Ashok Panigrahy, MD
- Clinical & Translational Imaging Research Professor Department of Radiology Pediatric Radiology Division
- Vice Chair Department of Radiology
Dr. Panigrahy is Radiologist-in-Chief, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Imaging Research for the Department of Radiology of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Dr. Panigrahy is also a tenured Full Professor and holds the John F. Caffey Endowed Chair of Pediatric Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh with secondary appointments in the Department of Developmental Biology, Biomedical Informatics and Bio-engineering. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Boston University, followed by a fellowship in Radiology at the University of California and a fellowship in Pediatric Neuroradiology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Panigrahy is presently serving as the Principal Investigator on a multi-center brain connectome R01 grant in collaboration with the NHLBI Pediatric Heart Network, in addition to serving as the Co-Investigator on 6 current NIH grants. He is currently overseeing the neuroimaging harmonization of four current U01 grants with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, the ADAPT pediatric neurotrauma study, the HEAL (High-Dose Erythropoietin for Asphyxia and Encephalopathy) neonatal brain injury study and the POCCA (Personalizing Outcomes after Child Cardiac Arrest) study. Dr. Panigrahy has published over 175 peer-reviewed manuscripts, reviews and book chapters, and mentored over 30 students and postdocs.
Representative Publications
1. Degnan AJ, Ceschin R, Lee V, Schmithorst VJ, Blüml S, Panigrahy A. Early metabolic development of posteromedial cortex and thalamus in humans analyzed via in vivo quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy. J Comp Neurol. 2014 Nov 1;522(16):3717-32.
2. Gertsvolf N, Votava-Smith JK, Ceschin R, Del Castillo S, Lee V, Lai HA, Blüml S, Paquette L, Panigrahy A. Association between subcortical morphology and cerebral white matter energy metabolism in neonates with congenital heart disease. Sci Rep 2018 Sep;8(1):14057. )
3. Panigrahy A, Votava-Smith J, Lee V, Gabriel G, Klena N, Gibbs B, Reynolds WT, Zuccoli G, O'Neil S, Schmithorst VJ, Paquette L, Lo CW. Abnormal brain connectivity and poor neurodevelopmental outcome in congenital heart disease patients with subtle brain dysplasia. Circulation. 2015; 132 (Suppl 3):A16541.
4. Harbison AL, Votava-Smith J, del Castillo S, Kumar SR, Lee V, Schmithorst V, Lai HA, O’Neil S, Blüml S, Paquette L, Panigrahy A. Clinical factors associated with cerebral metabolism in term neonates with congenital heart disease. J Pediatr. 2017 Apr;183:67-73.
5. Panigrahy A, Lee V, Cecshin R, Zuccoli G, Beluk N, Khalifa O, Votava-Smith JK, DeBrunner M, Munoz R, Domina Y, Morell V, Wearden P, Sanchex De Toledo J, Devine W, Zahid,M, Lo CW. Brain dysplasia associated with ciliary dysfunction in congenital heart disease infants. J Pediatr. 2016 Nov;178:141-148.
Research Interests
- Advanced MR imaging of neonatal brain injury
- Advanced MR and PET imaging of pediatric brain tumors
- Pittsburgh Pediatric Device Consortium
- Fetal MR imaging
- Advanced MR imaging of non-accidental trauma
Research Grants
Ongoing Research Support
3R34DA050290-01S2 Panigrahy, Krans & Luna 09/30/2019 – 03/31/2021
National Institutes of Health/NIDA
Longitudinal Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on High-Risk New and Expectant Mothers
This project builds upon ongoing collaborative research efforts across seven geographically representative sites from the NIH HEALthy Brains and Cognitive Development Study to address this critical gap through collection of longitudinal assessments of COVID-19 related stress, childhood birth and neurobehavioral outcomes, and maternal biological specimens. The result will be both an improved understanding of the consequences of the pandemic on these highly vulnerable populations and the identification of risk and protective factors that provide the foundation for future interventions.
Role: Co-PI (Krans & Luna)
1RO1 HL152740* Panigrahy & Gurvitz 03/01/2020 – 02/29/2024
National Institutes of Health/NHLBI
MINDS Neuroimaging Imaging Ancillary Study
This R01 application proposes an ancillary study to the NHLBI-funded Pediatric Heart Network (PHN) “Multi-Institutional Neurocognitive Discovery Study” (MINDS) in Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD). The MINDS-ACHD” study will recruit 500 complex CHD patients between18-30 years old. We propose to quantitate multi-modal neuroimaging biomarkers (brain injury, structure and physiology) which are not only important components of brain and cognitive reserve but can be predictive of neurocognitive decline and early onset of dementia in the aging non-CHD population. (*Project funded – NOA pending as of May 6, 2020)
Role: Co-PI (Gurvitz)
1R34 DA050290-01/3R34 DA050290-01S1 Panigrahy, Krans & Luna 09/30/2019 – 03/29/2021
National Institutes of Health/NIDA
Investigation of Opioid Exposure and Neurodevelopment (iOPEN)
The prevalence of opioid use disorder during pregnancy has quadrupled over the past decade. Understanding the complex associations between prenatal opioid use and child neurodevelopment requires carefully coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts and high-level expertise. This collaborative Phase I proposal will set the foundation for a Phase II study to identify protective and resiliency factors that may inform early interventions for pregnant women and young children experiencing a range of adverse exposures.
Role: Co-PI (Krans & Luna)
3R01 HL128818-05S1 Panigrahy (PI) 08/01/2019 – 04/30/2021
National Institutes of Health/NHLBI
Role: PI
5R01 MH115466-02 Phillips (PI) 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2023
National Institutes of Health/NIMH
Caregiving Effects on the Early Development of Infant Brain-Behavior Relationships
We aim to examine prospective relationships among neural circuitry structure and intrinsic functional connectivity at 3 and 9 months, and change from 3 to 9 months, and: 3-18 month changes in emotional reactivity and regulation.
Role: Co-Investigator
5R01 EB025032-03 Lepore (PI) 09/22/2017 – 06/30/2021
National Institutes of Health/NIBIB
Predicting the Early Childhood Outcomes of Preterm Brain Shape Abnormalities
We propose to develop biomarkers of prematurity by statistically comparing the morphological and diffusion properties of subcortical structures between preterm and term neonates using brain MRI. These results will further be used in a sparse learning framework to predict long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of prematurity.
Role: Co-Investigator
5R01 MH105538-05 Wadhwa (PI) 06/19/2015 – 05/31/2020
National Institutes of Health/NIMH
Intergenerational Effects of Maternal Childhood Trauma on the Fetal Brain
Exposure to severe trauma in childhood such as physical or sexual abuse represents one of the most pervasive and pernicious stressors in society.
Role: Co-Investigator
5R01 HL128818-05 Panigrahy (PI) 08/01/2015 – 04/30/2021
National Institutes of Health/NHLBI
SVR III: Brain Connectome and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
This proposal will address critical gaps in knowledge by relating alterations in brain networks to neurocognitive deficits in Fontan survivors.
Role: PI
7R01 ES016531-04 Haynes (Overall PI) 09/01/2016 – 08/31/2021
National Institutes of Health/NIEHS
Developmental Effects of Manganese Exposure in Rural Adolescents: The CARES Cohort Comes of Age
This overarching hypothesis will be addressed through two specific aims. Evaluate neurodevelopment with historic and current biomarkers of Mn in a cohort of rural adolescents to evaluate the impact of Mn .
Role: Co-Investigator
5U01 NS092764-04 Wu (Overall PI/Site PI: Yanowitz) 09/30/2016 – 6/30/2021
National Institutes of Health/NINDS
HEAL Study (High-Dose Erythropoietin for Asphyxia and Encephalopathy)
This study aims to study 500 infants ≥ 36 weeks of gestation with moderate or severe HIE will be enrolled across a network of 17 study sites to evaluate the outcomes of 450 (225 in each arm) at 2 years of age.
Role: Co-Investigator
W81XWH-16-1-0613 Lo & Panigrahy (Co-PIs) 09/30/2016 – 09/29/2020
Department of Defense
Cilia Dysfunction, Brain Dysplasia, and Poor Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Congenital Heart Disease
Role: Co-PI
5R01 NS096714-04 Fink (PI) 06/01/2016 – 05/31/2021
National Institutes of Health/NINDS
Development of Serum, Imaging, and Clinical Biomarker Driven Models to Direct Clinical Management after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest
Role: Co-Investigator
5R01 EB024408-02 Hetherington (PI) 09/01/2018 – 05/31/2022
National Institutes of Health/NIBIB
Fast Targeted Spectroscopy Imaging for Brain Tumor Imaging at 3T and 7T
Role: Co-Investigator