Sally Ellen Wenzel–Morganroth is an American pulmonologist. She is a professor and Rachel Carson Chair of Environmental Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Wenzel was formally the co-director of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Clinical Research Unit at National Jewish Medical and Research Center.
Sally Wenzel | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Spouse | Dana Morganroth |
| Academic background | |
| Education | BS, 1978, MD, 1981, University of Florida |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine University of Colorado Health Sciences Center |
In 2012, Wenzel and Samuel Yousem were the first to identify asthmatic granulomatosis.
Early life and education
editWenzel was born to father Fred Wenzel in Inverness, Florida and attended Citrus High School.[1] In her senior year, she won the National Merit scholarship, Florida Regents Merit Certificate, Reader's Digest Award, and the Bausch & Lomb Science Award.[2] She was also the recipient of Citrus High School's Outstanding Student Award after recording a perfect score in the college placement tests.[1] Upon graduating high school, Wenzel attended the University of Florida for her undergraduate and medical degrees and completed her residency in internal medicine at Wake Forest University.[3]
Career
editUpon completing her fellowship, Wenzel accepted a position at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and with the American Thoracic Society (ATS). As a result of her academic research, she was elected a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.[4] In 2010, her research project "Asthma Phenotypes: A Prelude to Mechanistic Insights on Disease Pathogenesis" earned her the ATS Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments.[5]
Wenzel eventually left the University of Colorado to accept a professorship position at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. While there, Wenzel and Samuel Yousem were the first to identify asthmatic granulomatosis which is a subset of severe asthma "with small-airway changes consistent with asthma but also with interstitial nonnecrotizing granulomas."[6] In 2016, she was the first woman honored with the Breathing for Life Award from the American Thoracic Society for her "advocacy for women in science and mentoring of young scientists."[7] The following year, she was the recipient of the European Respiratory Society's Presidential Award which "recognizes outstanding contributions to the strengthening of respiratory medicine worldwide."[8]
Wenzel continued her research into the possible pathway leading to asthma exacerbation, which accumulated in a 2017 study published in the journal Cell. Alongside Valerian Kagan and Hulya Bayir, Wenzel described, for the first time, a cell-death pathway that can destroy healthy cells, resulting in tissue and organ damage. They found that the protein PEBP1 "serves as the pathway warden in controlling whether a certain enzyme (15LO) ends up making a fat molecule or lipid (OOH-PEs) in such volumes that they signal the activation of the cell-death process."[9] In 2018, Wenzel was appointed the Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.[10] She was also the recipient of the Ladies Hospital Aid Society Trailblazer award for her "studies of severe asthma, and asthma phenotypes."[11] While serving in the role as Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health, Wenzel became an investigator in the clinical trial for the new biologic drug dupilumab.[12]
Selected publications
edit- The pathobiology of asthma: implications for treatment
- Wenzel, Sally E.; Chipps, Bradley E.; Rasouliyan, Lawrence; Borish, Larry; Haselkorn, Tmirah; Lee, June H. (2007-12-01). "Risk Factors Associated With Persistent Airflow Limitation in Severe or Difficult-to-Treat Asthma: Insights From the TENOR Study". Chest. 132 (6): 1882–1889. doi:10.1378/chest.07-0713. ISSN 0012-3692. PMID 18079222.
Personal life
editWenzel is married to Dana Morganroth, the founding director of the Pittsburgh Freethought Community.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b Twity, Jim (January 22, 1974). "Sally Wenzel". The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved November 14, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "200 attend Citrus High award fete". Tampa Bay Times. June 3, 1974. Retrieved November 14, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sally E. Wenzel, MD". profiles.dom.pitt.edu. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Sally E. Wenzel, M.D." atopicderm.org. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "RECOGNITION AWARDEES FOR SCIENTIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS". conference.thoracic.org. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Rothenberg, Mark E.; Bousquet, Jean (October 1, 2012). "News Beyond Our Pages". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 130 (4): 827–828. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.08.026. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Synett, Lawrence (May 16, 2016). "Sally Wenzel Honored with Philanthropy Award From American Thoracic Society". inside.upmc.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Sally Wenzel Receives European Respiratory Society Presidential Award". pittwire.pitt.edu. September 27, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Templeton, David (October 19, 2017). "Pitt researchers unlock clues to cell death, which could lead to preventive treatments". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ "Dr. Wenzel appointed new Chair of Environmental and Occupational Health". asthmainstitute.pitt.edu. May 2, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Dr. Wenzel Honored with 2018 LHAS Trailblazer Award". asthmainstitute.pitt.edu. September 10, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ Daly, Jill (April 8, 2019). "Severe asthma patients get new drugs, new understanding for 'invisible disease'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ "Dana L. Morganroth - Secular Celebrant, Past President". Pittsburgh Freethought Community. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
External links
editSally Wenzel publications indexed by Google Scholar