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Allyson S. Larkin, MD

  • Associate Professor of Pediatrics
  • Clinical Director of the Pediatric Asthma Center
  • Co-Director of the Difficult to Treat Asthma Clinic

Administrative Assistant: Joann Broadus

Allyson Larkin, MD is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the division of Allergy and Immunology. She serves as the Clinical Director for the Pediatric Asthma Center and Co Directs the Difficult to Treat Asthma Clinic. Dr. Larkin earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University and completed medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Larkin is interested in the care of children and young adults with severe asthma. She helped to establish the Difficult to Treat Asthma clinic at UPMC CHP. She currently serves as the Chair of the Education Committee in the Asthma Stakeholders Group. Here, she is working to implement updated asthma guidelines and make learning resources for both patients and providers more accessible. She has received a UPMC Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service, she has been recognized as a Top Doctor in Pittsburgh Magazine and is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and past President of the Pennsylvania Allergy and Asthma Association.

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 2008-Present 
  • Pennsylvania Allergy and Asthma Association, 2011-Present 
  • Pennsylvania Medical Society, 2018-Present 
  • American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 2020-Present

Education & Training

  • BA, Biology, Brandeis University, 1999
  • MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2004
  • Internship in Internal Medicine, Jefferson University Hospital, 2004-2005
  • Residency in Internal Medicine, Jefferson University Hospital, 2005-2007
  • Fellowship in Allergy/Immunology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2008-2010
  • Advanced Fellowship in Allergy/Immunology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2010-2011

Selected Publications

Ross KR, Gupta R, DeBoer MD, Zein J, Phillips BR, Mauger DT, Li C, Myers RE, Phipatanakul W, Fitzpatrick AM, Ly NP, Bacharier LB, Jackson DJ, Celedón JC, Larkin A, Israel E, Levy B, Fahy JV, Castro M, Bleecker ER, Meyers D, Moore WC, Wenzel SE, Jarjour NN, Erzurum SC, Teague WG, Gaston B, Severe asthma during childhood and adolescence: A longitudinal study.  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  2020 Jan;145(1):140-146.e9. PubMed PMID:31622688 

Fitzpatrick AM, Gillespie SE, Mauger DT, Phillips BR, Bleecker ER, Israel E, Meyers DA, Moore WC, Sorkness RL, Wenzel SE, Bacharier LB, Castro M, Denlinger LC, Erzurum SC, Fahy JV, Gaston BM, Jarjour NN, Larkin A, Levy BD, Ly NP, Ortega VE, Peters SP, Phipatanakul W, Ramratnam S, Teague WG .  Racial Disparities in asthma-related health care use in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Severe Asthma Research Program.  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2019 June;143 (6):2052-61. PubMed PMID 30635198. 

Sommerfield, C, Nowalk, A., Weiner, D. Larkin, A. Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome from E Cigarette Use. Pediatrics. 2018 June; 141(6). PubMed PMID: 29773665.

Wenzel SE, Vitari CA, Shende M, Strollo DC, Larkin A, Yousem SA. Asthmatic granulomatosis: a novel disease with asthmatic and granulomatous features. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012 Sep 15;186(6):501-7. PubMed PMID 22773731

Sharma, S. Almeida, F. Kierstein, S. Hortobagyi, L. Lin, T. Larkin, A. Peterson, J. Yagita, H. Zangrilli, J. Haczku, A. Systemic FasL neutralization increases eosinophilic inflammation in a mouse model of asthma. Allergy. 2011 Mar; 67 (3):328-35. PubMed PMID 22175699

Gomez, M., Lee, A., Reddy, B., Muir, A., Soong, G., Pitt, A., Cheung, A., Prince, A.  Staphylococcus aureus protein A induces airway epithelial inflammatory responses by activating TNFR1. Nature Medicine. 2004 Aug;10 9(8): 842-48. PubMed PMID 15247912

Ratner, A.J., Bryan, R., Weber, A., Nguyen, S., Barnes, D., Pitt, A.S., Gelber, S.,Cheung, A., Prince, A. Cystic fibrosis pathogens activate calcium-dependent mitogen activated protein kinase signaling pathways in airway epithelial cells. J Biol Chem. 2001 Jun 1; 276 (22): 19267-75 PubMed PMID 11278360

Grandis, J.R., Drenning, S.D., Chakraborty, A., Zhou, M.Y., Zeng, Q., Pitt, A.S., Tweardy, D.J. Requirement of Stat3 but not Stat1 Activation for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-mediated Cell Growth in Vitro. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1998 October; 102(7): 1385-92. PubMed PMID 9769331 

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »

Academic and Research Interests

  • Asthma
  • Allergy
  • Health equity

Research Grants

Development of Food Allergy After Solid Organ Transplant, 2019-Present

Severe Asthma Clinic Patient Characteristics Database, 2019-Present 

Manuscript of Parasitic Infections Detected in Allergy Clinic, 2019-Present

1 U01 HL119952, Vitamin D to Prevent Severe Asthma Exacerbations in High-Risk Children, (PI, effort 5%), 2015-2020, $3,523,385

5 U10 HL109086-02, Severe Asthma Research Program, (PI, effort 5%), 2012-Present, $452,500