Skip to Main Content

Faculty Directory

Back to
Faculty Directory
Varun Sondhi, M.D., Ph.D.

Varun Sondhi, M.D., Ph.D.

Titles and Appointments

Assistant Instructor

School
Medical School
Department
Internal Medicine

You have reached the Academic Profile.

For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile.

  • Biography

    Varun Sondhi, M.D., Ph.D., is an Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

    Originally from India, Dr. Sondhi holds a bachelor's degree in molecular biology from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, which he received with honors. He earned his medical degree and a doctoral degree in pharmacology through the Medical Scientist Training Program at UT Southwestern, where he completed internal medicine residency training and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine.

    Dr. Sondhi joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2023.

    Dr. Varun Sondhi investigates metabolic pathways that drive health and disease, with work spanning cholesterol signaling in cancer, hormonal regulation, and steroidogenesis. His recent studies focus on mitochondrial function, cancer metabolism, and purine salvage, alongside organelle biology and protein import mechanisms. Using advanced molecular and mass spectrometry approaches, he aims to uncover metabolic vulnerabilities for therapeutic innovation.

  • Education
    Medical School
    UT Southwestern Medical School (2015)
    Residency
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (2018), Internal Medicine
    Fellowship
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (2023), Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
  • Publications

    Star Featured Publications

    The Hormone FGF21 Stimulates Water Drinking in Response to Ketogenic Diet and Alcohol.
    Song P, Zechner C, Hernandez G, Cánovas J, Xie Y, Sondhi V, Wagner M, Stadlbauer V, Horvath A, Leber B, Hu MC, Moe OW, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA Cell Metab. 2018 Jun 27 6 1338-1347.e4
    Impaired 17,20-Lyase Activity in Male Mice Lacking Cytochrome b5 in Leydig Cells.
    Sondhi V, Owen BM, Liu J, Chomic R, Kliewer SA, Hughes BA, Arlt W, Mangelsdorf DJ, Auchus RJ Mol. Endocrinol. 2016 Apr 30 4 469-78
    Detection of FGF15 in plasma by stable isotope standards and capture by anti-peptide antibodies and targeted mass spectrometry.
    Katafuchi T, Esterházy D, Lemoff A, Ding X, Sondhi V, Kliewer SA, Mirzaei H, Mangelsdorf DJ Cell Metab. 2015 Jun 21 6 898-904
    27-Hydroxycholesterol links hypercholesterolemia and breast cancer pathophysiology.
    Nelson ER, Wardell SE, Jasper JS, Park S, Suchindran S, Howe MK, Carver NJ, Pillai RV, Sullivan PM, Sondhi V, Umetani M, Geradts J, McDonnell DP Science 2013 Nov 342 6162 1094-8
  • Honors & Awards
    • Collaborator of the Year
      Children's Research Institute at UT Southwestern (2023)
    • Best Basic Science Article
      UT Southwestern (2018)
    • Outstanding Abstract
      Endocrine Society (2013)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • Endocrine Society