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Justin Berger, MD, PhD
Attending Physician
Dr. Berger's research focus involves the development of pediatric heart failure and underlying metabolic drivers. He studies how improving metabolic dysregulation may also benefit cardiac dysfunction.
Bio
Dr. Berger is an attending physician in the Division of Cardiology on the Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplantation service. His research and clinical interests focus on the development of pediatric heart failure and underlying metabolic causes.
Dr. Berger studies how metabolic dysregulation drives cardiac dysfunction. He investigates cardiomyocyte lipid homeostasis relevant to heart failure with an emphasis on obesity-driven diastolic heart failure, a common entity in many forms of pediatric heart failure. This work combined basic science models with translational approaches, and has been supported by multiple intramural and National Institutes of Health grants.
In addition, Dr. Berger has published on genetic causes of pediatric cardiomyopathy, risk factors for dyslipidemia in congenital heart disease, and appropriate lipid screening in these populations.
Education and Training
AB, Bowdoin College (Biochemistry), 2005
MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 2014
PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Biochemistry), 2014
Internship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatrics), 2014-2015
Residency, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatrics), 2015-2017
Fellowship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatric Cardiology), 2017-2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Lab of Daniel Kelly, MD, Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 2019-2022
Advanced Fellowship, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatric Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy and Transplantation), 2020-2022
Titles and Academic Titles
Attending Physician
Instructor in Pediatrics
Professional Memberships
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014-
American Heart Association, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, 2019-
Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network, 2020-
International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, 2022-
Professional Awards
International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Annual Meeting Travel Award, 2022
CHOP Department of Pediatrics Fellow Research Lectureship, 2021
CHOP Cardiac Center Research Award, 2019
Edward Weinstein Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Human Commitment, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 2014
Dean’s Recognition Award, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 2013
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellow, Bowdoin College, 2004
Publication Highlights
Lopes Abath Neto O, Medne L, Donkervoort S, et al. MLIP causes recessive myopathy with rhabdomyolysis, myalgia and baseline elevated serum creatine kinase. Brain. 2021 Oct; 144(9): 2722-2731. PubMed PMID: 34581780
Berger JH, Chen F, Faerber JA, O'Byrne ML, Brothers JA. Adherence with lipid screening guidelines in standard- and high-risk children and adolescents. Am Heart J. 2021 Feb; 232: 39-46. PubMed PMID: 33229294
Ritter A, Berger JH, Deardorff M, Izumi K, Lin KY, Medne L, Ahrens-Nicklas RC. Variants in NAA15 cause pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am J Med Genet A. 2021 Jan; 185(1): 228-233. PubMed PMID: 33103328
Ritter A, Bedoukian E, Berger JH, Copenheaver D, Gray C, Krantz I, Izumi K, Juusola J, Leonard J, Lin K, Medne L, Santani A, Skraban C, Yang S, Ahrens-Nicklas RC. Clinical utility of exome sequencing in infantile heart failure. Genet Med. 2019 Sep; (Epub ahead of print). PubMed PMID: 31527676
Ahrens-Nicklas RC, Pappas CT, Farman GP, Mayfield RM, Larrinaga TM, Medne L, Ritter A, Krantz ID, Murali C, Lin KY, Berger JH, Yum SW, Carreon CK, Gregorio CC. Disruption of cardiac thin filament assembly arising from a mutation in LMOD2: A novel mechanism of neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy. Sci Adv. 2019 Sep; 5(9):eaax2066. PubMed PMID: 31517052