-
Arizona Health Sciences Center, Rm. 4410
Jason Wertheim
-
Professor of Surgery
-
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
-
Vice Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
-
Vice Dean, Research and Graduate Studies (Banner)
Dr. Wertheim is a surgeon-scientist, biomedical engineer, and Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson. Dr. Wertheim is a transplant surgeon, and he directs a multidisciplinary laboratory in biomedical engineering, studying the response of cells to grow into mature tissue to develop cells for therapy and transplantation.
He received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and MD and PhD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He trained in general surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital and completed a fellowship in abdominal transplant surgery at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center.
Dr. Wertheim’s research laboratory is centered on biomedical engineering, developing biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. His laboratory also investigates the growth and differentiation of cells into mature tissue liver, kidney and vascular tissue within biomaterial scaffolds to model disease or develop cells for therapy and tissue transplantation. Dr. Wertheim is a member of the NIH (Re)Building a Kidney (RBK) Consortium that develops kidney cell types and biomaterials to repair and regenerate renal tissue. In 2019, Dr. Wertheim was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his kidney-related research.
Degrees
- M.D.
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Ph.D. Bioengineering
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- From the Philadelphia chromosome to the cytoskeleton: The role of BCR-ABL in modulating cell adhesion and initiating leukemia
- B.S. Chemical Engineering (major), Biology (minor)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- Synthesis of polyanhydride copolymers to deliver interferon- to ocular tissues to reduce scar tissue formation after glaucoma surgery
Work Experience
- University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2020 - Ongoing)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2020 - Ongoing)
- University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2020 - Ongoing)
- University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2020 - Ongoing)
- Banner University Medical Center (2020 - Ongoing)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2020 - Ongoing)
- Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System (SAVAHCS) (2020 - Ongoing)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2019 - 2020)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2019 - 2020)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2017 - 2020)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2017 - 2019)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2017 - 2019)
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center (2013 - 2020)
- Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital (2013 - 2019)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2013 - 2017)
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital (2011 - 2020)
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (2011 - 2017)
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (2009 - 2011)
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (2004 - 2009)
Interests
Teaching
My teaching activities center on instructing medical trainees in the surgical care of transplant patients or those in need of organ replacement. Within my laboratory, I mentor undergraduate and graduate students in dissertation-level research and post-doctoral scientists in transitioning their research toward independence. I am also dedicated to helping faculty develop their own research programs and mentoring junior faculty in their career progression.
Research
Our research is focused on studying the development of bio-artificial liver, kidney and vascular tissue. My laboratory utilizes novel bioreactors, 3D printing, biomaterial scaffolds and organoid tissue models to study disease and develop cells for therapy or transplantation.
Courses
Rsrch Meth Biomed Engr
BME 592 (Fall 2022)
Dissertation
BME 920 (Spring 2024)
BME 920 (Fall 2023)
Licensure & Certification
- Step I, II, and III United States Medical Licensing Exam, (2005)
- Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) Program, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). (2009)
- State of California, unrestricted medical license, (2009)
- State of Illinois, unrestricted medical license, (2011)
- Certification, American Board of Surgery, (2012)
- State of Arizona, unrestricted medical license, (2020)
Selected Publications
Journals/Publications
- Jones, T. M., Espitia, C. M., Chipollini, J., Lee, B. R., Wertheim, J. A., Carew, J. S., & Nawrocki, S. T. (2023). Targeting NEDDylation is a Novel Strategy to Attenuate Cisplatin-induced Nephrotoxicity. Cancer research communications, 3(2), 245-257.
- Koss, K. M., Sereda, T. J., Kumirov, V. K., & Wertheim, J. A. (2023). A class of peptides designed to replicate and enhance the Receptor for Hyaluronic Acid Mediated Motility binding domain. Acta biomaterialia, 167, 293-308.
- Koss, K. M., Son, T., Li, C., Hao, Y., Cao, J., Churchward, M. A., Zhang, Z. J., Wertheim, J. A., Derda, R., & Todd, K. G. (2023). Toward discovering a novel family of peptides targeting neuroinflammatory states of brain microglia and astrocytes. Journal of neurochemistry.
- Nawrocki, S., Carew, J. S., Wertheim, J. A., Chipollini, J., Jones, T., Lee, B. R., Nawrocki, S., Carew, J. S., Wertheim, J. A., Chipollini, J., Jones, T., & Lee, B. R. (2023). Targeting NEDDylation is a novel strategy to attenuate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. . American Association for Cancer Research.
- Sun, J., Ince, M. N., Abraham, C., Barrett, T., Brenner, L. A., Cong, Y., Dashti, R., Dudeja, P. K., Elliott, D., Griffith, T. S., Heeger, P. S., Hoisington, A., Irani, K., Kim, T. K., Kapur, N., Leventhal, J., Mohamadzadeh, M., Mutlu, E., Newberry, R., , Peled, J. U., et al. (2023). Modulating microbiome-immune axis in the deployment-related chronic diseases of Veterans: report of an expert meeting. Gut microbes, 15(2), 2267180.
- Hekman, K. E., Koss, K. M., Ivancic, D. Z., He, C., & Wertheim, J. A. (2022). Autophagy Enhances Longevity of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelium via mTOR-Independent ULK1 Kinase. Stem cells translational medicine, 11(11), 1151-1164.
- Naved, B. A., Bonventre, J. V., Hubbell, J. A., Hukriede, N. A., Humphreys, B. D., Kesselman, C., Valerius, M. T., McMahon, A. P., Shankland, S. J., Wertheim, J. A., White, M. J., de Caestecker, M. P., & Drummond, I. A. (2022). Kidney repair and regeneration: perspectives of the NIDDK (Re)Building a Kidney consortium. Kidney international, 101(5), 845-853.
- Das, P., DiVito, M. D., Wertheim, J. A., & Tan, L. P. (2021). Bioengineered 3D electrospun nanofibrous scaffold with human liver cells to study alcoholic liver disease in vitro. Integrative biology : quantitative biosciences from nano to macro, 13(7), 184-195.
- Gupta, A. K., Ivancic, D. Z., Naved, B. A., Wertheim, J. A., & Oxburgh, L. (2021). An efficient method to generate kidney organoids at the air-liquid interface. Journal of biological methods, 8(2), e150.
- Parsons, R. F., Baquerizo, A., Kirchner, V. A., Malek, S., Desai, C. S., Schenk, A., Finger, E. B., Brennan, T. V., Parekh, K. R., MacConmara, M., Brayman, K., Fair, J., Wertheim, J. A., & , A. C. (2021). Challenges, highlights, and opportunities in cellular transplantation: A white paper of the current landscape. American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.
- Wysocki, J., Ye, M., Hassler, L., Gupta, A. K., Wang, Y., Nicoleascu, V., Randall, G., Wertheim, J. A., & Batlle, D. (2021). A Novel Soluble ACE2 Variant with Prolonged Duration of Action Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Human Kidney Organoids. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN.
- Das, P., DiVito, M. D., Wertheim, J. A., & Tan, L. P. (2020). Collagen-I and fibronectin modified three-dimensional electrospun PLGA scaffolds for long-term in vitro maintenance of functional hepatocytes. Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications, 111, 110723.
- Ferrer, J. R., Sinegra, A. J., Ivancic, D., Yeap, X. Y., Qiu, L., Wang, J. J., Zhang, Z. J., Wertheim, J. A., & Mirkin, C. A. (2020). Structure-Dependent Biodistribution of Liposomal Spherical Nucleic Acids. ACS nano, 14(2), 1682-1693.
- Kumar Gupta, A., Sarkar, P., Wertheim, J. A., Pan, X., Carroll, T. J., & Oxburgh, L. (2020). Asynchronous mixing of kidney progenitor cells potentiates nephrogenesis in organoids. Communications biology, 3(1), 231.
- Zheng, F., Tully, A., Koss, K. M., Zhang, X., Qiu, L., Wang, J. J., Naved, B. A., Ivancic, D. Z., Mathew, J. M., Wertheim, J. A., & Zhang, Z. J. (2020). Taking the Next Step: a Neural Coaptation Orthotopic Hind Limb Transplant Model to Maximize Functional Recovery in Rat. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.
Awards
- Science Education Award
- American Association for Cancer Research, Fall 1999
- American Association for Cancer Research, Fall 2000
- Summer Medical Student Research Scholarship
- American Society of Hematology, Summer I 1997
- Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) NIH Fellowship
- University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1996
- University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2002
- Randolph Wei Award
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fall 1996
- Scholar of the Year
- Sigma Nu Fraternity, Fall 1996
- Outstanding Associate Advisor Award
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fall 1995
- Fellowship
- National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduates, Fall 1995
- Winner, Paper Competition
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Chemical Engineering, Fall 1995
- Burchard Scholar
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fall 1993
- Investigator of the Year
- Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System, Fall 2023
- Merit Award
- American Society of Hematology, Summer I 2021
- Vanguard Prize
- American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Summer I 2021
- Member
- Society of University Surgeons, Fall 2020
- Young Investigator Award
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society, Fall 2019
- Northwestern Dixon Translational Research Grant, Fall 2011
- Presidential Early Career Award
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Fall 2019
- Fellow
- American College of Surgeon, Fall 2018
- American Society of Transplantation, Fall 2015
- Named Edward G. Elcock Professor of Surgical Research
- Northwestern University, Fall 2017
- Basic Science Career Development Award
- American Society of Transplantation, Fall 2017
- Faculty Development Grant
- American Society of Transplantation, Fall 2016
- American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Fall 2013
- Innovation Award
- Northwestern Dixon Translational Research Grant, Fall 2013
- Career Development Award
- Society for the Surgery of the Alimentary Track, Fall 2013
- Liver Scholar Award
- American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Fall 2012
- Northwestern Chemistry of Life Processes Institute Chairman’s Innovation Award
- Northwestern University, Fall 2011
- Clinical Science Award
- Genzyme Annual Fellows Conference, Fall 2011
- Alpha Omega Alpha
- National Medical Honor Society, Fall 2004
- Rose Meadow Levinson Memorial Prize
- University of Pennsylvania - School of Medicine, Fall 2002
- Graduate Research Fellowship
- The Whitaker Foundation, Fall 2002
- The Whitaker Foundation, Fall 2001
- The Whitaker Foundation, Fall 2000
- Finalist - ASIM Medical Student Competition Poster Presentation
- American College of Physicians, Fall 2002
- William B. Walsh Award
- William B. Walsh Award-Excellence in Bioengineering, Fall 2001