Description of Research Expertise

Paul J. Planet MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a senior researcher at the American Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Planet graduated from Yale University with a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics. He went on to earn his MD and PhD from Columbia University, where he also completed his residency and fellowship training at the Children’s Hospital of New York. His first faculty appointment was in the division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Columbia University.

Dr. Planet’s research program focuses on the evolution and ecology of infectious disease. His current interests include the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistant strains, particularly community acquired MRSA, and the impact of the pulmonary microbiome in cystic fibrosis. Dr. Planet’s laboratory uses whole genome phylogenetics, high-throughput sequencing, and bioinformatics to generate hypotheses that are then tested with bench-based microbiology and molecular techniques.