Kenichi Tamama

Kenichi (Ken) Tamama, M.D., Ph.D. 
Professor of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 
Director, Clinical Toxicology Laboratory 
Member, Division of Clinical Chemistry 

Kenichi (Ken) Tamama is a board-certified clinical pathologist and professor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he directs the Clinical Toxicology Laboratory and is a member of the Division of Clinical Chemistry. 

Tamama earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. from Gunma University School of Medicine and the Gunma University Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency training in clinical pathology (laboratory medicine) and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Tamama’s research integrates clinical pathology with translational metabolomics. His work focuses on three key areas: the discovery of novel biomarkers for substance abuse and wound healing using untargeted metabolomics, the development of laboratory diagnostics for emerging drugs of abuse, and elucidating the pathophysiology of urinary auto-brewery syndrome—a rare condition he first identified and reported. His findings on this syndrome garnered international media attention, appearing in over 100 outlets worldwide, including CNN, USA Today, The Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Le Monde, Newsweek Japan, IFLScience, and Insider. 

Tamama has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, with articles appearing in journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine, BMC Medicine, MMWR, and Stem Cells and Development. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for over 70 journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, Nature Metabolism, Annals of Internal Medicine, Wound Repair and Regeneration, and Advances in Wound Care. 

He is an active member of several professional societies, including the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), and the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (ACLPS).