Rajiv Chandawarkar, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery

Rajiv Y. Chandawarkar, M.D., is a plastic surgeon, in addition to which he has completed a fellowship trained in cancer reconstructive surgery

Dr. Chandawarkar sees patients at the UConn Cancer Center, and a general plastic surgery office in Dowling South. At the Cancer Center, he joins a multidisciplinary team of experts and offers state-of-the-art reconstructive services for patients with breast cancer, head and neck cancers, GI cancers and more. Dr. Chandawarkar joins the Health Center from the prestigious M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, in Houston, where he completed fellowship training in Cancer Reconstruction and Microvascular Surgery in the Department of Plastic Surgery.

Along with Dr. Chandawarkar’s strong background in surgery, he is also an accomplished researcher in the areas of cancer, immunology and tissue repair. He is widely published in scholarly journals, holds 17 primary patents and was recently appointed to serve on the Owen Wangensteen Forum for tissue repair for the American College of Surgeons.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Chandawarkar continues his research endeavors in the role of immune modulation of tissue repair.

Research Initiative:

Modulation of Tissue Repair and Regeneration:

Working with levels and types of tissue injury he is currently studying molecules that impact the process of tissue repair and wound healing. Using available animal models and well characterized biological assays Dr. Chandawarkar’s group is exploring novel agents that may have a direct effect on hastening the reparative as well as the tissue regenerative process. Studying interactions between the cellular machinery that choregraph wound healing and agents that modulate its roles is the current focus of this laboratory.

Selected publications:

Heat shock protein-peptide complexes, reconstituted in vitro, elicit peptide-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte response and tumor immunity. Blachere, N.E. Li, Z., Chandawarkar, R.Y., Basu, S., Jaikaria, N., Srivastava, P.K. J Exp Med 186: 1315-1322, 1997.

The dual nature of specific immunological activity of tumor-derived gp96 preparations. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Wagh, M.S, Srivastava, P.K. J Exp Med 189(9):1437-1442, 1999.

Natural auto antibodies to heat shock proteins gp96, hsp70. Implications for immunotherapy using heat-shock proteins. Menoret, A., Chandawarkar, R.Y., Srivastava, P.K. Immunology 101, 1-11, 2000.

Determinants of efficacy of immunotherapy with tumor-derived heat shock protein gp96. Kovalchin, J.T. Murthy, A.S., Horattas, M.C., Guyton, D.P., Chandawarkar, R.Y. Cancer Immunity 1:7-16, 2001.

Oncologic Mathematics: Evolution of a new specialty. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Guyton, D.P. Arch Surg 137;1428-34, 2002.

Immune modulation with high dose of heat shock protein gp96: Therapy of murine autoimmune diabetes and encephalomyelitis. Int Immunity 16(4):615-24. 2004.

Exogenous Heat Shock Protein-70 binds macrophage-lipid raft-microdomain and stimulates phagocytosis, processing and MHC-II presentation of antigens. Wang R., Kovalchin J.T., Muhlenkamp P., Chandawarkar R.Y.*(Corresponding Author) Blood107(4):1636-42:2006.

In vivo delivery of HSP70 promotes wound healing by enhancing macrophage-mediated phagocytosis (accepted for publication, Wound Repair and Regeneration).

Administration of exogenous high dose gp96 in vivo improves survival of grafts with minor and major antigenic disparity. Kovalchin J.T., Mendonca C., Wagh M.S., Wang R., Chandawarkar, R.Y. *(Corresponding Author) Transplant Immunology15:3:179-185:2006.

The Role of Inducible HSP70 in Salivary Secretion in Tissue Repair (in preparation).

Mechanism of HSP70-induced phagocytosis (submitted, Jour of Surg Research)

In vivo delivery of HSP70 promotes wound healing by enhancing macrophage-mediated phagocytosis.  Kovalchin J.T., Wang R., Wagh  M.S., Azoulay J., Sanders M., Chandawarkar R.Y.* (Corresponding Author). Wound Repair and Regeneration 14(2):129-37: 2006.

HSP70 enhances macrophage phagocytosis by interaction with lipid raft-associated TLR-7 and upregulating p38 MAPK and PI3K pathways. Wang R., Town T., Gokarn V., Flavell R.A., Chandawarkar R.Y.* (Corresponding Author). (accepted for publication) Journal of Surgical Research).

RELEVANT CLINICAL PAPERS:

Management of iatrogenic spinal accessory nerve injury. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Pennington, G.A., Cervino, A.L.C. Plast Reconstr Surg 111(2):611-7:2003.

Reconstruction of nasal defects using modified composite grafts. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Cervino, A.L.C., Wells, M.D. Br J Plast Surg 56(1):26-32:2003.

Subunits of the cheek: An algorithm for reconstruction of partial thickness defects. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Cervino, A.L.C. Br J Plast Surg 56(2):135-39:2003.

Intraoperative acute tissue expansion revisited: a useful tool for challenging defects. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Cervino, A.L.C., Pennington, G.A. Dermatol Surg 29(8):834-8. 2003.

Bilateral anterolateral thigh flaps for large-volume breast reconstruction. Rosenberg, J.J., Chandawarkar, R.Y., Ross, M.L., Chevray, P.C. Microsurgery. 2004;24(4):281-4.

Necrotizing fasciitis: dangers of a hidden focus. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Jessie T.A., Wells, M.D., Pennington, G.A., Cervino, A.L.C. Can J Plast Surg 2004;12:3:149-153.

Extramammary pagets disease of the perinoscrotal region - Avoiding pitfalls in diagnosis and management. Chandawarkar, R.Y., Cervino, A.L.C., Wells, M.D., Marsico R., Jr., Ricchuitti D. Can J Plast Surg 2004:11: 4: 205-208.

Minimal-scar segmental extraction of lipomas: study of 122 consecutive procedures. Chandawarkar, R.Y. *(Corresponding Author), Rodriguez P., Roussalis J., Tantri M.D. Dermatol Surg. 2005;31(1):59-63

Lessons from the oral board examination Chandawarkar, R.Y., Amjad I. .Plast & Reconstr Surg 2005 Sep 15;116(4):1162-3.

Fish Incision Brachioplasty. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author), Lewis J.M. Br J of Plastic Surgery 2005.

Now towards a board-certified leadership. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author) Plast & Reconstr Surg 2006;117(2):720-1.

The dynamics of hospital-based plastic surgery. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author), Dutta S. Plast & Reconstr Surg (accepted for publication).

Ins and Outs of Outsourcing Plastic Surgery. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author). Plast & Reconstr Surg (accepted for publication).

Surgical management and reconstruction of adult sincipital encephalocele. Plast & Reconstr Surg (submitted).

Pasteur's Quadrant: recasting the roles of application and discovery in plastic surgical research. Chandawarkar R.Y. Plast & Reconstr Surg (submitted).

Lessons from the oral board examination Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author), Amjad I. Plast & Reconstr Surg 2005;116(4):1162-3.

Body contouring following massive weight loss resulting from bariatric surgery. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author). Adv Psychosom Med. 2006;27:61-72.

Management of keloids: advantages of a multidisciplinary approach. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author), Piorkowski J., Amjad I., Deckers P.J.  Derm Surg (accepted for publication).

Discovery or Innovation. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author) Plast & Reconstr Surg (accepted for publication).

The Imposition of Will. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author) Plast & Reconstr Surg (accepted for publication).

The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author) Plast & Reconstr Surg (accepted for publication).

Cost –Aware Care: A Critical Core Competency. Chandawarkar, R.Y.*(Corresponding Author), Taylor S., Abrams P., Duffy A., Voytovich T., Longo W.E., Kozol R.A. Arch Surg (accepted for publication).