Faculty

Horace M. DeLisser, MD

faculty photo
Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care)
Department: Medicine

Contact information
Room 644
6th Floor, South Pavilion, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162
Office: (215) 898-4409
Fax: (215) 898-0833
Education:
BA
Temple University , 1981.
M.D.
University of Pennsylvania, 1985.
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Description of Research Expertise

Research Interests
[1] Endothelial Cell Adhesion and Motility
[2] Angiogenesis
[3] Tumor Metastasis
[4] Pulmonary Hypertension

Description of Research
PECAM-1 AND ANGIOGENESIS: The formation of blood vessels involves the migration of endothelial cells from preexisting vessels and their subsequent assembly into new vascular channels. PECAM-1 is an endothelial-expressed molecule that appears to play a role in angiogenesis by promoting the efficiency of endothelial cell migration. Current studies in my laboratory investigate the intracellular signaling cascades, triggered by PECAM-1, that promote endothelial cell motility.
PECAM-1 AND TUMOR METASTASIS TO THE LUNG: In an emerging area for our group, recent collaborative efforts by our laboratory have demonstrated that antagonism of PECAM-1 function or loss of its expression on endothelial cells inhibits the development of experimental lung metastases. It appears that the mechanism of this inhibition does not involve an impairment of angiogenesis, but other potential processes that are now the subject of active investigation.
PULMONARY HYPERTENSION: Since 2011, I have served as the Director of Cell Center Core for the Pulmonary Hypertension Breakthrough Initiative located at the University of Pennsylvania. Using techniques we have developed that enable the site-specific isolation of endothelial, smooth muscle and advential cells from the main and types I, II, and III arterial segments, our core has been successfully responsible for isolating, banking and distributing to investigators across the country lung vascular cells. In addition, we have been actively engaged in characterizing the site-specific functional and molecular differences between these cells.

Lab personnel:
Valsamma Abraham, PhD– Senior Investigator
Rahul Kupar, B.S. – Research Specialist

Description of Clinical Expertise

[1] General Pulmonary Medicine
[2] Critical Care Medicine

Description of Other Expertise

Medical Education - Physician Professionalism and Humanism
My relevant areas of interest include social medicine, cultural competency, doctor-patient interactions, medical ethics, end-of-life issues, and religion and spirituality. I was the co-principle investigator for the NIH, NHLBI funded grant “Cultural Competence Health Disparities Training Program”. In addition, I co-edited the book, “Achieving Cultural Competency, A Case-based Approach to Training Health Professionals”. At the Perelman School of Medicine, I have been actively involved in the professionalism and humanism module of the medical student curriculum, currently serving as the Associate Dean for Professionalism and Humanism. In this position, I have led the school’s efforts to reorganize the curriculum to include social medicine, relational communication, interprofessional education and wellness.


Diversity and Inclusion
I am the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, directing the school’s efforts to promote medical student inclusion and diversity. I have also been involved in promoting graduate medical trainee and faculty diversity at the University of Pennsylvania through various institutional mentoring programs.
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Last updated: 02/19/2024
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