Vijay H. Aswani MD, PhD, FACP, FAAP
Vijay H. Aswani
MD, PhD, FACP, FAAP
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine - General; Internal Medicine - Pediatrics; Pediatrics
Contact Information
Patient Care
Patient Care
This faculty member is affiliated with UBMD, practicing physicians who are also professors in the Jacobs School.
View this physician on UBMDProfessional Summary:
Francis W Peabody said: “… the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient”
I am a primary care physician to adults and children, forging long-term relationships with my patients and their families, as their doctor from birth to death. I am board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics.
My mission in medicine is four-fold: to provide empathetic and expert patient care, to teach and train the next generation of physicians, research and global health.
I practice in UBMD’s Division of Internal Medicine at Conventus-- part of the Buffalo Niagara medical campus. I therefore offer easy access primary care to all staff and students in the medical campus, and their families.
I have a Ph.D. in biochemistry and worked for a decade as a scientist and professor. I therefore have an interest in genetic and metabolic disorders. I led adult cystic fibrosis care for five years at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin. I continue to provide care to patients with these congenital diseases.
I have a decade of experience in training different learners in the outpatient setting, on international medical mission trips and in the hospital.
My research is on bacteriophages -- their role in the microbiome of the respiratory tract and in genomic predictors of pathogenicity in bacteria. I also do research on problems I have seen in my patient population – suicidal ideation and risk in high school students and obesity in children.
I believe a good history and physical exam can reduce needless testing in the search for a diagnosis. My skills have been honed by practice in Africa and Latin America. I was a short-term Ebola Clinician in Sierra Leone during the 2014-2015 outbreak and remain committed to delivering healthcare internationally.
I offer primary care support to specialty services and welcome learners and collaborators in our mission to provide excellent healthcare to populations locally and globally.
Education and Training:
- Fellowship, Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics (2015)
- Fellowship, Internal Medicine, American College of Physicians (2013)
- Residency, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph Hospital (2009)
- Internship, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph Hospital (2006)
- MD, Medicine, Medical University of the Americas (2005)
- PhD, Biochemistry, University of Bombay (1992)
- MS, Biochemistry, University of Bombay (1986)
- BS, Microbiology, University of Bombay (1984)
Employment:
- Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2017-present)
- Staff Physician, Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph Hospital (2015–2017)
- Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (2005–2017)
- Short Term Ebola Clinician, Partners in Health (2015)
- Staff Physician, Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph Hospital (2009–2015)
- Resident Physician, Marshfield Clinic and Saint Joseph Hospital (2005–2009)
- Medical School Administrator, Medical University of the Americas Division of the Clinical Sciences (2004–2005)
- Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Medical University of the Americas Basic Sciences Division (2002–2004)
- Assistant Professor of Biochemisty, Biochemistry, Medical University of the Americas Basic Sciences Division (2001–2002)
- Permanent Faculty, Biological and Chemical Sciences, Florida State University Panama Canal Branch (2000)
- Molecular Data Analyst and Lab Manager, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (1997–2000)
- Manager, Promociones de Laboratorios, S.A. (1994–1997)
- Research Scientist, Bharat Serums and Vaccines Pvt Ltd (1991–1993)
- Research Fellow, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
Awards and Honors:
- Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2019)
- Joseph J Mazza Teachering award for excellence in combined internal medicine-pediatrics education (2012)
- Volunteerism Award (2011)
- Transitional Year Outstanding Resident Teaching Award (2009)
- Nikolai Award for Outstanding Resident Research (2009)
- Chief Resident Award in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (2009)
- Best paper in field of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolism (2006)
- Dean of Clinic Medicine Award (2005)
- Outstanding Professor Award (2003)
Research Expertise:
- Genomics: I have sequenced viral and bacterial genomes, assembled the contigs and annotated them.
- Primary Care: I provide integrated, collaborative primary care to my patients. This means that I address all the medical needs of my patients, involving other specialists as needed.
- Primary Care Office Procedures: I routinely do office procedures such as joint aspiration and injections, sebaceous and pilar cyst excisions, punch and shave biopsies and incision and drainage.
- Teaching medical school biochemistry: I developed a curriculum and taught medical biochemistry to 1st year medical students for several years.
Journal Articles:
- Aswani V, Mau B, Shukla SK, Aswani VH. (2016) Complete Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus MCRF184, a Necrotizing Fasciitis-Causing Methicillin-Sensitive Sequence Type 45 Staphylococcus Strain. Genome Announc (May), 4(3).
- Aswani VH, Tremblay DM, Moineau S, Shukla SK. (2014) Complete Genome Sequence of a Staphylococcus epidermidis Bacteriophage Isolated from the Anterior Nares of Humans. Genome Announc (Aug), 2(4).
- Aswani V, Tremblay DM, Moineau S, Shukla SK, Aswani VH. (2011) Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteriophages from the anterior nares of humans. Appl Environ Microbiol (Nov), 77(21): 7853-7855.
- Aswani V, Trabucco D, Aswani VH. (2019) Biochemical adaptation in brain Acetylcholinesterase during acclimation to sub-lethal temperatures in the eurythermal fish Tilapia mossambica. Sci Rep (Dec), 9(1): 19762-19762.
- Aswani V, Najar F, Pantrangi M, Mau B, Schwan WR, Shukla SK, Aswani VH. (2019) Virulence factor landscape of a Staphylococcus aureus sequence type 45 strain, MCRF184. BMC Genomics (Feb), 20(1): 123-123.
- Singh VK, Ring RP, Aswani V, Stemper ME, Kislow J, Ye Z, Shukla SK, Aswani VH. (2017) Phylogenetic distribution and expression of a penicillin-binding protein homologue, Ear and its significance in virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. J Med Microbiol (Dec), 66(12): 1811-1821.
- Aswani VH, Kim SL. (2015) Fifty-Three Years after a Pencil Puncture Wound. Case Rep Dermatol (Sep), 7(3): 303-305.
- Crow YJ, Chase DS, Lowenstein Schmidt J, Szynkiewicz M, Forte GM, Gornall HL, Oojageer A, Anderson B, Pizzino A, Helman G, Abdel-Hamid MS, Abdel-Salam GM, Ackroyd S, Aeby A, Agosta G, Albin C, Allon-Shalev S, Arellano M, Ariaudo G, Aswani V, Babul-Hirji R, Baildam EM, Bahi-Buisson N, Bailey KM, Barnerias C, Barth M, Battini R, Beresford MW, Bernard G, Bianchi M, Billette de Villemeur T, Blair EM, Bloom M, Burlina AB, Carpanelli ML, Carvalho DR, Castro-Gago M, Cavallini A, Cereda C, Chandler KE, Chitayat DA, Collins AE, Sierra Corcoles C, Cordeiro NJ, Crichiutti G, Dabydeen L, Dale RC, D'Arrigo S, De Goede CG, De Laet C, De Waele LM, Denzler I, Desguerre I, Devriendt K, Di Rocco M, Fahey MC, Fazzi E, Ferrie CD, Figueiredo A, Gener B, Goizet C, Gowrinathan NR, Gowrishankar K, Hanrahan D, Isidor B, Kara B, Khan N, King MD, Kirk EP, Kumar R, Lagae L, Landrieu P, Lauffer H, Laugel V, La Piana R, Lim MJ, Lin JP, Linnankivi T, Mackay MT, Marom DR, Marques Lourenço C, McKee SA, Moroni I, Morton JE, Moutard ML, Murray K, Nabbout R, Nampoothiri S, Nunez-Enamorado N, Oades PJ, Olivieri I, Ostergaard JR, Pérez-Dueñas B, Prendiville JS, Ramesh V, Rasmussen M, Régal L, Ricci F, Rio M, Rodriguez D, Roubertie A, Salvatici E, Segers KA, Sinha GP, Soler D, Spiegel R, Stödberg TI, Straussberg R, Swoboda KJ, Suri M, Tacke U, Tan TY, te Water Naude J, Wee Teik K, Thomas MM, Till M, Tonduti D, Valente EM, Van Coster RN, van der Knaap MS, Vassallo G, Vijzelaar R, Vogt J, Wallace GB, Wassmer E, Webb HJ, Whitehouse WP, Whitney RN, Zaki MS, Zuberi SM, Livingston JH, Rozenberg F, Lebon P, Vanderver A, Orcesi S, Rice GI, Aswani VH. (2015) Characterization of human disease phenotypes associated with mutations in TREX1, RNASEH2A, RNASEH2B, RNASEH2C, SAMHD1, ADAR, and IFIH1. Am J Med Genet A (Feb), 167A(2): 296-312.
- Chalasani S, Bettadahalli SS, Bhupathi SV, Aswani VH. (2013) A novel case of diabetic muscle necrosis in a patient with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. Clin Med Res (Sep), 11(3): 113-116.
- Lamba G, Aswani VH. (2012) A Case Study of Mental Illness and Psychiatric Services on a the Caribbean Island of Nevis. International Journal of Mental Health (Jan), 41(4): 24-29.
- Lamba G, Aswani V, Aswani VH. (2011) A severe laryngeal angioedema reaction from cefadroxil in a patient with no known allergies to penicillins. West Indian Med J (Jun), 60(3): 346-348.
- Aswani VH, Shukla SK. (2011) Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and lack of its lytic bacteriophages in the anterior nares of patients and healthcare workers at a rural clinic. Clin Med Res (Jun), 9(2): 75-81.
- Aswani V, ShuKla SK, Aswani VH. (2011) Two unusual pediatric cases of fungal infections in farming families. J Agromedicine (Apr), 16(2): 153-157.
- Aswani V, Aswani VH. (2008) Doctors, writing, and HIPAA. Fam Med (Oct), 40(9): 623-625.
- Shukla SK, Aswani V, Stockwell PJ, Reed KD, Aswani VH. (2007) Contribution of polymorphisms in ankA, gltA, and groESL in defining genetic variants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. J Clin Microbiol (Jul), 45(7): 2312-2315.
- Haas R, Aswani VH. (2007) Adventures in Co-Oximetry: Apparent Methemoglobinemia. LabMedicine (Jan), 38(11): 1-4.
- Chandler RJ, Aswani V, Tsai MS, Falk M, Wehrli N, Stabler S, Allen R, Sedensky M, Kazazian HH, Venditti CP, Aswani VH. (2006) Propionyl-CoA and adenosylcobalamin metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans: evidence for a role of methylmalonyl-CoA epimerase in intermediary metabolism. Mol Genet Metab (Sep), 89(1-2): 64-73.
- Aswani V, Aswani VH. (2003) Reductionism gets a soul. Fam Med (Nov), 35(10): 704-705.
- Devashish K, Pai A, Aswani VH. (1993) Use of Triton X-100 to enhance pectinase release in fungi immobilized within polyurethane form. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Jan), 31: 641-642.
- Devashish K, Pai A, Aswani VH. (1993) Use of Triton X-100 to enhance pectinase release in fungi immobilized within polyurethane form. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Jan), 31: 641-642.
- Aswani VH, Jaffar MB. (1992) Protease from two nematophagous fungi, Arthrobotrys oligospora and A. conoides. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Jan), 30: 881-884.
Books and Book Chapters:
- Bermingham E, Aswani VH, Castillo A, Gonzalez R. (2001) Panama: Puente Biologico. In: Peces de agua dulce de Panama. Instituto Smithsonian de Investigaciones Tropicales, 32-38.
- Aswani VH. (1995) Atlas of the Environment. In: Water Pollution in Panama. Ministerio de Salud, Panama
Professional Memberships:
- American Society of Microbiology (2010–present)
- Christian Medical and Dental Association (2005–present)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (2005–present)
- American College of Physicians (2005–present)
- American Medical Association (2005–present)
Presentations:
- "Cystic fibrosis as a Chronic Medical Condition" American Association of Medical Assistants, Wisconsin Chapter, Annual Meeting; American Association of Medical Assistants Wisconsin Chapter (2017)
- "Ebola: A Personal Perspective as a Short-term Clinician in Sierra Leone, West Africa" Grand Rounds; Marshfield Clinic (2015)