Physician Profile

412-692-5930 Phone
412-692-5565 Fax

Toni Darville, MD

Job Title Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Job Title Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
One Children's Hospital Drive
4401 Penn Ave., Suite Floor 9
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-692-5930 Phone
412-692-5565 Fax

Education and Training

Medical School:

1987 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

Residency:

1990 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

Fellowship:

1993 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

Memberships

  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Fraternity
  • American Pediatric Society 
  • Infectious Diseases Society of America
  • American Society for Microbiology
  • Chlamydia Basic Research Society, Founding Member
  • American Association of Immunologists
  • Pediatric Infectious Disease Society 
  • Society for Pediatric Research

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Awards

    Undergraduate
  • Magna cum laude (G.P.A. 4.0), University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 1983
  • President's Award for Academic Achievement
  • "Most Outstanding Female Senior Student"
  • Royal American Chemical Society Award
  • Phi Eta Sigma Honorary Society
    Graduate
  • Alpha Omega Alpha
  • Roberts Key for Graduating First in Class
  • Janet M. Glasglow Memorial Award-Top Female Medical Student
  • Barton Scholarship for Academic Achievement, 1984-1987
  • Hans G. Schlumberger Excellence in Pathology Award
  • John E. Whitney Annual Physiology Award
  • Commendation for Excellence in Neuroscience
  • Commendation for Excellence in Clinical Correlates of Disease, 1983-1987
    Postgraduate/Fellowship
  • Chief Pediatric Resident, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 1989-1990
  • First Annual Southern Society for Pediatric Research Travel Award, 1991
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Award, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and Bristol-Myers Squibb
    Assistant Professorship
  • Recipient of the Red Sash Award from the Senior Medical School Class, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Young Investigator Award, 1998
  • Best Doctors in America: Central Region, Woodward and White, 1998-1999
    Associate Professorship
  • Recipient of the Red Sash Award from the Senior Medical School Class, 2000-2004
  • Society of Pediatric Research Membership Status
  • Southern Society of Pediatric Research, President-elect, 2000
  • Southern Society of Pediatric Research, President, 2001
  • American Society for Microbiology, Section D, General Microbiology, Chair, 2003
  • Best Doctors in America: Consumers' Research Council of America, 2003
  • ACH Patient Satisfaction Award, 2003, 2005
  • Best Doctors of Central Arkansas: Consumers' Research Council of America, 2004
    Professorship
  • Recipient of the Red Sash Award from the Senior Medical School Class, 05, 07
  • Best Doctors in America: Consumers' Research Council of Americ, 05, 06
  • Arkansas' Best Doctors, 2005-2007
  • Councilor, Chlamydia Basic Research Society, 2007

Publications

  • O'Connell, CM, Ingalls, RR, Andrews Jr. CW, Scurlock AM and Darville T: Plasmid-deficient Chlamydia muridarum fail to induce immune pathology and protect against oviduct disease. J. Immunol. 2007; 179(6): 4027-34.
  • Reeves DM, Nagarajan U, O'Connell C, Andrews Jr. CW, and Darville T: Lack of an effect of antibiotic treatment on prolonged detection of chlamydial DNA in murine genital tract infection. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2007; 51, 2646-2648.
  • Welter-Stahl L, Ojcius DM, Viala J, Girardin S, Liu W, Delarbre C, Philpott D, Kelly KA, Darville T: Stimulation of the cytosolic receptor for peptidoglycan, Nod1, by infection with Chlamydia trachomatis or Chlamydia muridarum. Cell Microbiol, 2006 Jun 8; (6):1047-1057.

Research Interests

  • The ultimate goal of Dr. Darville's lab is to develop a vaccine to protect against chlamydial infection-induced sequelae of infertility and blindness, diseases of global societal and economic impact. The recent discovery of attenuated chlamydial strains has provided important tools useful for determining pathogen-specific virulence factors and host biomarkers of disease. In addition, studies indicate the attenuated chlamydial strains have strong potential as vaccine candidates.
  • Dr. Darville is actively examining innate immune receptors and signaling pathways stimulated by chlamydiae, and their role in generating a protective vs. pathogenic immune response. In vitro and animal model studies are used to determine signaling pathways important in the pathogenesis of disease due to Chlamydia trachomatis.
  • Dr. Darville's lab also has an interest in the role that chlamydial-induced host cell apoptosis plays in genital tract disease pathogenesis.
  • Dr. Darville is examining the role that novel cellular "danger signals" released from chlamydial infected cells, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), have in the immune response and in disease pathogenesis.

Active Research Projects / Grants

  • Cell Death and Innate Immunity in Chlamidial Infection.
  • Use of Atlenuated Chlamydial Strains as Vaccines.

Last Update

May 1, 2009
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If you have kids, be glad you have Children's.

Last Update

May 1, 2009
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