Kristina Gaietto, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
What is your current position/role?
I'm a physician scientist (Assistant Professor of Pediatrics) at the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
What is your educational background and/or training?
I attended med school at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, then came to UPMC for my Pediatrics residency and stayed for my Pediatric Pulmonology fellowship. During my fellowship, I earned an MPH from the University of Pittsburgh as a T32 Post-Doctoral Scholar. This gave me the foundation to pursue a career as a physician scientist.
What is your main area of interest professionally?
My primary clinical and research interests are in childhood asthma. I currently have a K08 to study pediatric asthma endotypes, with a particular interest in T-helper 2-low endotypes. I am one of the providers in our Difficult to Treat Asthma Clinic, and am a member of the Severe Pediatric Asthma Consortium through the ATS.
How did you become involved in ATS, and what keeps you coming back to the annual ATS International Conference?
My amazing mentor, Dr. Juan Celedón, got me involved in the ATS during my pulmonology fellowship by encouraging me to submit an abstract of my research. Since then, I've continued to submit abstracts to the conference, and have become involved with the Web Committee and the Programming Committee for the Peds Assembly. From 2024-2026, I had the privilege of serving as Web Committee co-chair with the fabulous Annie Coates!
Any advice to give students, young clinicians, early career physician scientists or researchers who work in the field of pulmonary disease, critical illness, and sleep disorders?
My colleagues in pediatric pulmonology (clinicians and researchers) are the absolute best- it is such a wonderful, collaborative community to be a part of! 100/10 recommend this career area- I love the work that we do!
