David H. Perlmutter, MD is the executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor at Washington University. He was a member of the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University from 1986-2001 and then became the Vira I. Heinz Endowed Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, distinguished professor of pediatrics and professor of cell biology at the University of Pittsburgh, and physician-in-chief and scientific director of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
Perlmutter has carried out basic research on alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency for over 25 years. His work has led to many new concepts about how this deficiency leads to liver disease in children and adults and innovative concepts for its treatment. In 2010 his group discovered a new pharmacological strategy that prevents liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in a mouse model of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and that strategy is now being tested in Phase II/III clinical trials. The strategy also has the potential to revolutionize treatment for other diseases caused by misfolded and aggregation-prone proteins.
Perlmutter is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2008. He has served as the president of the Society of Pediatric Research and as a member of the Advisory Council of the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases.