Welcome from the Chief
Welcome to the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Since its inception in 1968, the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of the University of Rochester Medical Center has grown into a dynamic group of more than 30 faculty members devoted to patient care, education and research. We are a referral base for patients with complex lung diseases, critical illnesses, and sleep disorders from upstate New York and surrounding regions, and were recently recognized as one of the Top Programs in Respiratory Diseases in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. The Division is based in Strong Memorial Hospital, a 886-bed tertiary care center in Rochester, New York.
The clinical activities of the Division encompass inpatient and outpatient services at Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hospital, and Thompson Health (in Canandaigua, NY). Services at these hospitals include pulmonary consultation, medical intensive care units, respiratory step-down units, fully equipped pulmonary function laboratories, and video-equipped bronchoscopy suites. Outpatient services are also conducted at the Mary Parkes Center for Asthma, Allergy, and Pulmonary Care. Sleep Medicine is practiced at the Strong Sleep Center and the Sleep Center at Thompson Health. Our faculty are actively involved in the Monroe County Tuberculosis Control Clinic. Consultative services for patients living with chronic respiratory failure at the Highlands at Brighton and Monroe Community Hospital are also provided.
The Division has two active fellowship training programs: a 3- or 4-year combined Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine program, and a 2-year Critical Care Medicine program. Both programs have long-standing commitments to teaching, scholarship, and mentorship. Our training grant for the combined program has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health for more than 30 years.
The Division houses a highly collaborative group of investigators engaged in clinical and basic research. Areas of interest include the health effects of air pollution, asthma, lung immunology, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, respiratory viral infections, sepsis, and critical illness.
M. Patricia Rivera, MD
C. Jane Davis & C. Robert Davis Distinguished Professor in Pulmonary Medicine
Chief, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine
Director, Clinical Lung Screening Program, Wilmot Cancer Institute
Associate Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wilmot Cancer Institute
Upcoming Events
28th Annual Asthma, Allergy, & Pulmonary Update 2023
Save the Date: November 14, 2024
The 28th Asthma, Allergy, & Pulmonary Update is a day-long, live event sponsored by Rochester's Institute for Innovative Education. This educational activity is designed to give health care providers in the community an update in the fields of asthma, allergy and pulmonary. Details coming soon!
Division News
October 24, 2023
Pulmonary Division Heads to Hawaii for CHEST Conference
August 9, 2023
Department of Medicine Celebrates Increased National Performance Rankings
August 3, 2023
Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Divisions Team Up to Treat Growing (but Lesser Known) Disease
July 7, 2023
David Nagel Awarded Research Grant from CHEST Foundation
All News »
From the URMC Newsroom
Dec 08, 2023
From Whispers to Wisdom: Clearing the Air about “White Lung” and Pneumonia
Nov 17, 2023
$13M Boosts a Growing Immunotherapy Research Project at Wilmot, Roswell Park, Kaiser Permanente
Sep 28, 2023
What Happens if Your Circadian Rhythms are Out of Whack?
Aug 30, 2023
Science Backs Mind-Body Tools Like Meditation and Music for Cancer-Related Anxiety
Jun 08, 2023
M. Patricia Rivera Shares Life Lessons as She Takes on Presidency of the American Thoracic Society