Research Summary

Dr. Arjomandi grew up in Ahvaz, a small city in Southwestern Iran, and moved to the United States in 1986 in the aftermath of Iranian revolution (1979), Iraq's invasion of Iran (1980-88), and his family displacement inside Iran (1980-83). When in California, he began his higher education at Los Angeles Pierce College before transferring to University of California San Diego in 1988, where he obtained a bachelor degree in molecular biology and completed a senior honors thesis in developmental biology in Dr. Richard Firtel’s lab. He then attended Stanford University School of Medicine in 1991, completing two predoctoral research fellowships in Dr. Etienne Emile Beaulieu’s lab at INSERM in Paris, France, and Dr. John Cooke’s vascular biology lab at Stanford. Dr. Arjomandi then completed a residency in internal medicine at UCLA (1996-99) and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at UCSF (2000-03). He completed three additional years of research fellowship funded by the American Lung Association and Chest Foundation before successfully competing for an NIH K23 award in 2006 and then joining the pulmonary and critical care faculty at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH). In 2008, he obtained a joint appointment at San Francisco VA Medical Center (SF VA).

Currently, Dr. Arjomandi is Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine at UCSF with a joint appointment at SF VA. He is Director of the UCSF Human Exposure Laboratory at SFGH, Director of Environmental Medicine Clinic at SF VA, Site Director for the SF VA Airborne Hazard Exposure Study Center of Excellence, an investigator at the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, and a member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Research Interests

The lung is constantly exposed to various environmental pollutants, allergens, and toxins, which interact with airways and alveoli and result in inflammation, injury, and disease. My laboratory primary research interest has been centered on the paradigm that respiratory exposures to pollutants and toxicants contribute to development and progression of chronic lung diseases, and may further yield systemic effects well beyond lungs. Under this paradigm, my research activities have focused on understanding the physiologic and immunologic mechanisms via which environmental exposures contribute to chronic lung diseases and how knowledge of these mechanisms could be translated to ways to better define, prognosticate, and manage disease burden at both individual and societal levels.

I have dedicated my efforts to (1) investigate the biology of airway immune cells using inhalational exposure to ozone in humans as a model of lung injury simulating exacerbation in chronic lung disease, and (2) characterize the early cardiopulmonary changes due to exposure to tobacco smoke and the pathophysiology and biology associated with those changes.

Research Funding

  • July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2024 - Circulating Tumor DNA in Patients at High Risk for Lung Cancer , PI . Sponsor: Guardant Health, Inc., Sponsor Award ID: NCIRE-2062
  • July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2023 - Occult Cardiovascular Disease with Chronic Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke , PI . Sponsor: Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI), Sponsor Award ID: SFGH Foundation
  • April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 - Lung Macrophage Populations and Functions in COPD-Susceptible Smokers (Pre-COPD Study) , PI . Sponsor: Department of Defense, Sponsor Award ID: W81XWH-20-1-0158
  • April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2023 - Characterization of Innate Immunity in Pollution-induced Exacerbation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (CO3PD Study) , PI . Sponsor: California TRDRP, Sponsor Award ID: T29IR0715

Education

University of California, San Diego, BA, 06/1991, Molecular Biology
Stanford University, MD, 06/1996, MD Program
University of California, Los Angeles, Residency, 06/1999, Internal Medicine
University of California, San Francisco Fellowship, 06/2003, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
University of California, San Francisco, Certificate, 06/2003, Advanced Training in Clinical Research
Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Program, Certificate, 08/2009, Clinical Trial Design Course
University of California, San Francisco, Certificate, 05/2010, Mentor Development Program
The Jackson Laboratories (NIH/NHLBI), Certificate, 10/2010, Genetic Approaches to Complex Heart, Lung and Blood Diseases
University of California, San Francisco, CA, 2018, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training

Honors & Awards

  • 1988
    Mathematics Scholarship, Los Angeles Pierce College
  • 1989 &1990
    Dean's honors list, University of California San Diego
  • 1990
    Pre-doctoral Research Fellow, Ronald McNair Student Fellowship, University of California San Diego
  • 1992
    Pre-doctoral Research Scholar, La Societe pour Aider les Amis de Science, INSERM at University of Paris, France
  • 1992
    Pre-doctoral Research Scholar, Steward Traveling Medical Scholars Award, Stanford University
  • 1993
    Pre-doctoral Research Scholar, Stanford Medical Scholars Award, Stanford University
  • 2003
    Research Award, Chest Foundation Clinical Research Trainee Award
  • 2003 & 2004
    Research Award, American Lung Association Research Fellowship Award
  • 2006
    Research Award, NIH/NHLBI Mentored Patient-oriented Career Development Award (K23)
  • 2015
    Research Award, Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute Individual Research Award
  • 2015
    Breathe California Clean Air Award- Research Category

Selected Publications

  1. Verma A, Minnier J, Wan ES, Huffman JE, Gao L, Joseph J, Ho YL, Wu WC, Cho K, Gorman BR, Rajeevan N, Pyarajan S, Garcon H, Meigs JB, Sun YV, Reaven PD, McGeary JE, Suzuki A, Gelernter J, Lynch JA, Petersen JM, Zekavat SM, Natarajan P, Dalal S, Jhala DN, Arjomandi M, Gatsby E, Lynch KE, Bonomo RA, Freiberg M, Pathak GA, Zhou JJ, Donskey CJ, Madduri RK, Wells QS, Huang RDL, Polimanti R, Chang KM, Liao KP, Tsao PS, Wilson PWF, Hung AM, O'Donnell CJ, Gaziano JM, Hauger RL, Iyengar SK, Luoh SW, Million Veteran Program COVID-19 Science Initiative. A MUC5B Gene Polymorphism, rs35705950-T, Confers Protective Effects Against COVID-19 Hospitalization but Not Severe Disease or Mortality. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 11 15; 206(10):1220-1229.  View on PubMed
  2. Fortis S, Quibrera PM, Comellas AP, Bhat SP, Tashkin DP, Hoffman EA, Criner GJ, Han MK, Barr RG, Arjomandi M, Dransfield MB, Peters SP, Dolezal BA, Kim V, Putcha N, Rennard SI, Paine R, Kanner RE, Curtis JL, Bowler RP, Martinez FJ, Hansel NN, Krishnan JA, Woodruff PG, Barjaktarevic IZ, Couper D, Anderson WH, Cooper CB, Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study Investigators. Bronchodilator Responsiveness in Tobacco-Exposed People With or Without COPD. Chest. 2022 Nov 15.  View on PubMed
  3. Falvo MJ, Sotolongo AM, Osterholzer JJ, Robertson MW, Kazerooni EA, Amorosa JK, Garshick E, Jones KD, Galvin JR, Kreiss K, Hines SE, Franks TJ, Miller RF, Rose CS, Arjomandi M, Krefft SD, Morris MJ, Polosukhin VV, Blanc PD, D'Armiento JM. Consensus Statements on Deployment-Related Respiratory Disease, Inclusive of Constrictive Bronchiolitis: A Modified Delphi Study. Chest. 2022 Nov 04.  View on PubMed
  4. Han MK, Ye W, Wang D, White E, Arjomandi M, Barjaktarevic IZ, Brown SA, Buhr RG, Comellas AP, Cooper CB, Criner GJ, Dransfield MT, Drescher F, Folz RJ, Hansel NN, Kalhan R, Kaner RJ, Kanner RE, Krishnan JA, Lazarus SC, Maddipati V, Martinez FJ, Mathews A, Meldrum C, McEvoy C, Nyunoya T, Rogers L, Stringer WW, Wendt CH, Wise RA, Wisniewski SR, Sciurba FC, Woodruff PG, RETHINC Study Group. Bronchodilators in Tobacco-Exposed Persons with Symptoms and Preserved Lung Function. N Engl J Med. 2022 09 29; 387(13):1173-1184.  View on PubMed
  5. Buhr RG, Barjaktarevic IZ, Quibrera PM, Bateman LA, Bleecker ER, Couper DJ, Curtis JL, Dolezal BA, Han MK, Hansel NN, Krishnan JA, Martinez FJ, McKleroy W, Paine R, Rennard SI, Tashkin DP, Woodruff PG, Kanner RE, Cooper CB, SPIROMICS Investigators. Reversible Airflow Obstruction Predicts Future Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Development in the SPIROMICS Cohort: An Observational Cohort Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 09 01; 206(5):554-562.  View on PubMed
  6. Madapoosi SS, Cruickshank-Quinn C, Opron K, Erb-Downward JR, Begley LA, Li G, Barjaktarevic I, Barr RG, Comellas AP, Couper DJ, Cooper CB, Freeman CM, Han MK, Kaner RJ, Labaki W, Martinez FJ, Ortega VE, Peters SP, Paine R, Woodruff P, Curtis JL, Huffnagle GB, Stringer KA, Bowler RP, Esther CR, Reisdorph N, Huang YJ, SPIROMICS Research Group. Lung Microbiota and Metabolites Collectively Associate with Clinical Outcomes in Milder Stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 08 15; 206(4):427-439.  View on PubMed
  7. Davis CW, Rabin AS, Jani N, Osterholzer JJ, Krefft S, Hines SE, Arjomandi M, Robertson MW, Sotolongo AM, Falvo MJ, Post-Deployment Cardiopulmonary Evaluation Network. Postdeployment Respiratory Health: The Roles of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry and the Post-Deployment Cardiopulmonary Evaluation Network. Fed Pract. 2022 Aug; 39(8):337-343.  View on PubMed
  8. Simoneau CR, Chen PY, Xing GK, Khalid MM, Meyers NL, Hayashi JM, Taha TY, Leon KE, Ashuach T, Fontaine KA, Rodriguez L, Joehnk B, Walcott K, Vasudevan S, Fang X, Maishan M, Schultz S, Roose J, Matthay MA, Sil A, Arjomandi M, Yosef N, Ott M. NF-κB inhibitor alpha has a cross-variant role during SARS-CoV-2 infection in ACE2-overexpressing human airway organoids. bioRxiv. 2022 Aug 02.  View on PubMed
  9. Verma A, Huffman JE, Gao L, Minnier J, Wu WC, Cho K, Ho YL, Gorman BR, Pyarajan S, Rajeevan N, Garcon H, Joseph J, McGeary JE, Suzuki A, Reaven PD, Wan ES, Lynch JA, Petersen JM, Meigs JB, Freiberg MS, Gatsby E, Lynch KE, Zekavat SM, Natarajan P, Dalal S, Jhala DN, Arjomandi M, Bonomo RA, Thompson TK, Pathak GA, Zhou JJ, Donskey CJ, Madduri RK, Wells QS, Gelernter J, Huang RDL, Polimanti R, Chang KM, Liao KP, Tsao PS, Sun YV, Wilson PWF, O'Donnell CJ, Hung AM, Gaziano JM, Hauger RL, Iyengar SK, Luoh SW, VA Million Veteran Program COVID-19 Science Initiative. Association of Kidney Comorbidities and Acute Kidney Failure With Unfavorable Outcomes After COVID-19 in Individuals With the Sickle Cell Trait. JAMA Intern Med. 2022 08 01; 182(8):796-804.  View on PubMed
  10. Mustra Rakic J, Zeng S, Rohdin-Bibby L, Van Blarigan EL, Liu X, Ma S, Kane JP, Redberg RF, Turino GM, Oestreicher Stock E, Arjomandi M. Elastin Degradation and Lung Function Deterioration with Remote Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Never-smokers. Chronic Obstr Pulm Dis. 2022 Jul 29; 9(3):377-393.  View on PubMed
  11. Mehrdad Arjomandi, Hofer Wong, Rachel Tenney, Nina Holland, John R. Balmes. Effect of Ozone on Allergic Airway Inflammation. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Global. 2022 Jul 1.  View on PubMed
  12. Zeng S, Dunn M, Gold WM, Kizer JR, Arjomandi M. Remote exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke is associated with lower exercise capacity through effects on oxygen pulse, a proxy of cardiac stroke volume. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2022 05; 9(1).  View on PubMed
  13. Ronish BE, Couper DJ, Barjaktarevic IZ, Cooper CB, Kanner RE, Pirozzi CS, Kim V, Wells JM, Han MK, Woodruff PG, Ortega VE, Peters SP, Hoffman EA, Buhr RG, Dolezal BA, Tashkin DP, Liou TG, Bateman LA, Schroeder JD, Martinez FJ, Barr RG, Hansel NN, Comellas AP, Rennard SI, Arjomandi M, Paine Iii R. Forced Expiratory Flow at 25%-75% Links COPD Physiology to Emphysema and Disease Severity in the SPIROMICS Cohort. Chronic Obstr Pulm Dis. 2022 Apr 29; 9(2):111-121.  View on PubMed
  14. Seedahmed MI, Mogilnicka I, Zeng S, Luo G, Whooley MA, McCulloch CE, Koth L, Arjomandi M. Performance of a Computational Phenotyping Algorithm for Sarcoidosis Using Diagnostic Codes in Electronic Medical Records: Case Validation Study From 2 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. JMIR Form Res. 2022 Mar 02; 6(3):e31615.  View on PubMed
  15. Zeng S, Arjomandi M, Luo G. Automatically Explaining Machine Learning Predictions on Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations: Retrospective Cohort Study. JMIR Med Inform. 2022 Feb 25; 10(2):e33043.  View on PubMed
  16. Peloso GM, Tcheandjieu C, McGeary JE, Posner DC, Ho YL, Zhou JJ, Hilliard AT, Joseph J, O'Donnell CJ, Efird JT, Crawford DC, Wu WC, Arjomandi M, VA Million Veteran Program COVID-19 Science Initiative, Sun YV, Assimes TL, Huffman JE. Genetic Loci Associated With COVID-19 Positivity and Hospitalization in White, Black, and Hispanic Veterans of the VA Million Veteran Program. Front Genet. 2021; 12:777076.  View on PubMed
  17. Zeng S, Arjomandi M, Tong Y, Liao ZC, Luo G. Developing a Machine Learning Model to Predict Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations: Retrospective Cohort Study. J Med Internet Res. 2022 01 06; 24(1):e28953.  View on PubMed
  18. Frampton MW, Balmes JR, Bromberg PA, Arjomandi M, Hazucha MJ, Thurston SW, Alexis NE, Ganz P, Zareba W, Koutrakis P, Thevenet-Morrison K, Rich DQ. Effects of short-term increases in personal and ambient pollutant concentrations on pulmonary and cardiovascular function: A panel study analysis of the Multicenter Ozone Study in oldEr subjects (MOSES 2). Environ Res. 2022 04 01; 205:112522.  View on PubMed
  19. Yee N, Markovic D, Buhr RG, Fortis S, Arjomandi M, Couper D, Anderson WH, Paine R, Woodruff PG, Han MK, Martinez FJ, Barr RG, Wells JM, Ortega VE, Hoffman EA, Kim V, Drummond MB, Bowler RP, Curtis JL, Cooper CB, Tashkin DP, Barjaktarevic IZ. Significance of FEV3/FEV6 in Recognition of Early Airway Disease in Smokers at Risk of Development of COPD: Analysis of the SPIROMICS Cohort. Chest. 2022 04; 161(4):949-959.  View on PubMed
  20. Chen J, Weldemichael L, Zeng S, Giang B, Geerts J, Ching WC, Nishihama M, Gold WM, Arjomandi M. Actigraphy informs distinct patient-centered outcomes in Pre-COPD. Respir Med. 2021 10; 187:106543.  View on PubMed

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