Rashmin Savani, M.D.

Chief, Division of Neonatal-perinatal Medicine

The William Buchanan Chair in Pediatrics

Pediatrics - Neonatal-Perinatal
Lung (Pulmonary) Disorders

Biography

Rashmin C. Savani, M.B., Ch.B., is a tenured professor and the William Buchanan Chair in the Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Additionally, Dr. Savani is the Director of UT Southwestern’s Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Pulmonary and Vascular Biology.

A neonatal intensive care specialist, Dr. Savani has particular expertise in evaluating and treating neonatal lung disorders, particularly bronchopulmonary dysplasia. He serves on the Fetal Neonatal faculty at Children’s Health in Dallas.

Since joining UT Southwestern in 2006, Dr. Savani has overseen unprecedented growth in neonatal-perinatal medicine in the Southwestern Medical District. This includes – among many things – the creation of three NICUs, development of a renowned neonatal resuscitation team, and a fourfold increase in the number of faculty members.

Dr. Savani’s research focuses on lung injury and development, pulmonary and vascular biology, pulmonary surfactants, and the role of hyaluronan in tissue injury. He has received continual extramural funding since 1998 and published more than 60 scholarly articles.

His professional honors include being named one of Castle Connolly’s America’s Best Doctors in 2011 and a Texas Monthly Super Doctor in 2015 and 2018, as well as receiving the 2010 Perinatal Physician Excellence Award from the Texas chapter of the March of Dimes.

Dr. Savani earned his medical degree at the University of Sheffield Medical School in England. He trained in internal medicine at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, in general surgery at Northern General Hospital, and in obstetrics and gynecology at Peterborough District Hospital.

He completed a pediatrics residency at Duke University Medical Center, fellowships in both neonatal-perinatal medicine and pulmonary biology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and a cell and molecular biology fellowship at the University of Manitoba.

Among his many professional activities, Dr. Savani serves as an associate editor of Vascular Cell, is on the editorial boards of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, TheAmerican Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, and Matrix Biology, and is a reviewer for many academic journals.

Meet Dr. Savani

Neonatal Intensive Care Specialist in Dallas

As a neonatal intensive care specialist, Rashmin Savani, M.B., Ch.B., cares for the sickest, most fragile newborns – those in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at UT Southwestern’s Clements University Hospital, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Children’s Health, and at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

Although he evaluates and treats infants with a range of serious medical issues, Dr. Savani has special expertise in caring for those suffering from neonatal lung disorders – particularly bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a lung condition common in premature babies on mechanical ventilation.

From Neonatal Research to Neonatal Care

Also active in research, Dr. Savani aims to translate what he learns in the lab to the patients who need it most – something he finds very rewarding.

“I love neonatology because it allows me to integrate basic science, physiology, biochemistry, and pathology – as well as clinical neonatology – to diagnose and treat the smallest, sickest newborns,” he says.

“Getting to help these babies achieve their life potential is one of the best things about my job.”

Dr. Savani is fellowship trained and board certified – with subspecialty certification in neonatal-perinatal medicine – and he has been recognized as one of America’s Best Doctors (Castle Connolly) and as a Texas Super Doctor (Texas Monthly).

Married for 25 years and the father of three grown children, Dr. Savani knows the importance of delivering compassionate, evidence-based, patient-centered care.

“Everything we do is dictated by what’s in the best interest of each child,” he says. “Our outcomes are extremely good, and the vast majority of babies that spend time in the NICU go home and become healthy, productive people.”

Education & Training

Fellowship - University of Manitoba (1991-1994), Cell Biology
Fellowship - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (1987-1991), Neonatal-perinatal Medicine
Residency - Duke University Medical Center (1984-1987), Pediatrics
Internship - Peterborough District Hospital (1983-1984), Obstetrics & Gynecology
Internship - Northern General Hospital (1983-1983), General Surgery
Internship - Royal Hallamshire Hospital (1982-1983), Internal Medicine
Medical School - The University of Sheffield Medical School (1977-1982)

Professional Associations & Affiliations

Society for Pediatric Research, Member (1999)
Perinatal Research Society, Member (1999)
The International Society for Hyaluronan Science, Member of the Board (2004)
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Member (2005-2010)
American Physiological Society, Member (2005-2010)
American Pediatric Society, Member (2005)

Honors & Awards

Young Investigator Award, Basic Science 1997, Eastern Society for Pediatric Research
Young Investigator Award, Perinatal Pediatrics 1998, American Academy of Pediatrics
Honorary Masters of Arts 2002, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Perinatal Physician Excellence Award 2010, March of Dimes, Texas
Best Doctors in America 2011
Invited membership, International Perinatal Collegium 2013
Texas Super Doctors 2015-2017, Texas Monthly Magazine
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award 2017, Whos Who Publication Board

Books & Publications

Books
- Hyaluronan and Its Receptors in Lung Health and Disease in Garg HG, Roughley PJ, Hales CA, eds. Lung Biology in Health and Disease Series: Proteoglycans in Lung Disease.
  Savani RC, DeLisser HM. (2002), CRC Press; 73-106.
- The Biochemistry of Endothelial Cells in Parent RA, ed. Comparative Biology of the Lung. 2nd ed.
  Savani RC. (2015), Academic Press; 375-386.
Publications
- Maternal high fat diet is associated with impaired fetal lung development.
  Mayor RS, Finch KE, Zehr J, Morselli E, Neinast MD, Frank AP, Hahner LD, Wang J, Rakheja D, Palmer BF, Rosenfeld CR, Savani RC, Clegg DJ American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology 2015 Jun ajplung.00105.2015
- Ephrin-B2 Reverse Signaling Increases a5ß1 Integrin Mediated Fibronectin Deposition and Reduces Distal Lung Compliance.
  Bennett KM, Afanador MD, Lal CV, Xu H, Persad E, Legan SK, Chenaux G, Dellinger M, Savani RC, Dravis C, Henkemeyer M, Schwarz MA American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2013 Jun
- Superoxide Dismutase Mimetic, MnTE-2-PyP, Attenuates Chronic Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling, and Activation of the NALP3 Inflammasome.
  Villegas LR, Kluck D, Field C, Oberley-Deegan RE, Woods C, Yeager ME, El Kasmi KC, Savani RC, Bowler RP, Nozik-Grayck E Antioxidants & redox signaling 2013 Feb
- Neonatal effects of magnesium sulfate given to the mother.
  Abbassi-Ghanavati M, Alexander JM, McIntire DD, Savani RC, Leveno KJ American journal of perinatology 2012 Nov 29 10 795-9
- Hyaluronan stabilizes focal adhesions, filopodia, and the proliferative phenotype in esophageal squamous carcinoma cells.
  Twarock S, Tammi MI, Savani RC, Fischer JW The Journal of biological chemistry 2010 Jul 285 30 23276-84
- Hyaluronan mediates ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in mice.
  Garantziotis S, Li Z, Potts EN, Kimata K, Zhuo L, Morgan DL, Savani RC, Noble PW, Foster WM, Schwartz DA, Hollingsworth JW The Journal of biological chemistry 2009 Apr 284 17 11309-17
- Interaction of CD44 and hyaluronan is the dominant mechanism for neutrophil sequestration in inflamed liver sinusoids.
  McDonald B, McAvoy EF, Lam F, Gill V, de la Motte C, Savani RC, Kubes P The Journal of experimental medicine 2008 Apr 205 4 915-27
- ABCA3 is critical for lamellar body biogenesis in vivo.
  Cheong N, Zhang H, Madesh M, Zhao M, Yu K, Dodia C, Fisher AB, Savani RC, Shuman H The Journal of biological chemistry 2007 Aug 282 33 23811-7
- CD44 regulates macrophage recruitment to the lung in lipopolysaccharide-induced airway disease.
  Hollingsworth JW, Li Z, Brass DM, Garantziotis S, Timberlake SH, Kim A, Hossain I, Savani RC, Schwartz DA American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2007 Aug 37 2 248-53
- Involvement of endothelial CD44 during in vivo angiogenesis.
  Cao G, Savani RC, Fehrenbach M, Lyons C, Zhang L, Coukos G, Delisser HM The American journal of pathology 2006 Jul 169 1 325-36
- Comfort care of neonates at the end of life.
  Stringer M, Shaw VD, Savani RC Neonatal network : NN 2004 Sep-Oct 23 5 41-6
- Heterogeneity of claudin expression by alveolar epithelial cells.
  Wang F, Daugherty B, Keise LL, Wei Z, Foley JP, Savani RC, Koval M American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2003 Jul 29 1 62-70
- Human surfactant protein B promoter in transgenic mice: temporal, spatial, and stimulus-responsive regulation.
  Strayer M, Savani RC, Gonzales LW, Zaman A, Cui Z, Veszelovszky E, Wood E, Ho YS, Ballard PL American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology 2002 Mar 282 3 L394-404
- Deletion of Hyaluronan Synthase 3 Inhibits Neointimal Hyperplasia.
  Kiene LS, Homann S, Suvorava T, Rabausch B, Müller J, Kojda G, Kretschmer I, Twarock S, Dai G, Deenen R, Hartwig S, Lehr S, Köhrer K, Savani RC, Grandoch M, Fischer JW Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 2015 Nov
- Hormonal regulation of alveolarization: structure-function correlation.
  Garber SJ, Zhang H, Foley JP, Zhao H, Butler SJ, Godinez RI, Godinez MH, Gow AJ, Savani RC Respiratory research 2006 7 47
- Alveolar surfactant protein D content modulates bleomycin-induced lung injury.
  Casey J, Kaplan J, Atochina-Vasserman EN, Gow AJ, Kadire H, Tomer Y, Fisher JH, Hawgood S, Savani RC, Beers MF American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2005 Oct 172 7 869-77
- Inter-center variation in death or tracheostomy placement in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
  Murthy K, Porta NF, Lagatta JM, Zaniletti I, Truog WE, Grover TR, Nelin LD, Savani RC Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association 2017 Feb
- Hyaluronan mediates ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in mice.
  Garantziotis S, Li Z, Potts EN, Kimata K, Zhuo L, Morgan DL, Savani RC, Noble PW, Foster WM, Schwartz DA, Hollingsworth JW The Journal of biological chemistry 2016 Sep 291 37 19257-8
- Intercenter Cost Variation for Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in the Era of Therapeutic Hypothermia.
  Massaro AN, Murthy K, Zaniletti I, Cook N, DiGeronimo R, Dizon ML, Hamrick SE, McKay VJ, Natarajan G, Rao R, Richardson T, Smith D, Mathur AM The Journal of pediatrics 2016 Mar
- Lack of EC-SOD worsens alveolar and vascular development in a neonatal mouse model of bleomycin-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension.
  Delaney C, Wright RH, Tang JR, Woods C, Villegas L, Sherlock L, Savani RC, Abman SH, Nozik-Grayck E Pediatric research 2015 Aug
- The NLRP3 inflammasome is critically involved in the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
  Liao J, Kapadia VS, Brown LS, Cheong N, Longoria C, Mija D, Ramgopal M, Mirpuri J, McCurnin DC, Savani RC Nature communications 2015 6 8977
- Proteobacteria-specific IgA regulates maturation of the intestinal microbiota.
  Mirpuri J, Raetz M, Sturge CR, Wilhelm CL, Benson A, Savani RC, Hooper LV, Yarovinsky F Gut microbes 2013 Sep 5 1
- Resuscitation of preterm neonates with limited versus high oxygen strategy.
  Kapadia VS, Chalak LF, Sparks JE, Allen JR, Savani RC, Wyckoff MH Pediatrics 2013 Dec 132 6 e1488-96
- A RHAMM mimetic peptide blocks hyaluronan signaling and reduces inflammation and fibrogenesis in excisional skin wounds.
  Tolg C, Hamilton SR, Zalinska E, McCulloch L, Amin R, Akentieva N, Winnik F, Savani R, Bagli DJ, Luyt LG, Cowman MK, McCarthy JB, Turley EA The American journal of pathology 2012 Oct 181 4 1250-70
- Imaging of homeostatic, neoplastic, and injured tissues by HA-based probes.
  Veiseh M, Breadner D, Ma J, Akentieva N, Savani RC, Harrison R, Mikilus D, Collis L, Gustafson S, Lee TY, Koropatnick J, Luyt LG, Bissell MJ, Turley EA Biomacromolecules 2012 Jan 13 1 12-22
- Antioxidant protects against increases in low molecular weight hyaluronan and inflammation in asphyxiated newborn pigs resuscitated with 100% oxygen.
  Østerholt HC, Dannevig I, Wyckoff MH, Liao J, Akgul Y, Ramgopal M, Mija DS, Cheong N, Longoria C, Mahendroo M, Nakstad B, Saugstad OD, Savani RC PloS one 2012 7 6 e38839
- Inhibition of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by in vivo targeting of hyaluronan synthesis.
  Twarock S, Freudenberger T, Poscher E, Dai G, Jannasch K, Dullin C, Alves F, Prenzel K, Knoefel WT, Stoecklein NH, Savani RC, Homey B, Fischer JW Molecular cancer 2011 10 30
- The angiogenic factor midkine is regulated by dexamethasone and retinoic acid during alveolarization and in alveolar epithelial cells.
  Zhang H, Garber SJ, Cui Z, Foley JP, Mohan GS, Jobanputra M, Kaplan F, Sweezey NB, Gonzales LW, Savani RC Respiratory research 2009 10 77
- Hyaluronan-mediated angiogenesis in vascular disease: uncovering RHAMM and CD44 receptor signaling pathways.
  Slevin M, Krupinski J, Gaffney J, Matou S, West D, Delisser H, Savani RC, Kumar S Matrix biology : journal of the International Society for Matrix Biology 2007 Jan 26 1 58-68
- Apical oxidative hyaluronan degradation stimulates airway ciliary beating via RHAMM and RON.
  Manzanares D, Monzon ME, Savani RC, Salathe M American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2007 Aug 37 2 160-8
- Inflammatory markers and mediators in tracheal fluid of premature infants treated with inhaled nitric oxide.
  Truog WE, Ballard PL, Norberg M, Golombek S, Savani RC, Merrill JD, Parton LA, Cnaan A, Luan X, Ballard RA Pediatrics 2007 Apr 119 4 670-8
- Surfactant composition and function in a primate model of infant chronic lung disease: effects of inhaled nitric oxide.
  Ballard PL, Gonzales LW, Godinez RI, Godinez MH, Savani RC, McCurnin DC, Gibson LL, Yoder BA, Kerecman JD, Grubb PH, Shaul PW Pediatric research 2006 Jan 59 1 157-62
- Midkine: a potential bridge between glucocorticoid and retinoid effects on lung vascular development.
  Morrisey EE, Savani RC American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2003 Jan 28 1 5-8
- Serotonin mechanisms in heart valve disease I: serotonin-induced up-regulation of transforming growth factor-beta1 via G-protein signal transduction in aortic valve interstitial cells.
  Jian B, Xu J, Connolly J, Savani RC, Narula N, Liang B, Levy RJ The American journal of pathology 2002 Dec 161 6 2111-21
- Induction of the hyaluronic acid-binding protein, tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6, in cervical smooth muscle cells by tumor necrosis factor-alpha and prostaglandin E(2).
  Fujimoto T, Savani RC, Watari M, Day AJ, Strauss JF The American journal of pathology 2002 Apr 160 4 1495-502
- Role of endogenous TGF-beta in glucocorticoid-induced lung type II cell differentiation.
  McDevitt TM, Gonzales LW, Savani RC, Ballard PL American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology 2007 Jan 292 1 L249-57
- Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), transforming growth factor-ß, hyaluronan (HA), and receptor for HA-mediated motility (RHAMM) are required for surfactant protein A-stimulated macrophage chemotaxis.
  Foley JP, Lam D, Jiang H, Liao J, Cheong N, McDevitt TM, Zaman A, Wright JR, Savani RC The Journal of biological chemistry 2012 Oct 287 44 37406-19
- S-nitrosylation of surfactant protein-D controls inflammatory function.
  Guo CJ, Atochina-Vasserman EN, Abramova E, Foley JP, Zaman A, Crouch E, Beers MF, Savani RC, Gow AJ PLoS biology 2008 Nov 6 11 e266
- SP-D-deficient mice are resistant to hyperoxia.
  Jain D, Atochina-Vasserman E, Kadire H, Tomer Y, Inch A, Scott P, Savani RC, Gow AJ, Beers MF American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology 2007 Apr 292 4 L861-71
- Loss of PECAM-1 function impairs alveolarization.
  DeLisser HM, Helmke BP, Cao G, Egan PM, Taichman D, Fehrenbach M, Zaman A, Cui Z, Mohan GS, Baldwin HS, Davies PF, Savani RC The Journal of biological chemistry 2006 Mar 281 13 8724-31
- Expression and role of the hyaluronan receptor RHAMM in inflammation after bleomycin injury.
  Zaman A, Cui Z, Foley JP, Zhao H, Grimm PC, Delisser HM, Savani RC American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2005 Nov 33 5 447-54
- Morphine enhances HIV infection of neonatal macrophages.
  Li Y, Merrill JD, Mooney K, Song L, Wang X, Guo CJ, Savani RC, Metzger DS, Douglas SD, Ho WZ Pediatric research 2003 Aug 54 2 282-8
- The receptor for hyaluronan-mediated motility (RHAMM) expression in neonatal bronchiolar epithelium correlates negatively with lung air content.
  Markasz L, Savani RC, Sedin G, Sindelar R Early human development 2018 Oct 127 58-68
- Impact of the Neonatal Resuscitation Program-Recommended Low Oxygen Strategy on Outcomes of Infants Born Preterm.
  Kapadia VS, Lal CV, Kakkilaya V, Heyne R, Savani RC, Wyckoff MH The Journal of pediatrics 2017 Dec 191 35-41
- Modulators of inflammation in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.
  Savani RC, Seminars in perinatology 2018 11 42 7 459-470
- Fetal-placental crosstalk occurs through fetal cytokine synthesis and placental clearance.
  Mir IN, Chalak LF, Liao J, Johnson-Welch S, Brown LS, Longoria C, Savani RC, Rosenfeld CR Placenta 2018 Sep 69 1-8
- The Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension in Preterm Infants with Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia through 1 Year.
  Lagatta JM, Hysinger EB, Zaniletti I, Wymore EM, Vyas-Read S, Yallapragada S, Nelin LD, Truog WE, Padula MA, Porta NFM, Savani RC, Potoka KP, Kawut SM, DiGeronimo R, Natarajan G, Zhang H, Grover TR, Engle WA, Murthy K The Journal of pediatrics 2018 Aug
- Maternal high-fat diet results in microbiota-dependent expansion of ILC3s in mice offspring.
  Babu ST, Niu X, Raetz M, Savani RC, Hooper LV, Mirpuri J JCI insight 2018 Oct 3 19