Dr. Brian Kocak joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July of 2025. He was born and grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he attended the University of Pittsburgh for undergraduate and medical studies. He graduated summa cum laude with dual degrees in philosophy and microbiology in 2017. He earned his medical degree from 2018 – 2022. During his time in undergraduate and medical studies, he was very active in a basic science laboratory studying immunometabolism in the context of pseudomonas-RSV co-infections in the cystic fibrosis lung. He presented his work at numerous national meetings, received several research and funding awards, and published several manuscripts.
In 2022, Dr. Kocak completed his internship and residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/WashU Medicine prior to joining the division. He enjoys all forms of medicine including inpatient care, critical care, teaching, and working with medical students. His specific medical interests include cardiovascular risk assessment and cardiac imaging. He was able to continue scholarly pursuits and is engaged in a project evaluating coronary artery calcium scoring in prediction of preeclampsia in nulliparous women. Outside of medicine, he enjoys hiking and has a goal of visiting every national park in the United States. He also enjoys cooking new foods and traveling with his wife and dog. He is an avid watcher of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Formula 1 racing. He looks forward to providing care for his patients as a member of the Division of Hospital Medicine.