Gastroenterology

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition


Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
3705 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-692-5180
412-692-7355 Fax
marcus.rivera@chp.edu
Patient Appointment Information

Medical School:

2001 New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ

Residency:

2004 University Hospital, UMDNJ, Newark, NJ

Fellowship:

2007 University of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

• American Gastroenterology Association (AGA)
• North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)

• Medical Physician and Surgeon, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

• Junior Clinician Award
• SPLIT Travel Grant Award
• First Year Fellow of the Year
• 2004 NJMS Golden Apple Award Winner
• The Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award
• NASPGHAN/Proctor and Gamble Teaching and Tomorrow Program Award

• Working under Dr. Nathan Bahary, and using the zebrafish (Danio rerio), an excellent model for vertebrate organogenesis, we evaluated the expression and role of several mRNA products in the development of the digestive system at various selected stages of embryogenesis. Several insertional mutants with visualized hepatic and gastrointestinal defects have been studied, with one particular mutant carrying a defect in phosphatidylinositol synthesis. As very little is known about phospholipids metabolism in zebrafish, we set out to analyze the lipid profile of the mutant. We successfully classified the gastrointestinal and hepatic anomalies, using RNA in-situ hybridization techniques and standard histologic methods. Further work is being done to evaluate the mutant through rescue analysis.
• My current interests and goals involve managing children with intestinal failure and nutritional deficiencies related to short bowel syndrome. Being an integral member of the Intestinal Care and Rehabilitation (ICARE) team affords me the opportunity to diagnose and care for children of all ages with intestinal failure, and corresponding parenteral nutrition related liver disease. The long term goal of the program is to provide appropriate fluid and nutrition management to allow for successful intestinal adaptation, complete enteral tolerance, and when possible, avoid organ transplantation.