Vladimir Kalinichenko, MD, PhD, is director of the Phoenix Children’s Research Institute at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. Dr. Kalinichenko is committed to advancing the field of pediatric genomic research and inspiring scientific growth at Phoenix Children’s. His work is focused on improving the health of babies with life-threatening respiratory conditions.

“I’ve spent my whole career trying to understand what genes do,” said Dr. Kalinichenko. “We had many early discoveries, but genomic sequencing in the early 2000s was the tremendous breakthrough we needed. What’s so exciting is that now we understand so much more about the structure of genes and their potential function in human diseases, and that allows us to develop more targeted, effective treatments for the pediatric population.”

Prior to joining Phoenix Children’s, Dr. Kalinichenko led the Center for Lung Regenerative Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. In that role, he helped identify new treatments and improved patient outcomes for children with life-threatening lung conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. In Cincinnati, his lab was one of the first in the world to use stem cells to generate bioengineered lung tissue for potential use in lung regeneration after injury or illness. 

Dr. Kalinichenko earned his medical degree and a doctorate degree in immunology from Pirogov’s National Medical University in the USSR. He completed his postdoctoral work in molecular immunology, developmental biology and molecular genetics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. 

Dr. Kalinichenko has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed articles in publications including Nature, Circulation, Stem Cells and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and is chair of the Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research study section of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Kalinichenko is the proud recipient of several prestigious awards, including the American Heart Association’s Scientist Development Award, the March of Dimes’ Basic Research Award and the American Cancer Society’s Research Scholar Award. 

In his free time, Dr. Kalinichenko enjoys traveling and outdoor activities including hiking. He and his wife, who is also a physician scientist, have three grown children.