Anantha Shekhar serves as senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an internationally recognized educator, researcher and entrepreneur who has made significant contributions to medicine and the life sciences.
At Pitt, Dr. Shekhar leads all six health sciences schools — Dental Medicine, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health — renowned for their research and educational excellence for more than a century. He is also responsible for supporting the University’s perennial position as a Top 10 recipient of National Institutes of Health research dollars and Top 10 national ranking in life sciences research and development expenditures.
Dr. Shekhar is also a key leader in the development of Pitt BioForge, due to open in 2026 to drive breakthroughs in cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and other major initiatives aimed at translating the many discoveries from the University’s vast biomedical research enterprise into products and solutions for patients worldwide. Moreover, he works closely with UPMC, a $24 billion world-renowned health care provider and insurer, to ensure that health care delivery, biomedical research and education — already among the nation’s elite — continue to flourish.
Dr. Shekhar’s areas of scientific expertise include basic and clinical research on the effects of stress, stress-induced psychiatric disorders and clinical psychopharmacology. His laboratory has developed several translational models for psychiatric disorders and identified novel targets for neuropsychiatric disorder treatments, including seminal work in the development of the new schizophrenia drug Cobenfy™, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September 2024. Dr. Shekhar has co-authored more than 250 original scientific papers published in leading basic science and clinical journals and is also the founder of multiple biotech companies developing novel therapies.
Born in India, Dr. Shekhar earned his medical degree at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and Ph.D. in neuroscience at Indiana University. He went on to serve IU’s School of Medicine, the nation’s largest medical school, for more than 35 years in roles of increasing distinction and responsibility, including executive associate dean for research affairs, distinguished professor, associate vice president for university clinical affairs and research, and executive vice president of academic affairs for clinical research at IU Health. In 2020, Dr. Shekhar was awarded the IU President’s Medal for Excellence, the university’s highest honor, for his exceptional leadership in research, academic and clinical affairs.
He also founded the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, a statewide partnership among Indiana’s top research universities and community, health care, governmental and corporate stakeholders to solve the state’s most pressing health challenges. In 2019, Dr. Shekhar was awarded the state of Indiana’s highest honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, for his transformational contributions to advancing the state’s life sciences corridor.