Robert H. Squires, MD, FAAP, FAASLD

  • Professor

Administrative Assistant: Stefanie Tavormina

Dr. Rob Squires received his B.A. from Austin College in Sherman, Texas in 1973 and M.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston in 1977. He completed his internship, residency, and served as Chief Resident at St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis where he then completed his Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in 1982.  Dr. Squires co-founded a private practice in pediatric gastroenterology at Cook-Ft. Worth Children’s Hospital in Texas in 1982.  He was recruited to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and the Children’s Medical Center-Dallas in 1987 where he served a Clinical Director of Gastroenterology, Director of the Endoscopy Lab, Director of Nutrition Services, and Medical Director of Liver Transplantation.  He was recruited to Pittsburgh in 2003.

Dr. Squires is currently Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at UPMC--Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Squires has served the Division of Gastroenterology as Clinical Director, Director of Hepatology, Co-Director and Founder of the Intestinal Care and Rehabilitation Service, and Primary Liver Transplant Physician.  He served as Principal Investigator for 2 NIH-funded multi-center, multi-national clinical studies: The Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Study Group and the Pediatric Intestinal Failure Consortium.  He is currently a site investigator for the NIH-sponsored Childhood Liver Disease Research Network and is the site Principal Investigator for pharmaceutical trials pursuing treatments for hepatitis C in children and genetic causes of cholestasis. His principal clinical research interests include acute liver failure, cholestasis in children, intestinal failure, and viral hepatitis. 

Dr. Squires has received several awards including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Austin College, the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award from University of Texas Medical Branch, and the Murray Davidson Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for life-time achievement in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. 

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow
  • American Pediatric Society
  • North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
  • American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Fellow

Selected Publications

Berauer JP, Mezina AI, Okou DT, Sabo A, Hegde MR, Chopra P, Perlmutter DH, Bull LN, Thompson RJ, Loomes KM, Spinner NB, Rajagopalan R, Guthery SL, Moore B, Shneider BL, Magee JC, Kamath BM, Molleston JP, Bezerra JA, Murray KF, Alonso EM, Rosenthal P, Squires RH, Sherker AH, Sokol RJ, Wang KS, and Karpen SJ  for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN).  Identification of PKD1L1 Gene Variants in Children with the Biliary Atresia Splenic Malformation Syndrome.  Hepatology. 2019; 70:899-910 (PMID: 30664273; PMCID:PMC6642859)

 

McKiernan P, Ganoza A, Squires JE, Squires RH, Vockley G, Mazariegos GV, Soltys K, Sun Q, Sindhi R.  Evolving trends in liver transplant for metabolic liver disease in the United States.  Liver Transplant. 2019:25:911-921.  (PMID: 30753750; PMCID: )

 

Zamora R, Barclay D, Yin J, Alonso EM, Leonis MA, Mi Q, Billiar TR, Simmons RL, Squires RH, Vodovotz Y for the Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Study Group.  Differential HMGB1 Network Connectivity may underlie the Protective Effect of N-acetylcysteine in the Context of Acetaminophen Toxicity in Pediatric Acute Liver Failure.  Scientific Reports 2019; April 12;9(1) 5971 (PMID: 30979951; PMCID: PMC6461628)


Toney NA, Bell MJ, Belle SH, Hardison SH, Rodriquez-Baez N, Loomes KM, Vodovotz Y, Zamora R, Squires RH.  Hepatic Encephalopathy in Children with Acute Liver Failure—Utility of Serum Neuromarkers. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2019;69:108-115 (PMID: 31058776; PMCID:PMC6591057)


Jonas MM, Squires RH, Susan Rhee S, Lin CW, Bessho K, Feiterna-Sperling C, Hierro L, Kelly D, Ling S, Strokova T, del Valle-Segarra A, Liu L, Ng T, Porcalla A, Burroughs M, Sokal E. Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Efficacy of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in Pediatric Patients with Genotypes 1-6 Chronic HCV Infection: Part 1 of the DORA Study. Hepatology. 2020;71:456-462. (PMID: 31254392; PMCID: PMC7028097)


Squires JE, Ng VL, Hawthorne K, Henn L, Sorensen LG, Fredericks EM, Alonso EM, Murray KF, Loomes KM, Karpen SJ, Cavallo LA, Molleston JP, Bezerra JA, Rosenthal P, Squires RH, Wang KS, Schwarz KB, Amon R, Magee JC, and Sokol RJ for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN).  Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Pre-School and School Aged Children with Biliary Atresia and their Native Liver.  J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr.  2020;70:79-86. (PMID: 31503218; PMCID: PMC6934908)


Black DD, Mack C, Kerkar N, Miloh T, Sundaram SS, Anand R, Gupta A, Alonso E, Amon R, Bulut P, Karpen S, Lin CH, Rosenthal P, Ryan M, Squires RH, Valentino P, Elsea SH, Shneider BL.  A Prospective Trial of Withdrawal and Reinstitution of Ursodeoxycholic Acid in Pediatric Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Hep Comm. 2019;3:1482-1495. (PMID: 31701072; PMCID: PMC6824074)

 

Raphael BP, Mitchell PD, Gura KM, Potemkin AK, Squires RH, Puder M, Duggan CP. Growth in Infants and Children with Intestinal Failure Associated-Liver Disease Treated with Intravenous Fish Oil.  J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr.  2020;70:261-268. (PMID: 31703040)


Kamath BM, Spino C, McLain R, Magee JC, Setchell KD, Miethke A, Molleston JP, Mack CL, Squires RH, Alonso EM, Murray KF, Loomes KM, Jensen MK, Karpen SJ, Rosenthal P, Thomas K, Sokol RJ, and Shneider BL for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN). Unraveling the Relationship between Itching, Scratch Scales, and Biomarkers in Children with Alagille Syndrome. Hep Comm 2020. In Press


Leonis MA, Miethke AG, Fei L, Maynor S, Chapin CA, Blessing JJH, Alonso EM, Squires RH for the Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Study Group. Four biomarkers linked to activation of CD8+ lymphocytes predict clinical outcomes in pediatric acute liver failure. Hepatology. 2020 (published ahead of print)

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »

Research Grants

2U01 DK062466-18 (Squires). 9/15/2002-5/31/2024. 0.60 calendar. NIH/NIDDK. $151,685 The Pittsburgh Cholestatic Liver Disease Consortium

This competitive renewal proposal from the Pittsburgh Cholestatic Liver Disease Consortium at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) seeks to continue ongoing research activities in the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN). This application for renewal funding includes a strong commitment to continuing the on-going research efforts and two new proposals, one based upon the existing research infrastructure, the other a novel clinical trial.

 

5R01DK117209-02 (Ruosha). 04/01/2018-3/31/2022. 1.20 calendar. University of Texas. $42,006. Statistical Modeling and Validation for Tackling Risk Prediction with Competing Risks by Integrating Multiple Longitudinal Biomarkers

Recognizing the substantial prognostic value in multiple longitudinal biomarkers as well as baseline covariates, we aim to tackle risk prediction in the presence of treatment-induced competing risks by developing, implementing and applying sensible and computationally feasible modeling, validation and inference procedures. In this project, the team proposes a modeling framework that tackles the dependence be- tween death and LTx through aggregating information from multiple longitudinal and baseline covariates

 

5U01 DK082864 (Belle). 7/1/2015-6/30/2020. 0.60 calendar. NIH. $11,932. Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network - Data Coordinating Center

This application proposes a Multi-Center Group to study chronic hepatitis B infection to examine natural history and immunopathogenesis.


3U01DK062456-16 (Magee). 6/1/2015-5/31/2020. 0.12 calendar. NIH / University of Michigan (Per Patient Basis). Childhood Liver Disease Research Network Data Coordinating Center

Continue clinical and transitional research on rare pediatric liver disease that include biliary atresia, Alagille syndrome alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis syndromes, bile acid synthesis defects, mitochondrial hepatopathies, idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, and cystic fibrosis liver disease.

 

Clinical Trial (SQUIRES) 9/30/14 -Open. 0.12 calendar. Lumena Pharmaceuticals Inc. $4,601

Open Label Study of the Efficacy and Long Term Safety of LUM001, an Apical Sodium-Dependent Bile Acid. Transporter Inhibitor (ASBTi), in the Treatment of Cholestatic Liver Disease in Pediatric Patients with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (INDIGO STUDY). This is a drug trial study.

 

Clinical Trial (SQUIRES) 6/1/2017- 5/31/2021. 0.12 calendar. AbbVie Inc. $2,544

An Open-Label, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Efficacy of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in Pediatric Subjects with Genotypes 1 – 6 Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection. This is a drug trial study.

 

R01 (Sindhi). 7/1/2017-6/30/2022. 0.12 calendar. NIH $7,059. Mapping Disease Pathways for Biliary Atresia

This project will evaluate the genetic basis of biliary atresia (BA), the most common cause of liver failure at birth.

 

3U01DK062456 (Magee). 8/15/2017 -5/31/2020. 0.12 calendar. NIH / University of Michigan (Per Patient Basis). ChilLDReN FORCE Study

The objective is to study the utility of FibroScan technology in evaluation of clinically significant portal hypertension in participants with Alagille syndrome, biliary atresia, and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

 

Clinical Trial (SQUIRES) 05/08/19 – 05/07/21. 0.12 calendar. Mirum Pharmaceutical. $67,392.

Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Maralixibat in the Treatment of Subjects with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) – MARCH-PFIC. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of maralixibat vs placebo on the severity of pruritus in the primary cohort

 

Clinical Trial (SQUIRES) 12/06/19 – 12/05/21. 0.12 calendar. Mirum Pharmaceutical $134,168

An Open-label Extension Study to Evaluate the Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Maralixibat in the Treatment of Subjects with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) This is a drug trial study.

 

Clinical Trial (SQUIRES) 1/06/20 – 1/05/22. 0.12 calendar. Mirum Pharmaceutical 800 $82,582

MRX-800: A Long-Term Safety Study of Maralixibat, an Apical Sodium-Dependent Bile Acid Transporter Inhibitor (ASBTi), in the Treatment of Cholestatic Liver Disease in Subjects Who Previously Participated in a Maralixibat Study.  The objective of this study is to evaluate the long-term safety of maralixibat in subjects with cholestatic liver disease including, but not limited to, ALGS and PFIC