Dr. Kelly's research seeks to elucidate how the human exposome interacts with genetic predisposition to influence disease. His work spans epidemiology, genomics, and translational biology, with a particular focus on the roles of environmental factors and circadian disturbances in cardiac conditions.
Dr. Kelly is a staff cardiologist at the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System. His clinical interests include general cardiology, echocardiography, and training of cardiology fellows.
- BS, Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
- BS, Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
- PhD, Cellular & Molecular Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2015
- MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2016
- Internal Medicine Residency, UPMC, 2020
- Clinical Fellowship, Cardiology, UPMC, 2023
- Research Fellowship, Vascular Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2025
Education & Training
Chan ZM, Patel PP, Levitsky GM, McClung CA, Nouraie SM, Kelly NJ. Heart rate phase is an indicator of chronotype-relevant circadian shifts associated with human disease: an All of Us Research Program analysis. J Physiol. 2026 Mar 16. PMID: 41839809.
Kelly NJ, Chaudhary R, El Khoury W, Kalepalli N, Wang J, Patel P, Chan IN, Rahman H, Saiyed A, Shah AN, McClung CA, Okawa S, Nouraie SM, Chan SY. Health outcomes after national acute sleep deprivation events among the American public. JCI Insight. 2026 Feb 9;11(3). PMID: 41433114.
Chan IN, Nouraie SM, Chan SY, Kelly NJ. Associations of sleep-associated variants with wearable-derived sleep stages in the All of Us research program. Sleep. 2025 Nov 10;48(11). PMID: 40720732.
Kelly NJ, Newhouse D, Chapagain H, Patel A, Tang Y, Howard A, Kirillova A, Kim HJ, Rahman H, El Khoury W, Nouraie SM, Hickey G, Sade LE, Jain S, Chan SY. Omics and Extreme Phenotyping Reveal Longitudinal Association Between Left Atrial Size and Pulmonary Vascular Resistance in Group 2 Pulmonary Hypertension. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Dec 5;12(23):e031746. PMID: 38014658.
Kelly NJ, Chan SY. Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Emerging Principles of Precision Medicine across Basic Science to Clinical Practice. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2022;23(11). PMID: 36875282.
- Research Award, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, 2024
- Jenesis Innovative Research Award, United Therapeutics, 2024
- McKamish Family Foundation Cardiovascular Innovator Award, UPMC Heart & Vascular Institute, 2024
- Fellows Award for Excellence in Research, UPMC Heart & Vascular Institute, 2023
- James D. Heard Senior Prize in Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2017
K08 ES037420, Airborne particulates exacerbate vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension, PI, 2025-2030
