Dr. Anantha Shekhar is a nationally recognized educator, researcher, and entrepreneur with major contributions to medicine and life sciences.  At the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Shekhar leads all six health sciences schools: Dental Medicine, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. Dr. Shekhar’s responsibilities include shaping the careers of more than 6,200 faculty and staff members, as well as the academic success of approximately 6,000 students annually, all while supporting Pitt’s position as a top-ranked recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding. He also 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.   

Innovation, transformation, and successful collaborations across the private, public, and philanthropic sectors have defined Dr. Shekhar’s distinguished career. His laboratory developed several translational models for psychiatric disorders and identified novel targets for neuropsychiatric disorder treatments now in commercial development. He has co-authored more than 250 original scientific papers and is a founder of multiple biotech companies developing novel therapies.   

Dr. Shekhar is an elected member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation. Born in India, he earned his medical degree at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and PhD in neuroscience at Indiana University (IU), where he went on to serve on the faculty for more than 35 years prior to joining Pitt. For his exceptional leadership in research, academic, and clinical affairs, Dr. Shekhar was awarded the IU President’s Medal for Excellence, the highest honor the university’s president can bestow. 

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