Professor of Medicine and Pathology

Ben Vaughan Branscomb Chair of Medicine in Respiratory Disease

Director, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care


Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine
1720 2nd Avenue So, THT-422
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL 35294

Board Certifications

1990, American Board of Internal Medicine
1994, 2004, American Board of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases
1995, 2005, American Board of Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine

Medical School:   Oral Roberts University School of Medicine, Tulsa, OK  1983-1987

Internship:  City of Faith Hospital, Tulsa, OK. 1987-1988

Residency:  The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa. OK  1988-1990

Chief Medical Resident: The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa, OK, 1990-1991

Clinical and Research Fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 1991-1994                 

Contact Information

Campus Address:

 THT 422

Academic Office location:

 THT 429-A

Office Phone:

 (205) 975-6376

Office Fax (Academic):

 (205) 934-1721

TKC Clinic Phone:

 (205) 801-7545

TKC Clinic Fax:

 (205) 802-8231

Email Address:

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Beeper #:

 1682

Office Assistant:   
Becky Wallace                            
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Ph: (205) 975-6376
Fax: (205) 934-1721

Brief Bio

Dr. Thannickal received his B.A. from Southern California College and his M.D. from Oral Roberts University School of Medicine.  He completed a residency in Medicine at the University of Oklahoma and a Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Tufts Medical Center.   After completing his fellowship, Dr. Thannickal remained on the faculty at Tufts for several years before moving to the University of Michigan.  He joined UAB in July 2009 as Professor of Medicine and Pathology and Director, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.   His research and clinical interests relate to idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and fibrotic lung diseases as well as acute lung injury/adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).  He has published widely on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of lung repair and regeneration.

Clinical Interests 

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and fibrotic lung diseases;
Acute lung injury/adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

Academic & Research Interests

Cellular/molecular mechanisms of lung repair and regeneration; Regulation of mesenchymal cell phenotypes; Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating NADPH oxidases (NOX) enzymes

Key Publications

1. Thannickal, VJ  Aging, antagonistic pleiotropy and fibrotic disease Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2010 June 4; 1-6 

2. Hecker L, Vittal R, Jones T, Jagirdar R, Luckhardt TR, Horowitz JC, Pennathur S, Martinez FJ, Thannickal VJ. NADPH Oxidase-4 Mediates Myofibroblast Activation and Fibrogenic Responses to Lung Injury. Nat Med 2009; 15:1077-1081.

3. Garneau-Tsodikova S, Thannickal VJ. Protein Kinase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis. Curr Med Chem 2008; 15:2632-2640.

4. Horowitz JC, Rogers DS, Simon RH, Sisson TH, Thannickal VJ. Plasminogen Activation Induces Pericellular Fibronectin Proteolysis and Promotes Fibroblast Apoptosis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2008; 38:78-87.

5. Lama VN, Smith L, Badri L, Flint AJ, Andrei A, Murray S, Wang Z, Hui L, Toews GB, Krebsbach PH, Peters-Golden M, Pinsky DJ, Martinez FJ, Thannickal VJ. Evidence for Tissue-Resident Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Human Adult Lung from Studies of Transplanted Allografts. J Clin Invest 2007; 117:989-996.