Fabrisia Ambrosio | |
---|---|
Born | Brazil |
Academic background | |
Education | BSc, biology, 1996, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania MSc, Physiology-Endocrinology, 1998, Université Laval MPT, 1999, Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University PhD, rehabilitation science and technology, 2005, University of Pittsburgh |
Thesis | Étude de l'influence contractile et métabolique de l'anhydrase carbonique III dans le muscle soleus et l'extensor digitorum longus de rats hypo- et hyperthyroidiens (1998) |
Academic work | |
Institutions | University of Pittsburgh |
Main interests | regenerative technologies |
Website | ambrosiolab |
Fabrisia Ambrosio is a Brazilian-born physical therapist and researcher. She is the Director of Rehabilitation for UPMC International and an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine &Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on developing regenerative technologies to prevent or reverse the effect of age and/or environmental exposures on stem cell and tissue function. In 2022,Ambrosio was elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for "outstanding contributions to the novel field of Regenerative Rehabilitation,integrating applied biophysics and cellular therapeutics to optimize tissue function."
Ambrosio was born and raised in Brazil before moving to Pennsylvania as a teenager when her father became a physics professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. [1] While living in Mansfield,Pennsylvania,she attended Mansfield High School. [2] Upon graduating,Ambrosio completed her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Mansfield University before moving to Canada for her Master of Science at the UniversitéLaval. She completed her graduate degree in 1998 and returned to Pennsylvania for her Master's in physical therapy from the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University. [1] Ambrosio finished her formal education with a PhD in Rehabilitation Science and Technology from the University of Pittsburgh where she focused on assistive technologies to assist patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). [3]
Upon completing her PhD,Ambrosio accepted a faculty position in the Department of Physical Medicine &Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). [3] During her early tenure at the institution,Ambrosio continued to focus on how to improve the quality of life for those with MS. In 2007,while working as an investigator at Pitt's Stem Cell Research Center,she released a study showing that those with MS who used motorized chairs had a better quality of life over those who used a manual chair. [1] As an assistant professor,Ambrosio received the 2008 Foundation Research Grant to support her research into stem sells and neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Her research revealed that stem cells were sensitive to electrical stimulation,which could be manipulated to improve the outcomes of transplanting stem cells into dystrophic muscle. [4]
In 2015,Ambrosio served as the senior investigator on a study that researched how arsenic and other environmental contaminants exposures may affect stem cells and their function in adulthood. Using mice,her research team found that chronic exposure to arsenic could lead to stem cell dysfunction that impairs muscle healing and regeneration. [5] Following this,she received two National Institutes of Health awards to study the anti-ageing effect of the protein α-Klotho and dysfunctional muscle remodeling and regeneration in environmental disease. [6] Later that year,in December 2016,Ambrosio was named the Director of Rehabilitation for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) International while maintaining her rank of associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine &Rehabilitation. [7]
As the Director of Rehabilitation for UPMC International,Ambrosio was the co-recipient of the Aging Cell's Best Paper Prize for 2017 for her co-authored paper "Aging of the skeletal muscle extracellular matrix drives a stem cell fibrogenic conversion." [8] She followed this up with the discovery that α-Klotho had the ability to repair DNA damage in the mitochondria. [9] Based on this discovery,she became the co-principal investigator on a project to investigate the effects of a-Klotho on those with Alzheimer’s disease. [10] In the same year,Ambrosio also received the 2020 Life Sciences Award from the Carnegie Science Awards program in recognition of her scientific advances that benefit the economy,health,or societal wellbeing of the region. [11] She was also recognized by Pittsburgh Business Times as a 2021 Women of Influence for her "pioneering research" into regenerative medicine and rehabilitation. [12]
In 2022,Ambrosio was elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for "outstanding contributions to the novel field of Regenerative Rehabilitation,integrating applied biophysics and cellular therapeutics to optimize tissue function." [13]
Outside of Pitt,Ambrosio and her mother established the Ambrosio Academy,a school that teaches English to disadvantaged children in Brazil. [14] She also served as co-course director of a training course to recruit under-represented minorities and provide a hands-on introduction to research strategies and methods in bioengineering. [15]
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is an American integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 92,000 employees,40 hospitals with more than 8,000 licensed beds,800 clinical locations including outpatient sites and doctors' offices,a 3.8 million-member health insurance division,as well as commercial and international ventures. It is closely affiliated with its academic partner,the University of Pittsburgh. It is considered a leading American health care provider,as its flagship facilities have ranked in U.S. News &World Report "Honor Roll" of the approximately 15 to 20 best hospitals in America for over 15 years. As of 2016,its flagship hospital UPMC Presbyterian is ranked 12th nationally among the best hospitals by U.S. News &World Report and ranked in 15 of 16 specialty areas when including UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. This does not include UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh which ranked in the top 10 of pediatric centers in a separate US News ranking.
Klotho is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the KL gene. The three subfamilies of klotho are α-klotho,β-klotho,and γ-klotho. α-klotho activates FGF23,and β-klotho activates FGF19 and FGF21. When the subfamily is not specified,the word "klotho" typically refers to the α-klotho subfamily,because α-klotho was discovered before the other members.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school of the University of Pittsburgh,located in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. The School of Medicine,also known as Pitt Med,is consistently ranked as a "Top Medical School" by U.S. News &World Report in both research and primary care. It was ranked 13th in the category of research and 14th in primary care by U.S. News for 2020 and is separately ranked 17th in the Academic Ranking of World Universities list of best medical schools in the world. The school encompasses both a medical program,offering the doctor of medicine,and graduate programs,offering doctor of philosophy and master's degrees in several areas of biomedical science,clinical research,medical education,and medical informatics.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is an international leader in rehabilitation and disabilities education,research and community service. The School's faculty,students and alumni are dedicated to building a world free of barriers and disparities that allows all people,regardless of health,to have opportunities to participate in life to the fullest. Pitt SHRS includes some of the nation's top-ranked graduate programs including physical therapy,occupational therapy,speech-language pathology and audiology.
UPMC St. Margaret is a mid-sized,acute care,teaching community hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,located in the Lincoln–Lemington–Belmar neighborhood of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,adjacent to the borough of Aspinwall. Situated on 21 acres (8.5 ha),the hospital has 249 beds with more than 800 physicians and 1,500 clinical staff members. In March 2009,UPMC St. Margaret achieved Magnet Recognition status. Magnet status is the highest international recognition for nursing excellence and leadership.
The Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania is a multi-hospital consortium based in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. It is claimed to be one of the world's premiere centers of Emergency Medicine and EMS development. It currently ranks sixth for residencies in emergency medicine by reputation.
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,adjacent to Duquesne University,and a few blocks from the PPG Paints Arena and downtown Pittsburgh. It is the first chartered hospital to have been founded in the city of Pittsburgh and it is also the first hospital in the world to have been established by the Sisters of Mercy. It is also the first teaching hospital in the region,accepting residents to teaching positions beginning in 1848,one year after opening its doors.
The UPMC Rooney Sports Complex is a multipurpose,multisport training,sports science,and sports medical complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The complex is located along the shore of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania and is unique in that it is the only facility in the United States housing the practice and training facilities for both a collegiate National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football team and a professional National Football League (NFL) team,the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively. It is also unique in that it combines these training facilities in one location with an academically based sports science and medicine program. The complex consists of four centers which include the Center for Sports Medicine,Sports Training Center,Indoor Training Center,and the Fitness and Conditioning Center located in three buildings along with four outdoor practice fields all situated on 40 acres (16 ha) of land. The UPMC Center for Sports Medicine located in the complex is an international destination for amateur and professional athletes alike for its training,medical,and rehabilitation studies and services.
The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (Hillman),previously titled the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI),is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,United States,adjacent to UPMC Shadyside. The only NCI-designated cancer center in Western Pennsylvania,Hillman is composed of collaborative academic and research efforts between the University of Pittsburgh,the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC),and Carnegie Mellon University. Hillman provides clinical cancer care to some 74,000 patients treated at its facilities at both the Hillman Cancer Center location in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh and at UPMC-affiliated sites throughout Pennsylvania,New York,Ohio,and overseas locations. Founded in 1984,Hillman became the youngest cancer center in history to achieve NCI-designation. As of 2007,Hillman had received nearly $200 million in funding from the National Cancer Institute,which ranks it as one of the top ten cancer research institutes.
ThePartnership in Education is a non-profit multidisciplinary health literacy and informal science education project based at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. The Partnership in Education produces planetarium shows and other multimedia that focus on topics in health and biology.
Scientastic! is an elementary to middle school age family television show that explores science,health,and social issues through the eyes of today's youth. The show was created by John A. Pollock,Leo Eaton,and Mike Erskine-Kellie. The show's format blends live-action and animation and is a hybrid of mystery and reality genres,incorporating a fictional plot with interviews from actual doctors and scientists in and around Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,where the show is filmed. To date,two episodes have been released. The episode “Are You Sleeping?”was the recipient of two Emmy Awards in 2015.
MIRA is a multidisciplinary and complementary method for treating many chronic diseases. The MIRA Procedure is a result of combining efforts from different medical fields developed in the University of Chicago in 1992. It basically consists in medically grafting live rejuvenated tissue in the form of autologous adipose adult stem cells to a damaged organ in order to restore it and improve its function. This method is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
ISMETT,in Italian,Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione translated as the Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies,is a center for organ transplantation located in Palermo,Italy. ISMETT was founded in 1997 as a partnership between the Region of Sicily,the Civico and Cervello hospitals in Palermo,and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Amy J. Wagers is the Forst Family Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School,an investigator in islet cell and regenerative biology at the Joslin Diabetes Center,and principal faculty of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. She is co-chair of the Department of Stem Cells and Regenerative Biology at Harvard Medical School.
Valerie Horsley is an American cell and developmental biologist. She currently works as an associate professor at Yale University,where she has extensively researched the growth,restoration,and maintenance of skin cells. She is a currently a member of the Yale Cancer Center and Yale Stem Cell Center. She received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2012 and in 2013 she was the recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award.
UPMC Presbyterian is a 900-bed non-profit research and academic hospital located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,providing tertiary care for the Western Pennsylvania region and beyond. It comprises the Presbyterian campus of the combined UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside hospital entity. The medical center is a part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center health system and is the flagship hospital of the system. UPMC Presbyterian also features a state verified Level 1 Trauma Center,1 of 3 in Pittsburgh. Although UPMC Presbyterian has no pediatric services,Presby has the equipment to stabilize and transfer pediatric emergency cases to the nearby UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Amy Joy Houtrow is an American pediatrician and physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. She is the Endowed Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Jyotsna Dhawan is an Indian Cell and Developmental Biologist,Emeritus Scientist at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Visiting Professor,Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem). Dhawan's research has focused on adult stem cell function and skeletal muscle regeneration. Dhawan is the current (2019-2021) President of the Indian Society for Cell Biology and the Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (2017-2020). Dhawan was elected as a fellow to the Indian National Science Academy in 2019.
Thomas A. Rando is an American stem cell biologist and neurologist,best known for his research on basic mechanisms of stem cell biology and the biology of aging. He is the Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and a professor of Neurology and Molecular,Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California,Los Angeles. Prior to joining the UCLA faculty,he served as Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine,where he was also founding director of the Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging. His additional roles while at Stanford included co-founder and deputy director of the Stanford Center on Longevity,founding director of Stanford's Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic,and Chief of Neurology at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Guo-li Ming is a Chinese-American neuroscientist. She is the Perelman Professor of Neuroscience and a member of the Institute of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019,Ming was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for "pioneering the use of patient-derived human stem cells to model genetic and environmental risk for brain disorders,which has transformed our understanding of underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic strategies."
Fabrisia Ambrosio publications indexed by Google Scholar