Rashmin Savani, M.D.
Chief, Neonatal-perinatal Medicine
Professor

Rashmin Savani was born in Masaka, Uganda, received his primary education there,and then completed schooling at King Edward VII School in Sheffield, England (1977). He obtained his medical degree from the University of Sheffield (1982). He undertook internships in Internal Medicine, General Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynecology from 1982 to 1984. He was a pediatric resident at Duke University Medical Center (1984-1987) and a fellow in Neonatology (1987-1989) and in Pulmonary Biology (1989-1991) at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center. He then moved to the University of Manitoba and Winnipeg Children’s Hospital where he was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Neonatology (1991-1996). He undertook further postgraduate training in Cell & Molecular Biology at the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology (1991-1994) after which he had an independent laboratory at the Institute. He was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (1996-2006) and rose to the rank of Associate Professor with Tenure in 2002. His research focus has been on lung injury and development, including inflammation and angiogenesis. He has maintained continuous extramural funding since 1998. Dr. Savani moved from CHOP/PENN in 2006 to become Professor of Pediatrics. He was awarded the William Buchanan Chair in Pediatrics in 2006 and is currently Division Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Associate Director of Pulmonary & Vascular Biology in the Department of Pediatrics.

Medical School

The University of Sheffield Medical School (1982)

Internship

Royal Hallamshire Hospital (1983), Internal Medicine

Internship

Northern General Hospital (1983), General Surgery

Internship

Peterborough District Hospital (1984), Obstetrics & Gynecology

Residency

Duke University Medical Center (1987), Pediatrics

Fellowship

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (1991), Neonatal-perinatal Medicine

Fellowship

University of Manitoba (1994), Cell Biology

• Hyaluronan

Featured Publications

Impact of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program-Recommended Low Oxygen Strategy on Outcomes of Infants Born Preterm.

Kapadia VS, Lal CV, Kakkilaya V, Heyne R, Savani RC, Wyckoff MH J. Pediatr. 2017 Dec 191 35-41

Inter-center variation in death or tracheostomy placement in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Murthy K, Porta NF, Lagatta JM, Zaniletti I, Truog WE, Grover TR, Nelin LD, Savani RC J Perinatol 2017 Feb

Hyaluronan mediates ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in mice.

Garantziotis S, Li Z, Potts EN, Kimata K, Zhuo L, Morgan DL, Savani RC, Noble PW, Foster WM, Schwartz DA, Hollingsworth JW J. Biol. Chem. 2016 Sep 291 37 19257-8

Intercenter Cost Variation for Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in the Era of Therapeutic Hypothermia.

Massaro AN, Murthy K, Zaniletti I, Cook N, DiGeronimo R, Dizon ML, Hamrick SE, McKay VJ, Natarajan G, Rao R, Richardson T, Smith D, Mathur AM J. Pediatr. 2016 Mar

Deletion of Hyaluronan Synthase 3 Inhibits Neointimal Hyperplasia.

Kiene LS, Homann S, Suvorava T, Rabausch B, Müller J, Kojda G, Kretschmer I, Twarock S, Dai G, Deenen R, Hartwig S, Lehr S, Köhrer K, Savani RC, Grandoch M, Fischer JW Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2015 Nov

Lack of EC-SOD worsens alveolar and vascular development in a neonatal mouse model of bleomycin-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension.

Delaney C, Wright RH, Tang JR, Woods C, Villegas L, Sherlock L, Savani RC, Abman SH, Nozik-Grayck E Pediatr. Res. 2015 Aug

Maternal high fat diet is associated with impaired fetal lung development.

Mayor RS, Finch KE, Zehr J, Morselli E, Neinast MD, Frank AP, Hahner LD, Wang J, Rakheja D, Palmer BF, Rosenfeld CR, Savani RC, Clegg DJ Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. 2015 Jun ajplung.00105.2015

The NLRP3 inflammasome is critically involved in the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Liao J, Kapadia VS, Brown LS, Cheong N, Longoria C, Mija D, Ramgopal M, Mirpuri J, McCurnin DC, Savani RC Nat Commun 2015 6 8977

Resuscitation of preterm neonates with limited versus high oxygen strategy.

Kapadia VS, Chalak LF, Sparks JE, Allen JR, Savani RC, Wyckoff MH Pediatrics 2013 Dec 132 6 e1488-96

Proteobacteria-specific IgA regulates maturation of the intestinal microbiota.

Mirpuri J, Raetz M, Sturge CR, Wilhelm CL, Benson A, Savani RC, Hooper LV, Yarovinsky F Gut Microbes 2013 Sep 5 1

 Featured Books

The Biochemistry of Endothelial Cells. In Parent RA, ed. Comparative Biology of the Lung. 2nd ed.

Savani RC. (2015). Academic Press; 375-386.

Hyaluronan and Its Receptors in Lung Health and Disease. In Garg HG, Roughley PJ, Hales CA, eds. Lung Biology in Health and Disease Series: Proteoglycans in Lung Disease.

Savani RC, DeLisser HM. (2002). CRC Press; 73-106.

• Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award
  Who’s Who Publication Board (2017)
• Texas Super Doctors
  Texas Monthly Magazine (2015-2017)
• Invited membership, International Perinatal Collegium
  (2013)
• Best Doctors in America
  (2011)
• Perinatal Physician Excellence Award
  March of Dimes, Texas (2010)
• Honorary Masters of Arts
  University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2002)
• Young Investigator Award, Perinatal Pediatrics
  American Academy of Pediatrics (1998)
• Young Investigator Award, Basic Science
  Eastern Society for Pediatric Research (1997)

• American Pediatric Society, Member (2005)
• American Physiological Society, Member (2005-2010)
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Member (2005-2010)
• The International Society for Hyaluronan Science, Member of the Board (2004)
• Perinatal Research Society, Member (1999)
• Society for Pediatric Research, Member (1999)