Alicia Rizzo, MD, PHD
Instructor in Medicine
Academic Interests
Dr. Rizzo’s research focuses on understanding the impact of glycocalyx degradation on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) pathogenesis and outcomes. In health, the lung contains both pulmonary endothelial and alveolar epithelial glycocalyces, which are glycosaminoglycan-enriched layers that line the vasculature and airways respectively. These layers can become damaged in multiple forms of injury that commonly cause ARDS, including sepsis and pneumonia. Dr. Rizzo’s current work is focused on determining the attributable impact of glycocalyx dysfunction on patient outcomes and understanding the temporal relationships between glycocalyx degradation and the dynamic physiology of critical illness with the ultimate goal of developing and utilizing bedside assays of glycocalyx dysfunction to inform the execution of glycan-targeted precision medicine strategies in ARDS.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Rizzo’s work on the role of the alveolar epithelial glycocalyx in ARDS has been supported by the NIH/NHLBI, with both a F32 National Research Service Award and a Loan Repayment Grant, the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and a Parker B. Francis Foundation Fellowship. In 2022, she was selected by the American Society of Clinical Investigation for the inaugural class of the Emerging Generation Award, which recognizes highly productive early career physician scientists.
More information can be found on Dr. Rizzo’s Harvard Catalyst Profile.