Rachana Shah

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Rachana Shah, MD, MSTR

Attending Physician

Dr. Shah's research is centered on understanding obesity and its related complications. Her current work includes clinical and translational studies exploring pathophysiology and modulation of obesity-related adipose tissue and systemic inflammation using human cell lines and clinical trials. She is also involved in clinical studies of outcomes and risk factors of polycystic ovarian syndrome and type 2 diabetes in teens.

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Bio

Dr. Shah is a pediatric endocrinologist with a clinical and research focus on elucidating the pathophysiology and exploring novel therapeutic targets in obesity and related complications. She has worked extensively in the area of obesity-related adipose tissue and systemic inflammation, using both pre-clinical (animal, in vitro cell and tissue) and clinical models.

Methods used in the laboratory include adipose biopsy, flow cytometry of adipose tissue and blood, cell culture of human primary adipocytes and monocyte/macrophage lines, isolation of bacterial microbiome, mRNA and protein quantification, and in silico metabolomics.

As the medical director of the CHOP Adolescent Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Center, Dr. Shah has also initiated clinical studies determining incidence of cardiometabolic risk factors and mental health disorders in PCOS.

Among her notable career achievements, Dr. Shah:

Earned a Master of Science in Translational Science (2011) from the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Translation Medicine and Therapeutics, sponsored by the Penn/ITMAT KL2 grant.
Completed NIDDK K23-sponsored clinical trial Fish Oils in Adipose Inflammation Reduction (FAIR), an eight-week placebo-controlled trial of the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on systemic and adipose tissue inflammatory pathways in healthy obese adults
Completed a pilot study of Cardiometabolic Risk in Adolescent PCOS, a cross-sectional study examining prevalence of metabolic syndrome components in PCOS vs. control teenage girls