Instructor of Medicine
M.D.: Yale University School of Medicine
Internship and Residency: Stanford University School of Medicine
Post-doctoral Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University, Rheumatology
I joined the Rheumatology faculty as an Instructor in July, 2006. Over the last three years, I have developed an interest in scleroderma both in terms of caring for patients and conducting translational research. My research interests have focused on mechanisms of disease in scleroderma and development of novel biomarkers of disease activity. Specifically, we are now examining how perturbations of extracellular autoantigens can promote tissue fibrosis. In vitro systems of matrix protein processing are being developed to determine how certain inflammatory stimuli can alter the normal extracellular matrix and lead to increased activity of pro-fibrotic growth factors. We are also interested in identifying and characterizing tissue specific autoantigens relevant to scleroderma. Recently, we have identified a potential novel biomarker for scleroderma lung disease. The presence of this protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from patients in our scleroderma cohort was shown to associate with active lung disease. In addition to research efforts focused on scleroderma pathogenesis and autoimmunity, I am actively involved in caring for patients at the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center.
(top of page)
