Joshua Wythe, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Research Interests: Dr. Wythe is a tenured associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and a member of the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Brain, Immunology and Glia (BIG) Center at UVA. Dr. Wythe’s laboratory studies human diseases by generating novel animal models, using both zebrafish and mice, with a specific focus on the cerebrovasculature, as well as developmental vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis. After completing his graduate training with Dean Y. Li (current President of Merck Research Laboratories) at the University of Utah, Josh performed his postdoctoral work at UCSF in Dr. Benoit Bruneau’s lab (2008-2012) where he studied heart field lineage allocation and the transcriptional basis of arteriovenous specification. After receiving an AHA Career Development Award he was promoted to non-tenure track assistant professor (2012-2014) and in 2014 he left UCSF to join the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Integrative Physiology and Neurosurgery. He received tenure at BCM in 2020, and in the summer of 2023 moved his laboratory to the University of Virginia School of Medicine to join the Departments of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. His lab has made seminal contributions to the field’s understanding of somatic brain arteriovenous malformations and continues to develop novel technologies and imaging methods for studying the vasculature. His work has been funded by the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Cancer Research and Prevention Institute of Texas, and through various private mechanisms.
NAVBO Activities:
Member since 2007
Travel Award, NAVBO Signaling in the CV System Workshop II (Hyannis, MA) 2011
Travel Award, NAVBO Developmental Vascular Biology Workshop V (Monterey, CA) 2012
Travel Award, NAVBO Signaling in the CV System Workshop III (Hyannis, MA) 2013
Oral presentation, Vascular Biology 2024, Monterey, CA.
Online Webinar, 2023
Oral Presentation, Vascular Biology 2023, Newport, RI
Virtual Presentation, Developmental Vascular Biology and Genetics Workshop IX, 2021
Oral Presentation, Biology of Signaling in The Cardiovascular System Workshop VI, 2020
Organizer/co-Chair (with Kristy Red-Horse), scRNA-Sequencing Roundtable, Vascular Biology 2020
Session Chair, Vascular Biology 2019, Monterrey, CA
Poster Judge (a number of Vascular Biology meetings)
Related Experience:
Leadership Roles and Dept/University Service:
(at UVA)
Member, BIMS Admissions / Recruitment Core Committee, 2026-Present
Member, BIMS Academic Progress and Achievement Committee 2026-Present
Director of Graduate Studies, Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, UVA. 2025-Present
Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program Executive Committee Member, 2023-2024
Graduate Student Research in Progress Seminar Series Coordinator, UVA. 2025-Present
Co-Director of Graduate Studies, Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, UVA. 2024-2025
Search Committee Member, Harrison Family Translational Research Center in Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Panel C Member, BIMS Umbrella Graduate Program Admissions Subcommittee 2024-2025
(at BCM)
Qualifying Exam Committee Chair, Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, 2019-2023
Member, Diversity Council, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center 2022 – 2023
Member, DEI council, Dept. of Integrative Physiology, 2021-2023
Member, STAR Center for Regenerative Medicine Search Committee, Baylor College of Medicine, 2022
Search Committee Chair, Dept. of Integrative Physiology, Baylor College of Medicine, 2022
CVRI Annual Retreat Planning Committee, 2021-2023
DDMT Graduate Program Admissions Committee 2018 – 2019
Mol. Phys. & Biophysics Graduate Program Education Committee 2015 – 2017
Scientific Advisory Committee / Optical Imaging & Vital Microscopy Core 2016 – 2023
Dev. Biology Graduate Program Curriculum Committee 2017 – 2019
Dev. Dis. Models & Therapeut. Graduate Program Curriculum Committee 2018
Cardiovascular Research Institute Education and Training Committee 2019 – 2023
Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) Faculty Recruiting Committee 2015
Other
Co-Chair, Imaging Working Group, NIH RE-JOIN Consortium 2023 – Present
Organizing Committee, Webmaster, Society for Dev. Bio. Southwest Regional Meeting (Houston, TX) Other
Course Director or Discussion Leader (not just teaching):
Small group discussion leader, Scientific Writing for Grant Proposals, UVA SOM, 2024-Present
Course Director, Methods and Logic, Baylor College of Medicine, 20
Course Director, Topics in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, 200
Small group Discussion leader, Scientific Grant Writing, Baylor College of Medicine, 2
Integrate Problem Solving small group discussion leader, MS1 students, Baylor College of Medicine, 2014-2015
Societies and Service:
NAVBO Member, 2007-Present
AHA Member, 2006-Present
Society for Developmental Biology Member, 2008-2022
Session Chair, 13th HHT International Scientific Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2019.
Session Chair, Weinstein Cardiovascular Development & Regeneration Conference (Cancelled due to COVID19). 2020.
Session Chair, HEAL Initiative and RE-JOIN Consortium Meeting, National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD. 2022.
Session Chair, HEAL Initiative and RE-JOIN Consortium Meeting, National Institutes of Health. Houston, TX. 2025
Editorial
PNAS: 2025 (1 manuscript)
Study Section Service:
04/2026 Ad hoc Reviewer, Special Emphasis Panel, U54 Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, Integrative Vascular Biology and Hematology (IVBH) (NHLBI)
02/2026 Ad hoc Reviewer, Special Emphasis Panel, Integrative Vascular Physiology and Pathology Study Section (IVPP) (NHLBI)
01/2026 Ad hoc Reviewer, Integrative Vascular Physiology and Pathology Study Section (IVPP) (NHLBI)
07/2025 Ad Hoc Reviewer, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
German Research Foundation
06/23-24/2025 Ad hoc Reviewer, Special Emphasis Panel for Fellowships on Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, and Bioengineering (ZRG1 F05-A (20) (NIH CSR)
07/02/2024 Ad hoc Reviewer, Cardiovascular Differentiation and Development Study Section (ZRG1-CDD 81) (NHLBI)
2024 Reviewer, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center Pilot Grants
2023 Reviewer, UVA Searle Scholars Program Internal Competition
06/28/2022 Ad hoc Reviewer, Cardiovascular Differentiation and Development Study section (CDD) (NHLBI)
2018 – 2022 Member, American Heart Association, Cardiovascular Development Basic Science Fellowships Study Section
11/15/2018 Wellcome Sir Henry Dale Fellowship Reviewer, Wellcome Trust
10/11/2017 NIH Early Career Reviewer Program, Cardiovascular Differentiation and Development Study Section (CDD) (NHLBI)
2015 – 2016 Reviewer, Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program – Vascular Malformation Focused Program Award
2014 – 2017 Member, American Heart Association, Vascular and Endothelial Biology (Vasc Endo Bio 3) Study Section
Mentoring Education:
BIMS Mentoring Workshop, University of Virginia School of Medicine. November 28 – 29, 2023
Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE) Faculty Workshop, 2021
National Research Mentoring Network, Research Mentor Training, Oct. 31, 2018
Scientific Leadership and Management, Gladstone Institutes / UCSF. July 1 – 2, 2008
Personal:
Assistant Coach, SOCA Soccer, Charlottesville, VA. 2023, 2024
Head Coach, Second Baptist Baseball League (U8 division), Houston, TX. 2022
Molecular Biology Graduate Student Representative, University of Utah, 2003-2004
Chair, Graduate Student Recruitment, University of Utah Molecular Biology Graduate Program, 2002-2003
Pledge Educator, Delta Upsilon International Fraternity, Miami University Chapter, 1999, 2001
V.P. of Risk Management and Prevention, Delta Upsilon International Fraternity, Miami University Chapter, 1999-2000
President, Delta Upsilon International Fraternity, Miami University Chapter, 2000-2001
Member, Miami University Club Rugby Team, 1998-2000
Eagle Scout, Troop 220, Bexley, OH 1997