University of Pennsylvania / School of Medicine / Beers Lab

Michael F. Beers, M.D.

      Professor of Medicine

      Surfactant Biology Laboratories
      Translational Research Center - Room 11-104
      3400 Civic Center Blvd.
      Philadelphia, PA 19104-5159

      Telephone: (215) 898-9106

      Fax: (215) 746-5985

      Email: mfbeers@mail.med.upenn.edu

EDUCATION:

• MD: University of Pennsylvania
• Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
• Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship: University of Pennsylvania
• Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship: Institute for Environmental Medicine

Michael Beers has pursued an academic career centered in basic research of surfactant protein metabolism and lung epithelial cell biology.  He currently holds a joint appointment as Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division and Senior Investigator at the Institute for Environmental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

• As a native Philadelphian and graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Beers completed Medical School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1985.  His post-graduate training has included an Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine, and Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  Dr. Beers trained as a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Aron Fisher at the Institute for Environmental Medicine at PENN and joined the faculty at PENN in 1993.

• Dr Beers serves as Group Leader for the following active projects:

• Biosynthetic Pathways for expression of SP-C : The cellular metabolism of surfactant protein C with emphasis on the intracellular trafficking of SP-C and the role of Nedd4-2 Ubiquitin Ligase.

• SP-C Mutations, Proteostasis, and Parenchymal Lung Disease. Using SP-C as a model, we are characterizing the mechanisms underlying the development of cellular dysfunction and apoptosis in vitro leading to the development of conformational lung disease and pulmonary fibrosis in vivo.

• Host Defense Roles of Surfactant: The role of surfactant and specifically the pulmonary collectins (surfactant proteins A and D) in the modulation of inflammation and injury.

• Dr Beers serves as Director of Basic Research Training and Co-Director of the NIH T32 training grant for post-doctoral research in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division. If you are interested in post-doctoral fellowship training, contact Dr. Beers via e-mail.