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Marian G. Michaels, MD, MPH

  • Professor of Pediatrics

Michaels is a Professor of Pediatrics and Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. She is the director of the Pediatric HIV center and Co-director of the Pediatric Transplant Infectious Diseases program at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Michaels earned her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Yale University and her Medical Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her training in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and did a year of additional training at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London as a Registrar in Infectious diseases and Immunology. Michaels came to the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for fellowship training in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and earned an Master’s in Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Following fellowship, Michaels joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Michaels’ research and clinical work has focused in several major of aspects of infectious diseases including infections of the immunocompromised hosts with an emphasis on those undergoing transplantation; congenital infection particularly of with cytomegalovirus and acute viral illnesses of children and their prevention by immunization.

Michaels has served on multiple committees and advisory boards for transplantation over the years being a member of the first committees examining the infectious disease issues and ethics of xenotransplantation for the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine’s National Academy of Science. She has held leadership roles with the American Society of Transplantation, International Pediatric Transplantation Association, and the United States Organ Procurement Transplantation Network. She has published over 250 articles, reviews, chapters, and editorials and has been the recipient of a number of awards and honors.

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, 1987-1992, 2007-Present
  • Pennsylvania Academy of Pediatrics, 1987-1992
  • Infectious Disease Society of America, 1989-Present
  • International Association for Research on Epstein-Barr Virus and Associated Diseases, 1991-1996
  • Pediatric Infectious Disease Society, 1995-Present
  • Pittsburgh Committee for Virology, 1996
  • American Society of Transplantation (formerly ASTP, name change 1998), 1996-Present
  • American Society of Microbiology, 1999-Present
  • Society for Pediatric Research, 2000-Present
  • International Pediatric Transplantation Association, 2002-Present
  • International Society of Heart Lung Transplantation, 2015-2016

Education & Training

  • BA, Anthropology, Yale University, 1980
  • MD, University of Pennsylvania, 1985
  • MPH, Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, 1992
  • Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1985-1988
  • Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Great Ormond Street Hospitals for Sick Children, 1988-1989
  • Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 1989-1992

Selected Publications

Khan S, Siow VS, Lewis A, Griffin B, Butler G, Narr M, Srinivasan S, Buchert A, Michaels M, Mollen K. An evidence-based care protocol improves outcomes and decreases cost in pediatric appendicitis. Journal of Surgical Research. 2020;256:390-396. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2020.05.067, 10.1016/j.jss.2020.05.067

Lopez SMC, Davis A, Zinn M, Feingold B, Green M, Michaels MG. Bartonella henselae infection in the pediatric solid organ transplant recipient. Pediatric Transplantation 2020;:e13823. doi:10.1111/petr.13823, 10.1111/petr.13823

Downes K, Danziger-Isakov L, Cousino M, Green M, Michaels M, Muller W, Orscheln R, Sharma T, Statler V, Wattier R, Ardura M. Return to school for pediatric solid organ transplant recipients in the United States during the code.–19 pandemic: Expert opinion on considerations and best practices. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2020;9(5):551-563. doi:10.1093/jpids/piaa095, 10.1093/jpids/piaa095.

Pittet L, Danziger-Isakov L, Allen U, Ardura M, Chaudhuri A, Goddard E, Hoecker B, Michaels M, Vanderlinden D, Green M, Posfay-Barbe K. .Management and prevention of varicella and measles infections in pediatric solid organ transplant candidates and recipients: An IPTA survey of current practice. Pediatric Transplantation 2020;00;e13830. doi:10.1111/petr.13830, 10.1111/petr.13830.

Campbell AP, Ogokeh C, Rha B, Staat MA, Selvarangan R, Halasa NB, Englund JA, Boom JA, Weinberg GA, Williams JV, McNeal M, Harrison CJ, Steward LS, Klein EJ, Sahni LC, Szilagyi PG,  Michaels MG, Hickey, RW, Moffat ME, Pahud BA, Schuster JE, Weddle GM, Lively JY, Fry AM, Patel M. Vaccine effectiveness against influenza hospitalizations and emergency department visits among children in the United States, 2018–2019. Pediatrics. 2020;146(5)doi:10.1542/peds.2020-1368, 10.1542/peds.2020-1368.

Theodoropoulos NM,   La Hoz R,  Wolfe C, , Vece G, Bag R, Berry G, Bucio J, Danziger-Isakov L, Florescu D, Goldberg D, Ho CS, Lilly K, Malinis M, Mehta A, Nalesnik M, Sawyer R, Strasfeld L, Wood P. Michaels MG.  Donor-derived Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Analysis of the OPTN / UNOS Ad Hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee. Transplant Infect Dis. 2020;:e13458. doi:10.1111/tid.13458, 10.1111/tid.13458.

Jones JM, Kracalik I, Rana MM, Nguyen A, Keller BC, Mishkin A, Hoopes C, Kaleekal T, Humar A, Vilaro J, Im G, Smith L, Justice A, Leaumont C, Lindstrom S, Whitaker B, LaHoz, RM, Michaels MG, Klassen D, Kuhnert W, Basavaraju SV. Public Health Investigations of SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among Recently Transplanted Organ Recipients — United States, March–May, 2020. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2020; 27(2) doi:10.3201/eid2702.204046, 10.3201/eid2702.204046.


Penumarthi LR, La Hoz RM, Wolfe CR, Jackson BR, Mehta AK, Malinis M, Danziger-Isakov L, Strasfeld L, Florescu DF, Vece G, Basavaraju SV*, Michaels MG* Cryptococcus transmission through solid organ transplantation in the United States: A Report from the Ad Hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee. Amer J Transpl.2020. doi:10.1111/ajt.16433, 10.1111/ajt.16433.


Kates OS, Stohs EJ, Pergam SA, Rakita RM, Michaels MG, Wolfe CR, Danziger-Isakov L, Ison MG, Blumberg EA, Razonable RR, Gordon EJ, Diekema DS. The limits of refusal: An ethical review of solid organ transplantation and vaccine hesitancy. Amer J Transpl  2020  doi:10.1111/ajt.16472, 10.1111/ajt.16472. PMID 33370501.


Campbell AP, Ogokeh C, Weinberg GA ….. Effect of Vaccination on Preventing Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations Among Children During a Severe Season Associated with B/Victoria Viruses, 2019-2020 Clinical Infectious Diseases ACCEPTED Jan 14, 2021.

Academic and Research Interests

  • Transplant Infections
  • Donor Derived Infections
  • COngenital Cytomegalovirus
  • Acute Respiratory Infections
  • Influenza Vaccine Efficacy

Research Grants

3UO1 / P001051 – O1S1, New Vaccine Surveillance Network, Site CO-PI, 20%, 9/1/2016 – 8/30/2021, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $660,061 Direct, $339,939 Indirect.

HHSN272201600016C, Sponsor-assigned Award/Protocol No: SP0033779 60047201 CHP-01, A Phase II, Multi Center, Prospective Randomized, Double-Blind Study to Assess the Clinical and Antiviral Efficacy and Safety of Nitazoxanide for the Treatment of Norovirus in Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Solid Organ Transplant Recipients >6 years of age, Site Co-P.I. - .24, 5/1/2016 – 4/30/2020, Northwestern University, $32,127.

HHSN272201600014C, Sponsor-assigned Award/Protocol No: 962265-RSUB, A Multi-Center Prospective Study of Human Adenovirus Infection and Disease in Pediatric Human Stem Cell Transplant Recipients, Site Co-PI – 1.20, 5/1/16-4/30/21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, $56,167.

DMID Protocol Number: 16-0095, BAA – A Phase II, Single-Stage, Single-Arm Investigation of Oral Valganciclovir Therapy in Infants with Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection, Site P.I. – 1.60, 5/1/16-4/30/21, University of Alabama at Birmingham, $75,500

NIH 5U01AI125050-05, Cadaveric Donor Lung and Bone Marrow Transplantation in Immunodeficiency Disease, Co.I. - .30, 7/1/16-6/30/21, National Institutes of Health PI Szabolcs, Paul, $863,001.

NIH NIDCD U01 DC014706-01A1, Randomized Controlled Trial of Valganciclovir for Asymptomatic Cytomegalovirus Infected Hearing Impaired Infants (ValEAR Trial), Co I 0.02 Site PI: David Chi, National Institutes of Deafness and Communicative Disorders PI of prime award: University of Utah, Albert Park

Not yet assigned, NCT04 588363, COVID-19: Pediatric Research Immune Network on SARS–CoV–2 and MI S–C (prism), Site PI 0.6, 11/19/2020-11/30/2022, National Institute of allergy and infectious diseases, PI: Steven Webber Vanderbilt University

NIH DMID Protocol Number 19-0026, Neonatal enterovirus and human parechovirus viral sepsis: Natural history and predictors of morbidity and mortality, Site PI, 2020-Present, National Institute of allergy and infectious diseases, PI: David W Kimberlin