Anantha Shekhar is an internationally recognized neuroscientist and life sciences educator, administrator and entrepreneur. As senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, School of Medicine, at the University of Pittsburgh, he oversees the Schools of Dental Medicine, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. He also supports Pitt's position as a perennial top 10 institution for National Institutes of Health funding and for higher education life sciences research and development. Shekhar also works closely with UPMC, with whom Pitt Health Sciences forms one of the largest and most elite academic medical centers in the nation.
Shekhar led seminal research studies identifying novel treatments for schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders and founded multiple biotechnology companies to develop these therapies for patient use. He was the scientific discoverer of the therapeutic benefits of xanomeline and had a founding role in Karuna Therapeutics, which developed the drug as a first-in-class, novel schizophrenia treatment (now marketed as Cobenfy™ by Bristol Myers Squibb).
Prior to joining Pitt in 2020, Shekhar served as executive associate dean for research affairs at Indiana University School of Medicine, where he presided over one of the most dramatic research funding expansions in the school’s history, growing NIH funding by more than 70% and elevating the institution’s national ranking to record highs. He was also founding director of the statewide Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. For these contributions, he was awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence (IU’s highest honor), as well as the Sagamore of the Wabash Award (the highest honor bestowed by the governor of Indiana).
Shekhar is a tenured member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Forum on Drug Discovery, Development and Translation; and a board member of the Clinical Research Forum in Washington, D.C., which convenes leaders at the highest levels in academia, government and industry to address challenges and opportunities in clinical research. He also serves on the Board of Directors at UPMC and UPMC’s Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens, Presbyterian, and Shadyside Hospitals.
Born in India, Shekhar earned his medical degree at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and his PhD in neuroscience at Indiana University.
