Dr. Jay K. Kolls is a McGowan faculty member, a Professor of Pediatrics, and is the Chief of Pulmonology Services at The Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kolls earned his B.S. in Physics from the Unsinus College in 1981 and his M.D. in 1985 from the University of Maryland. He received additional training at Louisiana State University, Tulane University Medical Centerl and was a Post-Doc Research Fellow at Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The major goal of Dr. Kolls’s research is to investigate mechanisms of lung host defenses in normal and immunocompromised hosts. Presently, his research is investigating how IL-23 and IL-17 regulate neutrophil recruitment in response to infectious stimuli in the lung. In addition, there is a long-standing interest in understanding cytokine biology in the lung through over-expression or dominant negative inhibitor strategies using somatic gene transfer. In these studies, Dr. Kolls has identified that sub-populations of CD8+ T-cells polarized in vivo via cytokine gene transfer have effector activity against P. carinii pneumonia. Currently, Dr. Kolls is using gene expression profiling and proteomics to define this effector activity and is using a program in developing CD4-independent vaccination against AIDS-related opportunistic infections.
Dr. Kolls’s clinical care focuses on the diagnosis, evaluation and management of diseases of the respiratory tract. Patients are seen for assessment of any pulmonary problem including asthma, cough, atelectasis, airway lesions, chronic or recurrent pneumonia and sleep apnea. A multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, nutritionists and social workers offers patient management, patient/family education and support services.
Sweat testing and pulmonary function testing are available at the request of the referring physician and do not require consultation. Evaluation by the pulmonologist is needed before flexible bronchoscopy or sleep studies.
Comprehensive programs are provided for patients with:
- Chronic lung disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Asthma
- Lung transplantation
- Home mechanical ventilation
Dr. Kolls is a member of several professional and scientific societies including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Thoracic Society, and the American Medical Association.
Dr. Kolls has written over 125 abstracts, 35 articles, 7 book chapters, and a number scientific presentations at various conferences and meetings.
View Publications.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Jay K. KollsEmail: jay.kolls@chp.edu