Christopher Towe, MD
- Director, Rare Lung Diseases Program
- Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- christopher.towe@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
As a child with allergies and asthma, I always wanted to work with children who had trouble breathing. I’m a board-certified pediatric pulmonologist and director of the Rare Lung Disease Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. I see children from all over the country and around the world with unknown or poorly understood lung conditions.
Conditions I treat include:
- Ultra-rare or undiagnosed childhood interstitial lung diseases
- Lung graft versus host disease after bone marrow transplant
- Lung disease caused by other rare systemic diseases such as:
- Immune deficiencies
- Autoimmune diseases
- Auto-inflammatory diseases
- Lymphatic and other vascular malformations
- Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
I perform flexible bronchoscopy, including targeted transbronchial biopsies. I’m one of the few pediatric pulmonologists in the world who regularly performs whole lung lavages (a therapeutic procedure) in children with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (rare lung disorder).
Even in patients with a known diagnosis, there is often not a well-defined treatment plan. My team and I partner with families to develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient that best fits them, their goals and the family’s needs. I work with a multidisciplinary team, including a dedicated nurse, dietician and respiratory therapist. I often see patients in conjunction with other specialists, such as immunologists, bone marrow transplant specialists and rheumatologists. My colleagues and I often see a patient during the same clinic visit to develop a comprehensive care plan for each patient.
My primary research interest is to improve the characterization, early identification and treatment of pulmonary injury caused by the immune system to improve patient outcomes. My two current areas of focus are:
- Improving early detection of lung disease following bone marrow transplantation
- Improving our overall understanding of the cause of lung disease in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, preventing these complications from occurring and better treating them when they do
I am unable to study in-depth all the diseases I clinically manage. But, I believe all of my patients and families deserve access to the benefits and promise of research. Therefore, I also facilitate partnerships with other researchers, including many basic scientists, and provide the clinical support needed to facilitate the translational study of these rare pulmonary diseases. This research often happens through n = 1 studies, which involve only one patient or family.
When I’m not seeing patients or involved in research, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling the world and training for marathons. My wife and I have twice been awarded the President of the United States Volunteer Service Award for our work hosting foreign exchange students — one from Albania and another from Thailand. I grew up in a suburb of Houston, Texas and have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, so if I weren't a doctor, my dream job would be working for NASA and the space program.
MD: University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine, Dallas, TX, 2008
Residency: Pediatrics, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, 2011
Fellowship: Pediatric Pulmonary, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 2014
Certifications: Pediatric Pulmonary, 2014; Pediatrics, 2012
Interests
Childhood interstitial lung diseases; lung transplantation
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Blood proteomics of paediatric bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after haematopoietic cell transplant. ERJ Open Research. 2026; 12(3).
C74-09 MCP-1 in Broncho-Alveolar Fluid and Plasma in Children With Lung Injury After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Transpire Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.5449.
C60-05 The Utility of Bronchoscopy Prior to Bone Marrow Transplant in Children: A Retrospective Case Series. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.3527.
B17-08 CT Predicts Lung-Related Events in Children Post-Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A TRANSPIRE Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.6570.
B105-09 Bridging Diagnostic Gaps in Pediatric BOS: Clinical Relevance of Pediatric ATS BOS Criteria Post-HSCT. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.2623.
B101-02 To Bronch or Not to Bronch? - Biologic Markers of Lung Injury in the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Pediatric Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, a Transpire Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.5393.
A99-07 Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Pediatric Chronic Respiratory Disease. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.6106.
A62-07 Transpire: Acute Worsening in DLCO Followed by Rebounding Longitudinal Improvement After Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant in a Multicenter Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.2339.
A62-05 Longitudinal Measurement of Respiratory Function by Oscillometry in Children Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (hsct): A Report From the Transpire Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.2338.
A62-04 Comparison of Home Spirometry to Office Spirometry in Children and Young Adults Post Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant in the Transpire Research Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026; 212(Supplement_1):aamag162.2957.
From the Blog
Rare Childhood Disease Needs Awareness: Interstitial Lung Disease
2/27/2015
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