Penn Medicine Provider
Pulmonary Medicine
Steven C. Pugliese, MD
5.0
(270)
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 18 and up
Harron Lung Center Perelman
View 1 additional location

About me

  • Director, Pulmonary Embolism Response Team, Hospital University of Pennsylvania
  • Medical Director Comprehensive Pulmonary Embolism Program
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine (Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care)

I joined the faculty at Penn in 2017, prior to which I was on faculty at the University of Colorado since 2015. There I completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine and a sub-fellowship in pulmonary vascular disease. During my fellowship and while on faculty at University of Colorado, I studied the role of macrophages in the development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension with a clinical focus on pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary embolism.

Since joining Penn, I’ve transitioned to a clinical role. I spend my time in the hospital as an intensive care unit physician, and I also attend on our inpatient Pulmonary Hypertension service and the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT). My outpatient focus is in the care of patients with all aspects of pulmonary vascular disease, including pulmonary hypertension, hepatopulmonary syndrome, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), and acute and chronic pulmonary embolism.

I am the Director of PERT at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and I co-direct the Comprehensive Pulmonary Embolism Program at Penn with cardiothoracic surgeon Christian A. Bermudez. A large part of my outpatient practice is the follow-up care of patients who have suffered acute pulmonary embolism as well as patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). I work closely with a multidisciplinary team, including interventional cardiology, hematology, interventional radiology, diagnostic radiology, and cardiothoracic surgery.

I am particularly interested in providing transition care for post-pulmonary embolism patients, as well as care for patients who experience ongoing shortness of breath following an acute pulmonary embolism and patients seeking a second opinion for unexplained shortness of breath. In addition to my clinical and administrator roles, I enjoy teaching about pulmonary vascular disease and cardio-pulmonary physiology.

Education and training

  • Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins Hospital
  • Fellowship: University of Colorado Medical Center

What my patients think about me

Average Rating
5.0

270 reviews

Comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Penn Medicine.

April 2025
5.0
5.0
professional staff
April 2025
5.0
5.0
i think he is great
April 2025
5.0
5.0
dr pugliese took more time to explain what the next step should be for me and my condition so i could understand better
April 2025
5.0
5.0
dr was very attentive and dealt with my needs and questions

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Penn Medicine hospital privileges

  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Pennsylvania Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Medicine Rittenhouse Long-Term Acute Care Hospital
Dr. Pugliese is a Penn Medicine physician.

Qualifications and experience

My research

Scott JV, Moutchia J, McClelland RL, Al-Naamani N, Weinberg E, Palevsky HI, Minhas J, Appleby DK, Smith A, Pugliese SC, Ventetuolo CE, Kawut SM. Novel Liver Injury Phenotypes and Outcomes in Clinical Trial Participants with Pulmonary Hypertension , Am J Resp Crit Care med: 2024


Kobayashi T, Pugliese S, Sethi SS, Parikh SA, Goldberg J, Alkhafan F, Vitarello C, Rosenfield K, Lookstein R, Keeling B, Klein A, Gibson CM, Glassmoyer L, Khandhar S, Secemsky E, Giri J. Contemporary Management and Outcomes of Patients With High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism , J Am Coll Cardiology: 2024


Minhas J, Moutchia J, Al-Naamani N, Mazurek JA, Holmes JH, Appleby D, Smith KA, Fritz JS, Pugliese SC, Palevsky HI, Kawut SM Electrocardiographic Abnormalities and Their Association with Outcomes in Randomized Clinical Trials of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension , Ann Am Thorac Society: 2024


De la Fuente JRO, Buckley LK, Kawut SM, Pugliese SC. Unexplained Dyspnea: Hepatopulmonary Syndrome without Cirrhosis? , Ann Am Thorac Soc.: 2023


McCormick A, Krishnan A, Badesch D, Benza RL, Bull TM, De Marco T, Feldman J, Hemnes AR, Hirsch R, Horn E, Kennedy J, Mathai SC, McConnell W, Pugliese SC, Sager JS, Shlobin OA, Simon MA, Lammi MR. Pulmonary artery compliance in different forms of pulmonary hypertension. , Heart: 2023


Steven Pugliese and Mahir Elder PE Centers of Excellence™: The Next Big Innovation in Pulmonary Embolism Care , Endovascular Today: 2023


Taisei Kobayashi MD, Steven Pugliese MDc, Sanjum S Sethi, MD MPHd, Sahil A Parikh, MDd, Joshua Goldberg, MDe, Fahad Alkhafan MD, MPHf, Clara Vitarello MPHf, Kenneth Rosenfieldg, MD, Robert Lookstein, MDh, Brent Keeling, MDi, Andrew Klein, MDj, C. Michael Gibson MS MDf, k, Lauren Glassmoyer, MD, Sameer Khandhar MDa, Eric Secemsky MDk, Jay Giri MD MPH Contemporary Management and Outcomes of Patients with High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism , JACC: 2023


Breanne E McCarthy, Robyn L McClelland, Dina H Appleby, Jude S Moutchia, Jasleen K Minhas, Jeff Min, Jeremy A Mazurek, K Akaya Smith, Jason S Fritz, Steven C Pugliese, Ryan J Urbanowicz, John H Holmes, Harold I Palevsky, Steven M Kawut, Nadine Al-Naamani BMI and Treatment Response in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Meta-analysis , Chest, 162(2): 2022,436-437


Hsieh, J Goodman, R Mazurek, JA Smith, A Palevsky, HI ; Fritz, JS; Pugliese, S ;Archer-Chicko, C. L Provine, C Kawut, SM Low Physical Activity Is Associated with More Visceral Fat in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension , AJRCCM conference: 2022


Min, J; Goodman, R; Provine, C; Archer-Chicko, CL; Pugliese, S; Mazurek, JA; Smith, A; Fritz, JS; Palevsky, HI; Kawut, SM; Al-Naamani, N Deep Phenotyping of Insulin Resistance in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension , AJRCCM: 2022