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Selma Feldman Witchel, MD
- Professor of Pediatrics
Selma Feldman Witchel, MD is tenured Professor of Pediatrics Emerita at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Witchel is the Immediate Past Program Director for the pediatric endocrinology fellowship training program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. She continues to co-chair the Differences in Sex Development Committee at the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College and her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating as a member of AOA. She completed her pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati and her pediatric endocrinology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh.
She is primarily interested in the physiology and genetics of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes. Her research elucidated the concept of the “manifesting heterozygote” in patients with disorders of steroidogenesis. Her interests extend to the care of patients with differences in sex development and transgender youth. She participated in the global enterprise that culminated in the 2018 and 2023 publications regarding the “Evidence Based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.”
She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pediatric Endocrine Society. Dr. Witchel is an active member of the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting Steering Committee and is currently the Clinical Practice Chair for the 2024 Endocrine Society Meeting. She is an Associate Editor for The Journal of the Endocrine Society. She is a past president of the Androgen Excess Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (AEPCOS) Society.
Professional and Scientific Society Memberships
- American Academy of Pediatrics (Fellow), 1984-Present
- American Diabetes Association, 1987-Present
- Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES), 1989-Present
- Endocrine Society, 1991-Present
- Society for Pediatric Research, 1995-Present
- American Pediatric Society, 1995-Present
- Androgen Excess-PCOS Society, 2003-Present
- European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2014-Present
Education & Training
- BA, Biology, Oberlin College, 1974
- MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1978
- Internship, Children's Hospital Medical Center, 1978-1979
- Residency in Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Medical Center, 1979-1981
- Fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 1981-1983
Selected Publications
Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven J, Dokras A, Moran LJ, Piltonen TT, Costello MF, Boivin J, Redman LM, Boyle JA, Norman RJ, Mousa A, Joham AE; International PCOS Network. Recommendations from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome†. Hum Reprod. 2023 Sep 5;38(9):1655-1679. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dead156. PMID: 37580037; PMCID: PMC10477934.
Alesi S, Forslund M, Melin J, Romualdi D, Peña A, Tay CT, Witchel SF, Teede H, Mousa A. Efficacy and safety of anti-androgens in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Aug 9;63:102162. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102162. PMID: 37583655; PMCID: PMC10424142.
Thavaraputta S, Ungprasert P, Witchel SF, Fazeli PK. Anorexia nervosa and adrenal hormones: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Endocrinol. 2023 Sep 1;189(3):S64-S73. doi: 10.1093/ejendo/lvad123. PMID: 37669399; PMCID: PMC10498414.
Mink RB, Carraccio CL, Herman BE, Weiss P, Turner DA, Stafford DEJ, McGann KA, Kesselheim J, Hsu DC, High PC, Fussell JJ, Curran ML, Chess PR, Sauer C, Pitts S, Myers AL, Mahan JD, Dammann CEL, Aye T, Schwartz A; Subspecialty Pediatrics Investigator Network. Relationship between epa level of supervision with their associated subcompetency milestone levels in pediatric fellow assessment. BMC Med Educ. 2023 Oct 3;23(1):720. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04689-0. PMID: 37789289; PMCID: PMC10548580.
Alkhunaizi E, Albrecht JP, Aarabi M, Witchel SF, Wherrett D, Babul-Hirji R, Dupuis A, Chiniara L, Chater-Diehl E, Shago M, Shuman C, Rajkovic A, Yatsenko SA, Chitayat D. 45,X/46,XY mosaicism: Clinical manifestations and long term follow-up. Am J Med Genet A. 2023 Oct 26. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63451. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37882230.
Melin JM, Forslund M, Alesi SJ, Piltonen T, Romualdi D, Spritzer PM, Tay CT, Pena AS, Witchel SF, Mousa A, Teede HJ. Effects of different insulin sensitisers in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2024 Feb;100(2):149-163. doi: 10.1111/cen.14983. Epub 2023 Nov 7. PMID: 37933831.
Fitz V, Graca S, Mahalingaiah S, Liu J, Lai L, Butt A, Armour M, Rao V, Naidoo D, Maunder A, Yang G, Vaddiparthi V, Witchel SF, Pena A, Spritzer PM, Li R, Tay C, Mousa A, Teede H, Ee C. Inositol for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis to inform the 2023 update of the International Evidence-Based PCOS Guidelines. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Jan 2:dgad762. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgad762. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38163998.
Chen-Patterson A, Bernier A, Burgert T, Davis V, Khan T, Geller D, Paprocki E, Shah R, Witchel SF, Pereira-Eshraghi C, Sopher AB, Cree MG, Torchen LC. Distinct Reproductive Phenotypes Segregate With Differences in Body Weight in Adolescent Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Endocr Soc. 2024 Jan 9;8(2):bvad169. doi: 10.1210/jendso/bvad169. PMID: 38213910; PMCID: PMC10783242.
Foster KL, Lee DJ, Witchel SF, Gordon CM. Ovarian Insufficiency and Fertility Preservation During and After Childhood Cancer Treatment. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2024 Jan 24. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2023.0111. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38265460.
Goldberg A, Graca S, Liu J, Rao V, Witchel SF, Pena A, Li R, Mousa A, Tay CT, Pattuwage L, Teede H, Yildiz BO, Ee C. Anti-obesity pharmacological agents for polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis to inform the 2023 international evidence-based guideline. Obes Rev. 2024 Feb 14:e13704. doi: 10.1111/obr.13704. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38355887.
Academic and Research Interests
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Premature adrenarche
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Differences in sex development