“I like to think of myself as bivalent – kind of like the COVID vaccine. A big chunk of my lab’s work focuses on the regulation of IL-9 and the functions of IL-9 in the context of autoimmune and autoinflammatory (rheumatic) diseases. But I also have a growing program studying the genetic architecture of autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions, based on rare/monogenic variants. This includes managing one of the only coordinated adult-pediatric autoinflammatory diagnosis/treatment programs in the US.”
Member Highlights Interview with Signals+ Co-Editor-in-Chief Daniella Schwartz
Please tell us your name, degree, where you currently work, position
Daniella M. Schwartz, MDUniversity of PittsburghAssistant Professor, Departments of Medicine and ImmunologyI am also the co-director of our Autoinflammatory Center of Excellence and the director of research for our Immunogenetics Discovery Center.
Where did you do your training?
Medical school – Wake Forest University School of MedicineResidency – Virginia Commonwealth University (Internal Medicine) Clinical Fellowship – NIAMS, NIH (Rheumatology)Postdoctoral Fellowship – lab of John O’Shea, studying T cell epigenetics and lineage plasticityTransition Program in Clinical Research – labs of Josh Milner and Pam Guerrerio, NIAID, NIH. Studying mechanisms of dysregulation in subjects with inborn errors of immunity.
Briefly, what is your research about?
I like to think of myself as bivalent – kind of like the COVID vaccine. A big chunk of my lab’s work focuses on the regulation of IL-9 and the functions of IL-9 in the context of autoimmune and autoinflammatory (rheumatic) diseases. But I also have a growing program studying the genetic architecture of autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions, based on rare/monogenic variants. This includes managing one of the only coordinated adult-pediatric autoinflammatory diagnosis/treatment programs in the US.
Tell us your thoughts about ICIS: how has being involved in the Cytokine Society help your career?
Some of my best collaborations came out of ICIS! I met Mark Kaplan and Dusan Bogunovic for the first time at ICIS meetings – both of whom I’ve now invited to speak at Pitt for seminars. Mark has become a regular collaborator, and we’re co-organizing an ICIS satellite meeting this summer in San Francisco: the first IL-9 meeting ever. I’m really excited to be taking a more active role in Signals+ and hope to become more active in the ICIS community with time.
Are there any particular friendships or collaborations that came specifically out of Cytokines meetings?
See above – probably my friendship and collaboration with Mark is the most notable one to come out of an ICIS meeting. Of course, I also collaborate extensively with Sarah Gaffen – but we knew each other before the meetings. (She is actually the reason I got involved in ICIS in the first place.)
What Cytokines meeting(s) have been your favorites? Tell us about any special memories or anecdotes.
Definitely the Hawaii meeting. That was my first meeting after setting up as an independent investigator at Pitt. The venue on Kona was amazing – where else can you take a 6am walk along the beach to look for sea turtles, and then come back for a day of science? I ended up running into a bunch of old friends from NIH, which was an unexpected surprise. And the science was fantastic – lots of unpublished data, including exciting new mechanisms that ended up impacting my research directions as I was starting out.
What do you like to do when not in the lab?
Well, I have 3 kids, so I spend most of my time herding proverbial cats. But when I have time for hobbies, I am a huge music enthusiast – I play piano and sing, and I love all the concert scenes (classical, alternative, jazz, folk, pop) but especially small clubs. I enjoy biking or hiking outdoors, or reading a good book. And I like to write – I actually will have a children’s book published (under a pen name) later this year!
What is the best life/career advice you’ve ever received?
While in medical residency, I had my first child. I felt totally overwhelmed after returning to work. I considered deferring or delaying fellowship to work part-time in private practice. One of my mentors, Lenore Buckley, told me to remember that careers are not always a direct pathway from point A to point B – that lots of careers shift over time. She advised me to give myself time to adjust and give myself permission to explore all my career options. So, instead of leaving academia I went in the opposite direction. I did an extra year of chief residency to immerse myself in teaching, and then I did a postdoctoral fellowship to really see what research was like. If I hadn’t taken those extra years, I would have missed out on some of the most rewarding parts of my career.
What book or TV show are you reading/watching right now that you recommend?
I’ve been reading This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson. It is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Robert FitzRoy, the captain who piloted the HMS Beagle.
What is your favorite cytokine?
IL-9 of course! Although IL-1b is a close second these days.
