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Personal Interests

Eric Pietras, PhD, earned his BA in Biochemistry (magna cum laude with honors) from Knox College in 2001. He subsequently trained for 2 years as a research technician at the University of Chicago, under the mentorship of Dr. Marcus Peter. Eric pursued his PhD at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the laboratory of Dr. Genhong Cheng, where he identified molecular and systemic pathways that activate immune responses to viral and bacterial pathogens. Following graduation in 2008, Eric started postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) under the mentorship of Dr. Emmanuelle Passegué, focusing on identifying the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in regulating hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. After completing his postdoctoral work, Eric was recruited to his current faculty position in the Division of Hematology at the University of Colorado. He is a member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) and holds a secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology. Eric is also affiliated with the Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, the Crnic Institute and the CU RNA Biosciences Initiative. Eric is a member of the Microbiology/Immunology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology and Biological Sciences graduate programs. During his training, Eric was the recipient of several intramural and extramural awards, including an NIH K01 Career Development Award funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in 2014. After joining the University of Colorado, Eric was a recipient of the 5-year Sandra Saffer Research Chair at the University of Colorado, and in 2017 was a recipient of the prestigious Boettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Early Career Investigator award, holding the title of Boettcher Investigator. In 2019, Eric was the recipient of the Cleo Meador and George Ryland Scott Endowed Chair of Medicine in Hematology, and was named an Outstanding Early Career Scholar by the CU Department of Medicine. In his spare time Eric is an avid photographer and musician. He has a number of albums to his name as a solo artist or contributor, and since 2014 has hosted a weekly Internet radio show where he presents ambient and experimental music. He also enjoys cycling, hiking and snowshoeing in the mountains.