Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital leader is Tulane’s new vice president for research

Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, the Steven and Nancy Calabrese Endowed Chair for Excellence in Pediatric Care, Research and Education, as well as professor and chair of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, has been named Tulane University’s new vice president for research, effective Sept. 3.

In this position, Piedimonte will be responsible for enhancing Tulane’s research mission across all fields including the humanities, neuroscience, environmental science, infectious diseases and more. In addition to his role as vice president for research, Piedimonte will join the faculty of the Tulane Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine.          

Currently, Piedimonte also serves as chief of Global Pediatric Research Operations of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and director of the Center for Pediatric Research of the Lerner Research Institute in Cleveland. Previously, he served as the first Wyeth Research Scholar, professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at West Virginia University School of Medicine and physician-in-chief of the WVU Children’s Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia.

“I look forward to dedicating myself to expanding Tulane’s research portfolio and promoting scientific productivity across Tulane’s many disciplines and areas of expertise.”

Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte

“Dr. Piedimonte is an internationally renowned physician, researcher and healthcare executive. He brings to Tulane a passion for impactful research of all forms, and a special interest in collaborations that bring together scholars from disparate perspectives and areas of expertise. We are confident that his appointment will ensure that Tulane, which has been responsible for world-changing discoveries and innovations in areas that range from heart surgery and infectious diseases to coastal science and Maya archaeology, will play an increasingly prominent role in expanding our understanding of the world around us and improving the lives of people around the globe,” Tulane President Mike Fitts and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robin Forman said in a joint message to the Tulane community.

“It’s humbling, exciting, and truly a privilege to join one of the very best academic institution in the world!” Piedimonte said. “I look forward to dedicating myself to expanding Tulane’s research portfolio and promoting scientific productivity across Tulane’s many disciplines and areas of expertise.”

Piedimonte received his medical degree from the University of Rome School of Medicine, completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, and received fellowship training at the Cardiovascular Research Institute of the University of California, San Francisco and at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has also received training in healthcare management and managed care and capitation from the University of Miami School of Business; training in health policy and management from Harvard School of Public Health; training in healthcare finance and accounting from Baldwin Wallace University; and training in population health from Thomas Jefferson University.    

Piedimonte’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than 30 years and he has been principal investigator or co-investigator for more than 40 research projects funded by the NIH, the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the American Lung Association, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the pharmaceutical industry. He holds 18 U.S. and international patents.

Piedimonte has authored or co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, monographs, editorials and abstracts. His articles have been published in the country’s leading scientific journals, and he has also published several op-eds on healthcare policy and leadership topics in national newspapers and online media. He has spoken on scientific and healthcare management topics nationally and internationally on more than 500 occasions and is the recipient of numerous prestigious lectureships.

Piedimonte will succeed Dr. Laura Levy, who has served as Tulane’s vice president for research and professor of microbiology and immunology since 2004.  Levy announced last summer that she would step down from her role as vice president for research in 2019.

Michael Cunningham, associate provost and professor of psychology and Africana Studies, will serve as interim vice president for research until July 22. Forman will serve as interim vice president for research from July 22 until Giovanni’s arrival on Sept. 3.