Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Division of General Internal Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo Galen E. Switzer, PhD

General Internal Medicine

Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry, and Clinical and Translational Science

Associate Chief of Research, Division of General Internal Medicine

Co-Director, Center for Research on Health Care

Director, PhD Program in Clinical and Translational Science

Email: gswitzer@pitt.edu

Phone: 412-692-4837
Contact
Office: 600 McKee Professional Building
230 McKee Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
Phone: 412-692-4837
Fax: 412-692-4838
E-mail: gswitzer@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Jessica Bruce
Address: 600 McKee Professional Building
230 McKee Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: jbruce1@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-692-2016
Fax: 412-586-9255
Administrative Assistant:
Vidya Kuniyil
Address: 600 McKee Professional Building
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: vik46@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-246-6564
Fax: 412-586-9255
Education and Training
Education
BA, Psychology, McPherson College, 1985
MA, Social Psychology, Arizona State University, 1989
PhD, Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1993
Training
Postdoctoral Studies in Medical Sociology, University of Pittsburgh, 1996
Research Interest
Dr. Switzer is an expert regarding the motives and experiences of individuals who join an adult stem-cell donation registry and volunteer to donate to a stranger. In collaboration with the U.S.-based National Marrow Donor Program, U.K.-based Anthony Nolan Registry, and German-based D.K.M.S., his research group has become internationally known for its findings about registry members' experience at critical points leading to donation, as well motivations for joining the registry and factors associated with opting-out after having preliminarily matched a patient in need of a transplant. Dr. Switzer has also investigated the donation experience from the donor perspective. Finally, for more than 20 years, he has developed and evaluated clinical and psychosocial research measures and compiled validated measures for research projects across multiple contexts.
Educational Interest
Dr. Switzer is the Director of the PhD Program in Clinical and Translational Science and teaches graduate students through the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE). He has extensive training and experience in qualitative and quantitative measurement and the administration of survey-based investigations. Dr. Switzer has trained and mentored many junior investigators in quantitative and qualitative methods and instructs a core ICRE course focused on Measurement in Clinical Research for our Certificate, MS, and PhD programs in clinical and translational science.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Hamed, A. B., Bruce, J. G., Kuniyil, V., Mattila, D., Williams, E. P., Dew, M. A., Myaskovsky, L., Confer, D. L., Switzer, G. E. Racial and ethnic differences in attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge about unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donation: A study of younger newly recruited potential donors. Transplant Cell Ther. 2022; 28(6): 340.e1-340.e16.
Kidd, K. M., Hill, A., Sequeira, G. M., McMillan, C., Switzer, G. E., Rofey, D., Miller, E., Montano, G. T. Development and psychometric analysis of the Transgender Family Acceptance To Empowerment (TransFATE) scale. J Adolesc Health. 2021; 68(6): 1096-1103.
Switzer, G. E., Bruce, J. G., Kiefer, D. M., Kobusingye, H., Abebe, K. Z., Drexler, R., Besser, R. M., Confer, D. L., Horowitz, M. M., King, R. J., Shaw, B. E., Riches, M., Hayes-Lattin, B., Linenberger, M., Bolwell, B., Rowley, S. D., Litzow, M. R., Pulsipher, M. A. Health-related quality-of-life comparison of adult related and unrelated HSC donors: An RDSafe study. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2020; 26(12): 2365-2371.
Wiener, L., Hoag, J. A., Pelletier, W., Shah, N. N., Shaw, B. E., Pulsipher, M. A., Bruce, J., Bader, P., Willasch, A. M., Dalissier, A., Guilcher, G., Anthias, C., Confer, D. L., See, J. A., Logan, B., Switzer, G. E. Transplant center practices for psychosocial assessment and management of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell donors. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2019; 54(11): 1780-1788.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: Donor health-related quality-of-life and physician decision-making in the context of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HaploQOL)
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Grant Number: R01 HL171117
Start Year: 2024
End Year: 2027
Title: Identifying Predictors of Poor Health-Related Quality-of-life among Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Jeff Gordon Foundation
Grant Number: RES
Start Year: 2023
End Year: 2024
Title: IPA - Galen Switzer
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: US Department of Veterans Affairs
Grant Number: IPA
Start Year: 2023
End Year: 2024
Title: Health-Related Quality of Life Among Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Disorders
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute
Grant Number: R01 HL131731
Start Year: 2018
End Year: 2022
Title: Development and validation of a novel, person-centered measure of post-conception pregnancy acceptability (the Post-CAP)
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
Grant Number: R01 HD103286
Start Year: 2020
End Year: 2025
Title: Development of a novel tool to analyze physician implementation of clinical practice guidelines in trauma triage
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Aging
Grant Number: R21
Start Year: 2023
End Year: 2025
Title: Development of a novel, patient-centered measure of reproductive autonomy in the healthcare context
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
Grant Number: R21 HD109440
Start Year: 2022
End Year: 2024
Title: The Pittsburgh Scientific and Data Research Center for the COPE-AKI Consortium (Pitt-SDRC)
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Disease
Grant Number: U01 DK130010
Start Year: 2021
End Year: 2026
Title: Social Media Use and Depression Outcomes among U.S. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Grant Number: R00 MD012813
Start Year: 2020
End Year: 2023
Title: University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Team Science)
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Grant Number: UL1 TR001857
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2021
Notable Achievements
Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education, 2018
Best Publication Award: Sociology of Mental Health Section, American Sociological Association. Handbook on the Sociology of Mental Health Aheshensel C.S. and J.C. Phelan (Eds.), (1999)., 2001
Dlin/Fischer Clinical Research Award for significant contributions to research, 1999
Associate: Center for Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 1993-present
University Fellow, University of Colorado, 1989-1991
Regents’ Fellow, Arizona State University, 1987-1988
Magna Cum Laude, McPherson College, 1985
Outstanding Research Project, Regional Research Competition, 1985

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

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Phone:  412-648-9636
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