Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Schwab’s research has focused on the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea utilizing novel upper airway imaging techniques. His studies help elucidate the role of the motion of key structures of the upper airway in mediating airway closure. By examining dynamic state-related changes in the upper airway and soft tissue structures surrounding the upper airway he has begun to understand the biomechanics of apneic events. He has studied patients with both magnetic resonance imaging and electronic beam computed tomography during wakefulness and sleep. Several novel findings have resulted from these studies: 1) the anatomic significance of the lateral pharyngeal walls in mediating airway caliber in normals and apneics; and 2) the characterization of the changes in upper airway caliber during the respiratory cycle and the importance of end-expiratory airway narrowing. Dr. Schwab collaborates closely with members of the Departments of Radiology and Biomechanical and Computer Engineering. They have developed state-of-the-art, computer graphics-based analysis software to help model in three dimensions the biomechanical interrelationships between the soft tissue structures and the upper airway.

Selected Publications

Vidigal TA, Haddad FL, Guimaraes TM, Silva LO, Andersen ML, Schwab R, Cistulli PA, Pack AI, Tufik S, Bittencourt LR: Can Intraoral and Facial Photos Predict Obstructive Sleep Apnea In The General and Clinical Population? Sleep : 2023.

Nance RM, Fohner AE, McClelland RL, Redline S, Bryan RN, Fitzpatrick A, Habes M, Longstreth Jr WT, Schwab RJ, Wiemken AS, Heckbert SR: The association of upper airway anatomy with cognitive test performance: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis BMC Neurol : 2023.

Surya Panicker Rajeev MD, Carl Alexander Roberts PhD, Emily Brown MBChB, Victoria S. Sprung PhD, Jo A. Harrold PhD, Jason C. G. Halford PhD, Andrej Stancak PhD, Emma J. Boyland PhD, Graham J. Kemp PhD, Julie Perry, Elaine Howarth MSc, Richard Jackson MSc, Andrew Wiemken MPH, Richard Schwab MD, Daniel J. Cuthbertson PhD, John P. H. Wilding FRCP: No evidence of compensatory changes in energy balance, despite reductions in body weight and liver fat, during dapagliflozin treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over trial (ENERGIZE) Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism : 2023.

Sutherland K, Kim S, Veatch OJ, Keenan BT, Bittencourt L, Chen NH et al: Facial and Intraoral Photographic Traits Related to Sleep Apnea in a Clinical Sample with Genetic Ancestry Analysis Ann Am Thorac Soc : 2023.

Benjamin M. Smith, Andrew Wiemken, Eric A. Hoffman, Brendan T. Keenan, Norrina B. Allen, Alain G. Bertoni, David R. Jacobs Jr., Erin D. Michos, Karol E. Watson, Susan Redline, Richard J. Schwab, R. Graham Barr, Susan R. Heckbert: Upper and Lower Airway Dysanapsis and Airflow Obstruction among Older Adults American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 206 : 2022.

Pei-Hsin Wu, Ana E Rodriguez-Soto, Andrew Wiemken, Erin K Englund, Zachary B Rodgers, Michael C Langham, Richard J Schwab, John A Detre, Wensheng Guo, Felix W Wehrli: MRI evaluation of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) in obstructive sleep apnea J Cereb Blood Flow Metab : 2022.

Vikas L Bommineni, Guray Erus, Jimit Doshi, Ashish Singh, Brendan T Keenan, Richard J Schwab, Andrew Wiemken, Christos Davatzikos: Automatic Segmentation and Quantification of Upper Airway Anatomic Risk Factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Unprocessed Magnetic Resonance Images Acad Radiol : 2022.

Jason L Yu, Andrew Wiemken, Susan M Schultz, Brendan T Keenan, Chandra M Sehgal, Richard J Schwab: A comparison of ultrasound echo intensity to magnetic resonance imaging as a metric for tongue fat evaluation Sleep : 2022.

Weaver TE, Pepin JL, Schwab R, Shapiro C, Hedner J, Ahmed M, Foldvary-Schaefer N, Strollo PJ, Mayer G, Sarmiento K, Baladi M, Bron M, Chandler P, Lee L, Malhotra A: Long-term effects of solriamfetol on quality of life and work productivity in participants with excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea J Clin Sleep Med : 2021.

Keenan BT, Webster JC, Wiemken AS, Lavi-Romer N, Nguyen T, Svenson KL, Galante RJ, Churchill GA, Pickup S, Pack AI, Schwab RJ: Heritability of fat distributions in male mice from the founder strains of the Diversity Outbred mouse population G3 (Bethesda) : 2021.

Academic Contact Information

University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
3624 Market Street, Suite 205
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-662-7772
Patient appointments: 800-789-7366