Pranavkumar Shivakumar, Ph.D.

Dr. Pranav Shivakumar, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Director of the Biliary Atresia Research and Cure Center in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. He earned his diploma and bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences from Karnataka University, Dharwad, India, and his master’s and Ph.D. in technology from the University Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai, India, where he earned junior and senior scholarships from the government of India. Dr. Shivakumar completed his post-doctoral fellowship and training in pediatric hepatology with a specific focus on biliary atresia at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He then joined the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and established research programs to investigate mechanisms of biliary atresia pathogenesis. 

Dr. Shivakumar’s research focuses on understanding how innate and adaptive immune systems independently, and in concert, orchestrate to induce bile duct epithelial injury, inflammation, and atresia (complete absence of duct lumen). The goal of his research is to better understand the mechanisms of biliary disease and develop novel therapeutics to promote long-term native liver survival in infants with biliary atresia. To understand the early processes of epithelial injury, duct inflammation, and blockade, his laboratory has developed neonatal mouse models of biliary atresia and liver fibrosis induced by virus and toxins as well as organoids from mouse and patient liver tissue. 

Dr. Shivakumar is dedicated to promoting scientific training and education. He has mentored a large number of post-doctoral and clinical fellows, research personnel, and undergraduate and medical students who have successfully established their careers in medicine and other fields. Dr. Shivamkumar continues to work with medical students and gastrointestinal and hepatology fellows to further biliary atresia research and education.