Dr. Charles McTiernan is a Research Assistant Professor within the Department of Cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Prior to his arrival at the university, Dr. McTiernan was a project scientist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, within the Department of Heart and Hypertension, from 1987-1993. During that time, he also spent one year (1983) as a Research Assistant within the Johns Hopkins University Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, before joing the University of Pittsbrugh faculty in 1994.

Dr. McTiernan holds a B.A. in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross and received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Case Western Reserve University in 1982. Following his studies, he completed a one year Postdoctoral Fellowship as a Northeast Ohio Affiliate of the American Heart Association in 1983. Additionally, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, from 1984-1985, and completed a four year Postdoctoral Fellowship in 1987 as a Research Associate at Case Western University within the Department of Pharmacology.

In addition to his responsibilities at the School of Medicine, Dr. McTiernan remains actively involved in research efforts at the university. Recently, he has been featured in several publications for his research concerning cardiology, gene expression and metabolic biology. Currently, his efforts are focused on exploring evidence that suggests that alterations in calcium cycling occur in heart failure, leading to deficiencies in relaxation. A variety of studies suggest that genes that encode proteins defining calcium cycling are expressed at different levels in the failing heart, leading to alterations in the cellular biochemistry defining cardiac relaxation. The primary focus of Dr. McTiernan's research is the determination of the mechanisms by which alterations in expression of these genes may occur, as well as identifying hormonal stimuli that may modify the expression of genes that define cardiac function.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dr. Charles McTiernan
Phone: (412) 648-3016
Email: mctiernanc@msx.upmc.edu