Matthew Poynter
Professor of Medicine
Director, Vermont Lung Center
- PhD, Experimental Immunopathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
- B.S., with honors, Microbiology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
- Fellowship, Environmental Pathology, University of Vermont
Department of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Vermont Lung Center
Areas of expertise
immunology, pulmonology, asthma, metabolism, mentoring.
BIO
Matthew E. Poynter, PhD is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and serves as Director of the Vermont Lung Center. His research focuses on the immunologic and metabolic mechanisms underlying the initiation and resolution of respiratory inflammation, the development and modulation of adaptive immunity, and their impact on pulmonary physiology. His expertise spans molecular and biochemical methodologies, cell culture systems, animal models of disease initiation and exacerbation, and human subjects research employing integrated, multi-scale approaches. His group has developed models of diet-induced obesity, as well as dietary and surgical weight-loss interventions, to investigate their salutary effects on both intrinsic and allergic asthma, with particular emphasis on the role of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate. His program has substantial experience in translational research on obesity-associated asthma and in the immunomodulation of metabolic syndrome through bariatric surgery and dietary interventions. In addition, Dr. Poynter is deeply committed to mentorship, guiding undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career professionals in their scientific development and career advancement.
Courses
- Vermont Integrated Medical Curriculum: Attacks and Defenses Biomedical Health Sciences
- 310/6100: Advanced Immunobiology Biomedical Health Sciences
- 242/3420: Immunobiology
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- 2025: Director, Vermont Lung Center
- 2019: Dean’s Excellence in Research Award for Research Mentorship, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
- 2015 - 2025: Director, University of Vermont Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Program
- 2014: Distinguished Research Mentor Award, University of Vermont Department of Medicine
- 2011 - 2025: Associate Director, Vermont Lung Center
- 2006: Young Investigator Delegate to the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Respiratory Society, American Thoracic Society
- 2000 - 2002: Young Investigator Travel Award (to attend the annual international conference), American Thoracic Society
- 1998 - 2000: Environmental Pathology Training Grant (T32 ES07122) Postdoctoral Fellowship, NIEHS
- 1996 - 1998: Developmental Biology Training Grant (T32 HD07491) Predoctoral Fellowship, NICHD
Bio
Matthew E. Poynter, PhD is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and serves as Director of the Vermont Lung Center. His research focuses on the immunologic and metabolic mechanisms underlying the initiation and resolution of respiratory inflammation, the development and modulation of adaptive immunity, and their impact on pulmonary physiology. His expertise spans molecular and biochemical methodologies, cell culture systems, animal models of disease initiation and exacerbation, and human subjects research employing integrated, multi-scale approaches. His group has developed models of diet-induced obesity, as well as dietary and surgical weight-loss interventions, to investigate their salutary effects on both intrinsic and allergic asthma, with particular emphasis on the role of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate. His program has substantial experience in translational research on obesity-associated asthma and in the immunomodulation of metabolic syndrome through bariatric surgery and dietary interventions. In addition, Dr. Poynter is deeply committed to mentorship, guiding undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career professionals in their scientific development and career advancement.
Courses
- Vermont Integrated Medical Curriculum: Attacks and Defenses Biomedical Health Sciences
- 310/6100: Advanced Immunobiology Biomedical Health Sciences
- 242/3420: Immunobiology
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- 2025: Director, Vermont Lung Center
- 2019: Dean’s Excellence in Research Award for Research Mentorship, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
- 2015 - 2025: Director, University of Vermont Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Program
- 2014: Distinguished Research Mentor Award, University of Vermont Department of Medicine
- 2011 - 2025: Associate Director, Vermont Lung Center
- 2006: Young Investigator Delegate to the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Respiratory Society, American Thoracic Society
- 2000 - 2002: Young Investigator Travel Award (to attend the annual international conference), American Thoracic Society
- 1998 - 2000: Environmental Pathology Training Grant (T32 ES07122) Postdoctoral Fellowship, NIEHS
- 1996 - 1998: Developmental Biology Training Grant (T32 HD07491) Predoctoral Fellowship, NICHD
Select Publications
- V.A. Fastiggi, V.V., Mank, M.M., Caporizzo, M.A., and M.E. Poynter. Beta-hydroxybutyrate attenuates bronchial smooth muscle pro-inflammatory cytokine production and contraction. American Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology, 2026 Jun 1;330(6):C1561-C1573. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00169.2026. PMC13224875.
- Mank, M.M., Zoller, K.A., Fastiggi, V.A., Ather, J.L., and M.E. Poynter. Acidosis Enables the NLRP3 Inflammasome-Inhibiting Effects of Beta-Hydroxybutyrate and Short-Chain Carboxylic Acids. The Journal of Immunology, 2026 May 14; 215(5):vkag085. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag085. PMID: 42153447.
- Poynter, M.E., Mank, M.M., and J.L. Ather. Obesity-associated inflammatory macrophage polarization is inhibited by capsaicin and phytolignans. The American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Biology special issue on The Physiology of Obesity, 2024 May 1;326(5):R370-R382. PMC11398870.
- Peña-García, P.E., Fastiggi, V.A., Mank, M.M., Ather, J.L., Garrow, O.J., Anathy, V., Dixon, A.E., and M.E. Poynter. Bariatric surgery decreases the capacity of plasma from allergic obese asthmatic subjects to augment airway epithelial cell pro-inflammatory cytokine production. The American Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology special issue on The Physiology of Obesity, 2024 Jan;12(1):e15901. PMC11292671.
- Bivona III, J.J., Mank, M.M., Stapleton, R.D., Files, D.C., Toth, M.J., and M.E. Poynter. Skeletal muscle myofibers directly contribute to LPS-induced systemic inflammatory tone. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13:917917 (2022). PMC9260049.