances foundation, others) | 2019 - Present |
Fishman’s Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders | Editor | 2019 - Present |
Frontiers in Immunology | Guest Editor | 2019 - Present |
VA Merit Study Section, Pulmonary | Reviewer | 2018 - 2019 |
American Thoracic Society | Pulmonary Infection and Tuberculosis Assembly, Program Committee | 2018 |
American Thoracic Society | Workshop on Understanding the Host in the Management of Pneumonia | 2018 |
American Thoracic Society | Symposium on Immunometabolism: The Complex Interplay Between Metabolic Reprogramming And Immunity | 2018 |
American Thoracic Society | ATS May 2018 [Symposium on From Spanish flu of 1919 to today – lessons learnt from viruses] | 2018 |
Chest Infection Network Steering Committee | Member | 2018 - Present |
American College of Chest Physicians | Chest Infection Network Steering Committee | 2018 - Present |
JCI Insight | Reviewer | 2018 - Present |
Cell Reports | Reviewer | 2018 - Present |
Medical School Committees | Organizer (with Dr. Shangqin Guo, Cell Biology) Junior PI retreat for instructors, assistant professors, and early career associate professors who are involved in basic science or translational research. The retreat featured sessions on grant opportunities, grant reviews, faculty awards, journal submissions, faculty promotion and networking. Supported by the Offices of Dean of School of Medicine and Deputy Provost for Science and Technology | 2017 |
National Institute of Health, NHLBI, Pneumonia Working Group: NHLBI: Advancing Pneumonia Research in Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases | Co-Chair | 2017 |
American Heart Association, Lung Basic Science Committee | Reviewer | 2017 |
American Thoracic Society | ATS MTPI Program Committee | 2017 |
Gene Study, NTM | Advisor | 2017 |
Teaching/Mentorship | MBIO705 - Evasion of Host Defenses by Viruses, Bacteria and Eukaryotic Parasites | 2017 - Present |
Departmental Committees | Internal Medicine Residency | 2017 - Present |
Departmental Committees | Faculty, Internal Medicine Residency | 2017 - Present |
Mucosal Immunology | Reviewer | 2017 - Present |
NIH / LCMI | Ad-hoc reviewer | 2016 - 2018 |
Fishman’s Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders | Associate Editor | 2016 - 2018 |
Teaching/Mentorship | Yale Medical Students – Pulmonary lecture on lung infections, pneumonia | 2016 - 2017 |
American Thoracic Society | ATS MTPI Nominating Committee (voted) | 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | Symposium on Viral Pneumonia | 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | ATS May 2016 [Symposium on Climate Change and Respiratory Infections] | 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | ATS May 2016 [Poster Discussion on Gram Negative Pneumonia – from bench to bedside] | 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | Poster Discussion on Host Defense, Lung Injury and Fibrosis: Innate Mechanisms | 2016 |
Teaching/Mentorship | MBIO734 – Molecular biology of animal viruses graduate course | 2016 - Present |
Teaching/Mentorship | MCE – mentored clinical experience course for graduate students | 2016 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | ATS May 2016 [Symposium on Fungal Lung Infections] | 2016 - Present |
Clinics in Chest Medicine, Viral and Atypical Pneumonia | Guest Editor | 2016 - Present |
Medscape, Readmission From Sepsis, Medscape Channel | Featured Expert and Consultant | 2015 - 2017 |
Pneumonia and the Chest Cough Confusion, Yale Exam Room | Featured Expert and Consultant | 2015 - 2016 |
Scientific Advisory Board Committee, Cempra | Cempra, Acute Pneumonia | 2015 - 2016 |
Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, (DOD/CDRMP), Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program | Grant Reviewer | 2015 |
Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, (DOD/CDRMP), Online Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program | Grant Reviewer | 2015 |
NIH / NHLBI / K99/R00 | Ad-hoc reviewer | 2015 |
American Thoracic Society, Scientific Advisory Committee (Grant Review Committee) | Member | 2015 |
Wellcome Trust | Reviewer | 2015 |
American Thoracic Society | Poster Discussion on Host Pathogen Interaction | 2015 |
American Thoracic Society | Symposium on Innate Lymphoid Cells | 2015 |
Clinic Chest Medicine on Viral and Atypical Pneumonia | Guest Editor | 2015 |
American Thoracic Society, Scientific Advisory Committee | Advisor | 2015 - Present |
American Lung Association, Research Fellowship Grants | Reviewer | 2015 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | Research Education Working Group, ATS, Education Committee | 2015 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | ATS Science and Innovation Center | 2015 - Present |
Journal of Virology | Reviewer | 2015 - Present |
Journal of Immunology | Reviewer | 2015 - Present |
Teaching/Mentorship | PHAR 504a – pulmonary pharmacology graduate class | 2014 - 2019 |
American Thoracic Society | ATS, Education Committee | 2014 - 2019 |
Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, (DOD/CDRMP), Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program | Grant Reviewer | 2014 |
American Thoracic Society | Symposium on MDR Pneumonia | 2014 |
American Thoracic Society | Symposium on Recognition to Resolution of Inflammation During Acute Infection | 2014 |
Editorial Board and Round Table Participant, Aventis Sanofi, Influenza Virus Infection in Older Adults | Participant | 2014 |
Departmental Committees | Internal Medicine Residency Distinction Project (Investigative Track) | 2014 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | Scientific Advisory Committee | 2014 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | Acute Pneumonia Working Group (appointed) | 2014 - Present |
Pneumonia | Reviewer | 2014 - Present |
Nature Medicine | Reviewer | 2014 - Present |
Journal of Clinical Investigation | Reviewer | 2014 - Present |
Journal of Experimental Medicine | Reviewer | 2014 - Present |
Annals of American Thoracic Society | Reviewer | 2014 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI, Planning Committee | 2013 - 2017 |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI, Planning Committee | 2013 - 2017 |
American Thoracic Society | AII, Program Committee | 2013 - 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | AII, Program Committee | 2013 - 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | Mini-symposium on Immunopathology in Pneumonia | 2013 |
American Thoracic Society | New Insights into infections and sepsis: from animal models to clinical applications | 2013 |
Science Translational Medicine | Associate Editor | 2013 |
Departmental Committees | Yale Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Mentored Research Conference | 2013 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | ATS Junior Professionals Working Group Committee | 2013 - Present |
Plos Pathogens | Reviewer | 2013 - Present |
Plos One | Associate Editor | 2013 - Present |
Connecticut Lung Association / Connecticut Thoracic Society / Connecticut Pulmonary Society | Planning Committe | 2012 - 2013 |
American Thoracic Society | Mini-symposium on Influenza Pathogenesis | 2012 |
Jove | Reviewer | 2012 |
Post Graduate Medicine | Reviewer | 2012 |
Departmental Committees | Internal Medicine Physician Scientist Track | 2012 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | Assembly Liaison, Assembly on Microbiology, Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Infections (MTPI) | 2012 - Present |
Plos One | Reviewer | 2012 - Present |
European Journal of Pharmacology | Reviewer | 2012 - Present |
Teaching/Mentorship | Internal medicine resid4nts – bronchiectasis, MAI | 2011 - 2018 |
American Thoracic Society | Junior Faculty Representative, MTPI, Executive Committee | 2011 - 2016 |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI, Early Career Professionals Working Group (appointed) | 2011 - 2016 |
Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI): COPD, asthma, cilia/sinusitis | Grant Reviewer | 2011 - 2014 |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI, Program Committee | 2011 - 2014 |
Departmental Committees | Fellows Journal Club, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Yale | 2011 - 2013 |
Connecticut Lung Association / Connecticut Thoracic Society / Connecticut Pulmonary Society | Planning Committee | 2011 - 2013 |
Society of Critical Care Medicine | Mock Exam Online Committee | 2011 - 2013 |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI, Poster Session Facilitator | 2011 |
Medical School Committees | Faculty Committee Yale MD/PhD Program | 2011 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | Asthma/Allergy/Immunology (AII), Members Committee | 2011 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | Asthma/Allergy/Immunology (AII), Members Committee | 2011 - Present |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI, Early Career Professionals Working Group | 2011 - Present |
Critical Care Medicine | Reviewer | 2011 - Present |
Frontiers in Respiratory Pharmacology | Reviewer | 2011 - Present |
Departmental Committees | Fellows Senior Research Advisory Committee, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Yale | 2010 - Present |
Departmental Committees | Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Yale | 2010 - Present |
Departmental Committees | Yale Internal Medicine Residency Selection Committee | 2010 - Present |
Teaching/Mentorship | Griffin hospital and affiliated hospital program – lectures on various topics | 2009 - 2018 |
Teaching/Mentorship | Pulmonary fellows – CAP, viral pneumonia, fungal infections, hemoptysis | 2009 - 2014 |
Teaching/Mentorship | Yale Medical Students – Pulmonary lecture on lung infections, pneumonia | 2009 - 2014 |
Teaching/Mentorship | Physician Associate Students – Pulmonary infections, Pleural infections | 2009 - 2013 |
Departmental Committees | Yale Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Selection Committee | 2009 - Present |
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine | Reviewer | 2008 - Present |
American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology | Reviewer | 2008 - Present |
Connecticut Lung Association / Connecticut Thoracic Society / Connecticut Pulmonary Society | Member | 2007 - Present |
Departmental Committees | Section Pulmonary and Critical Care Curriculum Committee, Yale School of Medicine | 2005 - 2010 |
American Thoracic Society | MTPI Assembly | 2005 - Present |
Society of Critical Care Medicine | Member | 2005 - Present |
American College of Chest Physicians | Member | 2005 - Present |
American College of Physicians | Member | 2003 - Present |
Medical School Committees | Medical Education Committee | 2001 - 2003 |
Departments & Organizations
- ABIM Physician-Scientist Research Pathway
- Center for Infection and Immunity
- CPIRT - Center for Pulmonary Injury, Inflammation, Repair and Therapeutics
- Dela Cruz Lab
- Immunology
- Internal Medicine
- Microbial Pathogenesis
- Microbiology
- Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
- The Center for Precision Pulmonary Medicine (P2MED)
- Virology Laboratories
- Winchester Center for Lung Disease
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Stem Cell Center
- Yale Ventures