Aartik Sarma, MD

Assistant Professor

I am an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and Affiliate Faculty in the UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Program in Computational Precision Health.

My research is motivated by two key questions I frequently encounter in my clinical practice as an intensive care physician and pulmonologist: 1) Why do patients with same disease have such different responses to the same treatments?; and 2) Why are so many promising preclinical treatments ineffective in large clinical trials?

To address these questions, I am building a research program to study critical illness syndromes using a variety of multi-omic and computational tools. My research spans a wide range of scientific domains from characterizing molecular features of preclinical disease models to predicting individualized treatment effects in ICU clinical trials and identifying algorithmic biases in large observational data sets.

I am supported by a K23 Career Development Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and received an Emerging Generation Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation. I serve as co-chair for the American Thoracic Society's Workshop on research standards for respiratory tract sampling and contribute as a site investigator for multiple clinical studies. I am a strong proponent of interdisciplinary team science to advance human health, and work with researchers across disciplines from cell biology to labor economics - if you have ideas for potential collaboration, please send me a message!

Education
MAS, 2023 - Clinical and Epidemiologic Research, UCSF
Fellowship, 2020 - Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, UCSF
Residency, 2017 - Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
MD, 2014 - , Harvard Medical School
ScB, 2008 - Public Policy, Biomedical Engineering, Brown University
Honors and Awards
  • Emerging Generation Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2023
Websites
Publications

  1. Alipanah-Lechner N, Neyton L, Sinha P, Leroux C, Bardillon K, Carrillo SA, Chak S, Chao O, Hariharan T, Hendrickson C, Kangelaris K, Langelier CR, Lee D, Lin C, Liu K, Magee L, Ringor A, Sarma A, Schmiege E, Spottiswoode N, Sullivan K, Weingart MF, Willmore A, Zhuo H, Rogers AJ, Stringer KA, Matthay MA, Calfee CS. Longitudinal multi-omic signatures of ARDS and sepsis inflammatory phenotypes identify pathways associated with mortality. The Journal of clinical investigation 2025. PMID: 41329523


  2. Sarma A, Christenson SA, Shoshana BZ, Oliveira AP, Neyton LPA, Mick E, Sinha P, Wilson JG, Moazed F, Leligdowicz A, Maddali MV, Siegel ER, Lyon ZM, Carrillo SH, Zhou H, Jauregui A, Ghale R, Caldera S, Hayakawa PS, Deiss T, Love C, Byrne A, Kalantar KL, DeRisi JL, Erle DJ, Krummel MF, Kangelaris KN, Hendrickson CM, Woodruff PG, Matthay MA, Bos LDJ, Langelier CR, Calfee CS, COMET Consortium. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Molecular Phenotypes Have Distinct Lower Respiratory Tract Transcriptomes. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2025. PMID: 40997225


  3. Weingart MF, Willmore A, Zhuo H, Magee L, Chao O, Lin C, Schmiege E, Hariharan T, Chak S, Bardillon K, Lee D, Leroux C, Obeidalla SN, Kerchberger VE, Sullivan K, Langelier C, Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Sarma A, Evrard B, Alipanah-Lechner N, Sinha P, Matthay MA, Ware LB, Calfee CS. Prognostic Relevance of Inflammatory Subphenotypes in Immunocompromised Patients With Sepsis. Critical care medicine 2025. PMID: 41150892


  4. Matthay MA, Sarma A, Alipanah-Lechner N, Zhuo H. Reply to Zhou and Yang: Biological Heterogeneity and Biomarker-driven Personalization: Advancing MSC Therapy for ARDS. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2025. PMID: 41091127


  5. Costa Monteiro AC, Pickering H, Sarma A, Taylor CS, Jenkins MM, Hsu FM, Nadel B, Levy O, Baden LR, Melamed E, Ehrlich LIR, McComsey GA, Sekaly RP, Cairns CB, Haddad EK, Shaw AC, Hafler DA, Montgomery RR, Corry DB, Kheradmand F, Atkinson MA, Brakenridge SC, Higuita NIA, Metcalf JP, Hough CL, Messer WB, Pulendran B, Nadeau KC, Davis MM, Geng LN, Fernandez-Sesma A, Simon V, Krammer F, Kraft M, Bime C, Calfee CS, Erle DJ, Bosinger S, Eckalbar W, Maecker H, Rahman A, Guan L, Peters B, Kleinstein SH, Augustine AD, Diray-Arce J, Becker PM, Rouphael N, IMPACC Network, CAFPINT Site investigators of the PALISI Network, Agus M, Kulkarni H, Schaenmann JM, Salehi-Rad R, Matthay MA, Reed EF, Sapru A. Circulating endothelial signatures correlate with worse outcomes in COVID-19, respiratory failure and ARDS. Critical care (London, England) 2025. PMID: 41088445


  6. Bain W, Sarma A, Morales-Nebreda L, Rizzo AN, Herron M, Wright SW, Hagan RS, Vigeland CL, Mwizerwa E, Pickens C, Toth S, Nonoyama M, Cao B, Luna CM, Rubin E, Torres A, Bos LD, McVerry BJ, Restrepo MI, Baron RM, Ware LB, Kulkarni HS, Calfee CS, Rogers AJ, Wunderink RG, Varisco BM, Dela Cruz CS, Kitsios GD, Mock JR, Morrell ED, McElvaney NG, Bastarache JA. Research Priorities for Noninvasive Sampling of the Lower Respiratory Tract during Acute Respiratory Failure: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2025. PMID: 40748053


  7. Matthay MA, Zhou H, Sarma A, Alipanah-Lechner N, Hendrickson C, Kornblith LZ, Schreiber M, Zonies D, Khan A, Robinson B, Johnson NJ, Ware LB, Guillamondegui O, Casey J, Moore L, Patel B, Kao L, Wade CE, Fox E, Cox C, Khawanja F, Aguillon Prada R, Hossri S, Callcut R, Albertson T, Delucchi KL, McMillan M, Langelier CR, Pati S, McKenna DH, Leroux C, Calfee CS, Liu KD. Treatment with Allogenic Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Moderate to Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled, Multi-Center, Phase 2b Clinical Trial (STAT). American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2025. PMID: 40728562


  8. Sarma A, Sun X, Sucre J, Hong J, Medzikovic L, Jakubzick CV, Li X, Zemans RL, Singer BD. Multi-omic and Single-Cell Approaches for Elucidating Cell Biology and Pathobiology of Lung Disease. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology 2025. PMID: 40700713


  9. Sarma A, Sullivan KM, Baugh AD, Bhakta NR, Calfee CS. Evaluating the generalisability of formulas used to set tidal volumes in mechanically ventilated patients: an observational, multicohort, retrospective study. The Lancet. Respiratory medicine 2025. PMID: 40680763


  10. Spottiswoode N, Tsitsiklis A, Chu VT, Phan HV, DeVoe C, Love C, Ghale R, Bloomstein J, Zha BS, Maguire CP, Glascock A, Sarma A, Mourani PM, Kalantar KL, Detweiler A, Neff N, Haller SC, COMET Consortium, DeRisi JL, Erle DJ, Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Krummel MF, Matthay MA, Woodruff PG, Calfee CS, Langelier CR. Microbial dynamics and pulmonary immune responses in COVID-19 secondary bacterial pneumonia. Nature communications 2024. PMID: 39472555


  11. Massenkoff M, Chalfin A, Sarma A. An Emerging Racial Disparity in US Motor Vehicle Fatalities. JAMA surgery 2024. PMID: 39141358


  12. Neyton LPA, Patel RK, Sarma A, UCSF COMET Consortium, Willmore A, Haller SC, Kangelaris KN, Eckalbar WL, Erle DJ, Krummel MF, Hendrickson CM, Woodruff PG, Langelier CR, Calfee CS, Fragiadakis GK. Distinct pulmonary and systemic effects of dexamethasone in severe COVID-19. Nature communications 2024. PMID: 38942804


  13. Taenaka H, Wick KD, Sarma A, Matsumoto S, Ghale R, Fang X, Maishan M, Gotts JE, Langelier CR, Calfee CS, Matthay MA. Biological effects of corticosteroids on pneumococcal pneumonia in Mice-translational significance. Critical care (London, England) 2024. PMID: 38807178


  14. Valda Toro PL, Willmore A, Wu NE, Delucchi KL, Jauregui A, Sinha P, Liu KD, Hendrickson CM, Sarma A, Neyton LPA, Leligdowicz A, Langelier CR, Zhuo H, Jones C, Kangelaris KN, Gomez AD, Matthay MA, Calfee CS. Rapidly improving ARDS differs clinically and biologically from persistent ARDS. Critical care (London, England) 2024. PMID: 38649920


  15. Neyton LPA, Sinha P, Sarma A, Mick E, Kalantar K, Chen S, Wu N, Delucchi K, Zhuo H, Bos LDJ, Jauregui A, Gomez A, Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Leligdowicz A, Liu KD, Matthay MA, Langelier CR, Calfee CS. Host and Microbe Blood Metagenomics Reveals Key Pathways Characterizing Critical Illness Phenotypes. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2024. PMID: 38190719


  16. Sinha P, Neyton L, Sarma A, Wu N, Jones C, Zhuo H, Liu KD, Sanchez Guerrero E, Ghale R, Love C, Mick E, Delucchi KL, Langelier CR, Thompson BT, Matthay MA, Calfee CS, NHLBI PETAL Network. Molecular Phenotypes of ARDS in the ROSE Trial have Differential Outcomes and Gene Expression Patterns That Differ at Baseline and Longitudinally Over Time. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2024. PMID: 38345571


  17. Taenaka H, Wick KD, Sarma A, Matsumoto S, Ghale R, Fang X, Maishan M, Gotts JE, Langelier CR, Calfee CS, Matthay MA. Biological Effects of Corticosteroids on Pneumococcal Pneumonia in Mice and Humans. Research square 2024. PMID: 38464245


  18. Bain W, Bastarache JA, Sarma A, McElvaney NG, Baron RM, McVerry BJ, Kitsios GD. Research Bronchoscopy Standards and the Need for Non-Invasive Sampling of the Failing Lungs. Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2023. PMID: 37776282


  19. Hackney JA, Shivram H, Vander Heiden J, Overall C, Orozco L, Gao X, Kim E, West N, Qamra A, Chang D, Chakrabarti A, Choy DF, Combes AJ, Courau T, Fragiadakis GK, Rao AA, Ray A, Tsui J, Hu K, Kuhn NF, Krummel MF, Erle DJ, Kangelaris K, Sarma A, Lyon Z, Calfee CS, Woodruff PG, Ghale R, Mick E, Byrne A, Zha BS, Langelier C, Hendrickson CM, van der Wijst MGP, Hartoularos GC, Grant T, Bueno R, Lee DS, Greenland JR, Sun Y, Perez R, Ogorodnikov A, Ward A, Ye CJ, UCSF COMET Consortium, Ramalingam T, McBride JM, Cai F, Teterina A, Bao M, Tsai L, Rosas IO, Regev A, Kapadia SB, Bauer RN, Rosenberger CM. A myeloid program associated with COVID-19 severity is decreased by therapeutic blockade of IL-6 signaling. iScience 2023. PMID: 37810211


  20. Sinha P, Kerchberger VE, Willmore A, Chambers J, Zhuo H, Abbott J, Jones C, Wickersham N, Wu N, Neyton L, Langelier CR, Mick E, He J, Jauregui A, Churpek MM, Gomez AD, Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Sarma A, Leligdowicz A, Delucchi KL, Liu KD, Russell JA, Matthay MA, Walley KR, Ware LB, Calfee CS. Identifying molecular phenotypes in sepsis: an analysis of two prospective observational cohorts and secondary analysis of two randomised controlled trials. The Lancet. Respiratory medicine 2023. PMID: 37633303


  21. Maishan M, Sarma A, Chun LF, Caldera S, Fang X, Abbott J, Christenson SA, Langelier CR, Calfee CS, Gotts JE, Matthay MA. Aerosolized nicotine from e-cigarettes alters gene expression, increases lung protein permeability, and impairs viral clearance in murine influenza infection. Frontiers in immunology 2023. PMID: 36999019


  22. Calabrese DR, Tsao T, Magnen M, Valet C, Gao Y, Mallavia B, Tian JJ, Aminian EA, Wang KM, Shemesh A, Punzalan EB, Sarma A, Calfee CS, Christenson SA, Langelier CR, Hays SR, Golden JA, Leard LE, Kleinhenz ME, Kolaitis NA, Shah RJ, Venado A, Lanier LL, Greenland JR, Sayah DM, Ardehali A, Kukreja J, Weigt SS, Belperio JA, Singer JP, Looney MR. NKG2D receptor activation drives primary graft dysfunction severity and poor lung transplantation outcomes. JCI insight 2022. PMID: 36346670


  23. Kalantar KL, Neyton L, Abdelghany M, Mick E, Jauregui A, Caldera S, Serpa PH, Ghale R, Albright J, Sarma A, Tsitsiklis A, Leligdowicz A, Christenson SA, Liu K, Kangelaris KN, Hendrickson C, Sinha P, Gomez A, Neff N, Pisco A, Doernberg SB, Derisi JL, Matthay MA, Calfee CS, Langelier CR. Integrated host-microbe plasma metagenomics for sepsis diagnosis in a prospective cohort of critically ill adults. Nature microbiology 2022. PMID: 36266337


  24. Wick KD, Fang X, Maishan M, Matsumoto S, Spottiswoode N, Sarma A, Simoneau C, Khakoo M, Langelier C, Calfee CS, Gotts JE, Matthay MA. Impact of E-Cigarette Aerosol on Primary Human Alveolar Epithelial Type 2 Cells. 2022. PMID: 35670478


  25. Maddali MV, Churpek M, Pham T, Rezoagli E, Zhuo H, Zhao W, He J, Delucchi KL, Wang C, Wickersham N, McNeil JB, Jauregui A, Ke S, Vessel K, Gomez A, Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Sarma A, Leligdowicz A, Liu KD, Matthay MA, Ware LB, Laffey JG, Bellani G, Calfee CS, Sinha P, LUNG SAFE Investigators and the ESICM Trials Group. Validation and utility of ARDS subphenotypes identified by machine-learning models using clinical data: an observational, multicohort, retrospective analysis. 2022. PMID: 35026177


  26. Sarma A, Christenson SA, Byrne A, Mick E, Pisco AO, DeVoe C, Deiss T, Ghale R, Zha BS, Tsitsiklis A, Jauregui A, Moazed F, Detweiler AM, Spottiswoode N, Sinha P, Neff N, Tan M, Serpa PH, Willmore A, Ansel KM, Wilson JG, Leligdowicz A, Siegel ER, Sirota M, DeRisi JL, Matthay MA, COMET Consortium , Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Krummel MF, Woodruff PG, Erle DJ, Calfee CS, Langelier CR. Tracheal aspirate RNA sequencing identifies distinct immunological features of COVID-19 ARDS. Nature communications 2021. PMID: 34446707


  27. Sinha P, Delucchi KL, Chen Y, Zhuo H, Abbott J, Wang C, Wickersham N, McNeil JB, Jauregui A, Ke S, Vessel K, Gomez A, Hendrickson CM, Kangelaris KN, Sarma A, Leligdowicz A, Liu KD, Matthay MA, Ware LB, Calfee CS. Latent class analysis-derived subphenotypes are generalisable to observational cohorts of acute respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective study. Thorax 2021. PMID: 34253679


  28. Ditz B, Sarma A, Kerstjens HAM, Liesker JJW, Bathoorn E, Vonk JM, Bernal V, Horvatovich P, Guryev V, Caldera S, Langelier C, Faiz A, Christenson SA, van den Berge M. The sputum transcriptome better predicts COPD exacerbations after the withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids than sputum eosinophils. ERJ open research 2021. PMID: 34235210


  29. Sarma A, Calfee CS. Prone Positioning in Awake, Nonintubated Patients With COVID-19: Necessity Is the Mother of Invention. JAMA internal medicine 2020. PMID: 32584940


  30. Sarma A, Calfee CS, Ware LB. Biomarkers and Precision Medicine: State of the Art. Critical care clinics 2019. PMID: 31733677


  31. Gubin TA, Iyer HP, Liew SN, Sarma A, Revelos A, Ribas J, Movassaghi B, Chu ZM, Khalid AN, Majmudar MD, Lee CX. A Systems Approach to Healthcare Innovation Using the MIT Hacking Medicine Model. Volume 5 of Issue 1. Cell systems 2017. PMID: 28750199


  32. Angione SL, Sarma AA, Novikov A, Seward L, Fieber JH, Mermel LA, Tripathi A. A novel subtyping assay for detection of Clostridium difficile virulence genes. Volume 16 of Issue 2. The Journal of molecular diagnostics : JMD 2014. PMID: 24434086


  33. Aartik Sarma, Sharon-Lise T Normand, Laura A Hatfield, Michael E Matheny, Frederic S Resnic. Abstract 344: Interoperator Variability and Physician Learning with Medical Devices: Experience with Three New Vascular Closure Devices. Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 2013. PMID:


  34. Aartik Sarma, Sharon-Lise T. Normand, Laura A. Hatfield, Michael E. Matheny, Frederic S. Resnic. THE LEARNING CURVE FOR MEDICAL DEVICES: EXPERIENCE WITH VASCULAR CLOSURE DEVICES IN MASSACHUSETTS. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2013. PMID:


  35. Lu C, Liu Q, Sarma A, Fitzpatrick C, Falzon D, Mitnick CD. A systematic review of reported cost for smear and culture tests during multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment. Volume 8 of Issue 2. PloS one 2013. PMID: 23457502


  36. McCalla SE, Ong C, Sarma A, Opal SM, Artenstein AW, Tripathi A. A simple method for amplifying RNA targets (SMART). Volume 14 of Issue 4. The Journal of molecular diagnostics : JMD 2012. PMID: 22691910


  37. Ong C, Tai W, Sarma A, Opal SM, Artenstein AW, Tripathi A. Ligation with nucleic acid sequence-based amplification. Volume 14 of Issue 3. The Journal of molecular diagnostics : JMD 2012. PMID: 22449695


  38. Mou D, Sarma A, Sethi R, Merryman R. The state of health policy education in U.S. medical schools. Volume 364 of Issue 10. The New England journal of medicine 2011. PMID: 21345091


  39. Kerby MB, Sarma AA, Patel MS, Artenstein AW, Opal SM, Tripathi A. Early in vitro transcription termination in human H5 influenza viral RNA synthesis. Volume 164 of Issue 4. Applied biochemistry and biotechnology 2011. PMID: 21207185