Dr. Rizzo is a clinical-translational critical care researcher whose work focuses on the glycobiology of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. Her current projects include: 1) an observational cohort study of ARDS patients that will determine the impact of endothelial and epithelial glycocalyx degradation on ARDS outcomes and pathogenesis, 2) murine studies aimed at determining the mechanisms by which epithelial glycocalyx degradation causes surfactant dysfunction in ARDS, and 3) optimization of a rapid assay to quantify circulating glycosaminoglycans and identify vascular endotypes in sepsis. The overarching goal of her research is to identify airspace and circulating biomarkers of glycocalyx dysfunction that can be used to inform the execution of precision medicine strategies in ARDS and sepsis.
Dr. Rizzo's main clinical interests are in the care of patients with ARDS, pneumonia, and sepsis. She treats patients in the Medical ICUs at UPMC-Presbyterian and UPMC-East. She also attends on the Pulmonary consultation and Advanced Lung Disease service at UPMC-Presbyterian.
Dr. Rizzo is involved in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows at the University of Pittsburgh. She is actively involved in both bedside teaching on rounds and procedural teaching in the ICU.
- BA, Johns Hopkins University, 2009
- MD, University of Illinois College of Medicine, 2017
- PhD, University of Illinois College of Medicine, 2017
- Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Colorado, 2019
- Fellowship, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado, 2022
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2023
Education & Training
Neyton LPA, Matthay MA, Dela Cruz CS, Rizzo AN. Beyond immunosuppression: decoding systemic immune dysregulation in ICU-acquired pneumonia. Eur Respir J. 2025 Apr 24;65(4):2500185. PMID: 40274294.
Zehr EP, Erzen CL, Oshima K, Langouet-Astrie CJ, LaRiviere WB, Shi D, Zhang F, McCollister BD, Windham SL, Rizzo AN, Bastarache JA, Horswill AR, Schmidt EP, Kwiecinski JM, Colbert JF. Bacterial pneumonia-induced shedding of epithelial heparan sulfate inhibits the bactericidal activity of cathelicidin in a murine model. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2024 Feb 1;326(2):L206-L212. PMID: 38113313.
Rizzo AN, Schmidt EP. The role of the alveolar epithelial glycocalyx in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2023 Apr 1;324(4):C799-C806. PMID: 36847444.
Rizzo AN, Aggarwal NR, Thompson BT, Schmidt EP. Advancing Precision Medicine for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. J Clin Med. 2023 Feb 16;12(4):1563. PMID: 36836098.
Rizzo AN, Haeger SM, Oshima K, Yang Y, Wallbank AM, Jin Y, Lettau M, McCaig LA, Wickersham NE, McNeil JB, Zakharevich I, McMurtry SA, Langouët-Astrié CJ, Kopf KW, Voelker DR, Hansen KC, Shaver CM, Kerchberger VE, Peterson RA, Kuebler WM, Ochs M, Veldhuizen RA, Smith BJ, Ware LB, Bastarache JA, Schmidt EP. Alveolar epithelial glycocalyx degradation mediates surfactant dysfunction and contributes to acute respiratory distress syndrome. JCI Insight. 2022 Jan 25;7(2):e154573. PMID: 34874923.
Rizzo AN, Schmidt EP. ABO blood type: a window into the genetics of acute respiratory distress syndrome susceptibility. J Clin Invest. 2021 Jan 4;131(1):e144075. PMID: 33141764.
Rizzo AN, Belvitch P, Demeritte R, Garcia JGN, Letsiou E, Dudek SM. Arg mediates LPS-induced disruption of the pulmonary endothelial barrier. Vascul Pharmacol. 2020 May-Jun;128-129:106677. PMID: 32240815.
Rizzo AN, Dudek SM. Endothelial Glycocalyx Repair: Building a Wall to Protect the Lung during Sepsis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2017 Jun;56(6):687-688. PMID: 28569597.
Rizzo AN, Sammani S, Esquinca AE, Jacobson JR, Garcia JG, Letsiou E, Dudek SM. Imatinib attenuates inflammation and vascular leak in a clinically relevant two-hit model of acute lung injury. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 Dec 1;309(11):L1294-304. PMID: 26432864.
Rizzo AN, Aman J, van Nieuw Amerongen GP, Dudek SM. Targeting Abl kinases to regulate vascular leak during sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2015 May;35(5):1071-9. PMID: 25814671.
Letsiou E, Rizzo AN, Sammani S, Naureckas P, Jacobson JR, Garcia JG, Dudek SM. Differential and opposing effects of imatinib on LPS- and ventilator-induced lung injury. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 Feb 1;308(3):L259-69. PMID: 25480336.
- NIH/NHLBI F30 National Research Service Award, 2014
- Edward P. Cohen Alumni Award for Outstanding MSTP Student, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2015
- Hermann Rahn Award for Excellence in Pulmonary Research, American Physiologic Society, 2016
- NIH/NHLBI LRP, 2021
- NIH/NHLBI F32 National Research Service Award, 2021
- Abstract Scholarship, American Thoracic Society, 2022
- Emerging Generation Award, American Society of Clinical Investigation, 2022
- Parker B Francis Foundation Fellowship, 2023
- Young Physician Scientist Award, American Society for Clinical INvestigation, 2025
K23 HL173662, The impact of glycocalyx degradation on ARDS pathogenesis and outcomes, PI, 2025-2030.
