Meet the 2026 Awardee: Charles S. Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, ATSF
Charles S. Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, ATSF is a physician-scientist with nearly two decades of contributions to the American Thoracic Society, the Pulmonary Infections and Tuberculosis Assembly and the field in pneumonia. Dr. Dela Cruz completed his MD/PhD training in Immunology at the University of Toronto and Yale University, followed by residency and fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Yale. He rose through the faculty ranks at Yale before joining the University of Pittsburgh, where he now serves as Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean of Faculty Research and Career Enhancement, and Director of the Center for Lung Injury and Infection. He holds the UPMC Endowed Chair in Acute Lung Injury and Infection and serves as Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Dela Cruz has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, maintaining continuous extramural funding from the NIH, VA, Department of Defense, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His research program has advanced the understanding of host–lung–microbial interactions, with particular focus on the innate immune mechanisms that govern susceptibility and resilience in bacterial and viral pneumonia. His seminal discoveries in host lung interferon responses to respiratory infection have shaped how the field conceptualizes early immune defense, and his translational work during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-leading studies that defined critical immune responses and identified clinically actionable biomarkers of disease severity which exemplified his ability to bridge bench science and bedside care at a moment of urgent global need.
Within the field of pneumonia specifically, Dr. Dela Cruz has been a driving intellectual and organizational force. He has chaired multiple ATS workshops advancing pneumonia research (2018), host-directed approaches to pneumonia management (2019), and experimental models of bacterial pneumonia (2025), convening multidisciplinary experts to set research agendas and define the boundaries of the field. His contributions to ATS-sponsored clinical practice guidelines including nucleic acid-based testing for non-influenza viral pathogens in adults with community-acquired pneumonia (2022) and the Diagnosis and Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia ATS Clinical Practice Guideline (2025) have directly shaped how clinicians across the country diagnose and treat this leading cause of infectious mortality.
Within ATS and the PITB Assembly, Dr. Dela Cruz has served in many leadership capacities including PITB Assembly Chair (2021–2024), Program Committee Chair, and Co-Chair of the Pneumonia Advisory Group. He has chaired and served as a member of the ATS Research Education Working Group (2014–2019) and was the inaugural Chair of the ATS PITB Early Career Professional Working Group, reflecting his enduring dedication to mentoring and career development. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and in 2025, he received the ATS Scientific Achievement Award.
As a mentor, Dr. Dela Cruz has guided generations of trainees to NIH K awards, Career Development Awards, and Parker B. Francis Fellowships, and he co-leads the NIH-funded PICTOR physician-scientist development program at Pittsburgh. His tireless advocacy for pulmonary infection programming and early-career development has strengthened the Assembly's mission at every level.
Description
This award is given to a PI-TB member with clear commitment to PI-TB and the ATS, advancing their missions, and with significant contribution(s) to the PI-TB Assembly in the area(s) of research, clinical care, teaching, mentoring or service (may include leadership).
Criteria
- Associate Professor, Professor, or equivalent
- At least 20 years from having completed postdoctoral or clinical training, excluding time off for personal circumstances
- PI-TB Assembly Member (primary or secondary)
- Significant contribution(s) to the PI-TB Assembly in the area(s) of research, clinical care, teaching, mentoring or service, typically including leadership.
Submit
- Nomination letter from sponsor(s) (2-page limit, using a template)
- Updated candidate CV