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Physician Profile

412-692-7438 Phone

412-692-7016 Fax

Toni Darville, MD

Job Title Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Job Title Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases

One Children's Hospital Drive
4401 Penn Ave., Suite Floor 9

Pittsburgh, PA 15224

412-692-7438 Phone

412-692-7016 Fax

Email toni.darville@chp.edu

Patient Appointment Information

Profile
Active Research Projects

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 Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow
Central Arkansas Pediatric Society
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Life Savers Society
Infectious Diseases Society of America
American Society for Microbiology
Chlamydia Basic Research Society, Founding Member
American Association of Immunologists
American Federation for Clinical Research
Society for Pediatric Research
American Pediatric Society

Board Certifications

American Board of Pediatrics
Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Awards

Undergraduate

1983 Magna cum laude (G.P.A. 4.0), University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
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
1984-1987 Barton Scholarship for Academic Achievement
Hans G. Schlumberger Excellence in Pathology Award
John E. Whitney Annual Physiology Award
Commendation for Excellence in Neuroscience
1983-1987 Commendation for Excellence in Clinical Correlates of Disease
Postgraduate/Fellowship
1989-1990 Chief Pediatric Resident, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
1991 First Annual Southern Society for Pediatric Research Travel Award
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Award, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and Bristol-Myers Squibb Assistant Professorship
1993, 1995-1999 Recipient of the Red Sash Award from the Senior Medical School Class
1998 Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Young Investigator Award
1998-1999 Best Doctors in America: Central Region, Woodward and White
Associate Professorship
2000-2004 Recipient of the Red Sash Award from the Senior Medical School Class
Society of Pediatric Research Membership Status
2000 Southern Society of Pediatric Research, President-elect
2001 Southern Society of Pediatric Research, President
2003 American Society for Microbiology, Section D, General Microbiology, Chair
2003 Best Doctors in America: Consumers' Research Council of America
2003, 2005 ACH Patient Satisfaction Award
2004 Best Doctors of Central Arkansas: Consumers' Research Council of America
Professorship
2005-2006 Arkansas' Best Doctors
2005-2010 Best Doctors in America: Consumers' Research Council of America
2005, 2007, 2009 Recipient of the Red Sash Award from the Senior Medical School Class
2007 Councilor, Chlamydia Basic Research Society

Publications

Prantner D, Darville T, Nagarajan UM. STING Is Critical for Induction of IFN-beta during Chlamydia muridarum infection. J Immunol. 2010 Jan 27. PubMedCentral - in process.
Prantner D, Darville T, Sikes JD, Andrews CW Jr, Brade H, Rank RG, Nagarajan UM. Critical role for interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) during Chlamydia muridarum genital infection and bacterial replication-independent secretion of IL-1beta in mouse macrophages. Infect Immun. 2009 Dec; 77(12):5334-46. PMC2786476.
Kelly KA, Wiley D, Wiesmeier E, Briskin M, Butch A, Darville T: The combination of the gastrointestinal integrin (alpha4beta7) and selectin ligand enhances T cell migration to the reproductive tract during infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2009 Apr 22. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19392980.

View Dr. Darville's full list of publications from PubMed.

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 Chlamydial Genital Infection
Development of live attenuated vaccines against chlamydial eye and genital tract disease
The UPMC Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Center
TLR2 Ligands of Chlamydiae (Co-investigator)
Rapid Tests for Chlamydia and Neglected Tropical Diseases (Co-investigator)

Last Update
April 16, 2013

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