Dr. Nagel is a Senior Instructor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care. His graduate work examined the pathogenesis of vascular smooth muscle remodeling and smooth muscle cell phenotype switching, specifically exploring the role of Phosphodiesterase 1A in this process. As a pulmonologist, he has translated the skills he learned as a graduate student to examine the pathology of myofibroblast differentiation signaling as it applies to the development of pulmonary fibrosis. In conjunction with Drs. Sime and Kottmann, his work focuses on the interactions between a family of proton-sensing G-Protein Coupled Receptors, the extracellular matrix, and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta dependent signaling pathways. The interstitial lung disease group is also involved in several clinical trials and was one of the nation's top enrolling institutions in the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation patient registry.
