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Lisa Christopher, M.D., M.P.H.

Director, Johns Hopkins Myositis Precision Center of Excellence
Professor of Medicine

Specializes in: Adults (18+ years)

Female

Expertise

Dermatomyositis, Inclusion Body Myositis, Myositis, Rheumatology ...read more

Research Interests

Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Inclusion Body Myositis, Inflammatory Myopathy, Necrotizing Myopathy, Statin Myopathy ...read more

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+1-410-502-7683

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Locations

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Appointment Phone: 443-997-1552

301 Mason Lord Drive
Myositis Center
Baltimore, MD 21224 map

Phone: 410-550-6962

Background

Dr. Christopher-Stine is the Co-Founder and Director of the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center. She is a Professor of Medicine and Neurology. She is a longstanding core faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine College Advisory Program and serves as the Co-Chair of the Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board (IRB 5). Dr. Christopher-Stine graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College; was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha at Hahnemann University School of Medicine, where she received her MD degree, and she attained her Masters of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her internship and residency training were completed at MCP Hahnemann University, where she also served as Chief Resident. She pursued her rheumatology fellowship training at Johns Hopkins.

Titles

Director, Johns Hopkins Myositis Precision Center of Excellence
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Neurology

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Myositis Center

Education

Degrees

MD; Hahnemann University School of Medicine (1997)

Residencies

Internal Medicine; Drexel University College of Medicine (2001)

Fellowships

Rheumatology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2003)

Board Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) (2013)
American Board of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology) (2019)

Research & Publications

Research Summary

Dr. Christopher-Stine’s primary research focus is clinical research pertaining to inflammatory myopathies – specifically describing unique phenotypes, novel therapeutic approaches, and novel disease subsets among patients with inflammatory myopathies. Dr. Christopher-Stine is the principal investigator of a growing cohort of over 3000 patients evaluated clinically for confirmed or suspected muscle disease at the Myositis Center who agree to be part of the Johns Hopkins Myositis Research Registry. Dr. Christopher-Stine and her colleagues made the novel discovery of an autoimmune myopathy closely linked to statins. She has a continued interest in statins and their toxicities toward muscle, both as a direct muscle toxin as well as its contribution to autoimmune muscle injury.

Dr. Christopher-Stine and her team are currently investigating several area of interest regarding the inflammatory myopathies. They are interested in cardiovascular complications in the inflammatory myopathies, the contribution of the skin and gut microbiome to myositis phenotypes, and they remain interested in predicting clinical outcomes. In addition, they have investigated the burden of calcinosis in adult dermatomyositis by patient self-report and utilized novel imaging modalities to examine the extent of calcinosis in these patients. In addition, as patient reported outcomes are growing increasingly important, especially in the context of clinical trials, they are an increasing focus of investigative efforts at the Myositis Center. Specifically, Dr. Christopher-Stine and her team are undertaking an international effort to determine the most appropriate patient-driven outcome measures in the inflammatory myopathies.

Technology Expertise Keywords

Anti-HMGCR autoantibodies

Clinical Trial Keywords

Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Inclusion Body Myositis, Inflammatory Myopathy, Necrotizing Myopathy, Statin Myopathy

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

1. Christopher-Stine L, Astor B Petri M, Fine D. Protein:Creatinine Ratio is A Reliable Measure of Proteinuria in Lupus Nephritis. J Rheumatol 2004;31:1557-9.
2. Kalluri M, Sahn SA, Oddis CV, Gharib, Christopher-Stine, L, Danoff SK, Casciola-Rosen L, Hong G3, Dellaripa PF, Highland KB. Clinical profile of anti-PL-12 autoantibody: Cohort Study and Review of the Literature. Chest. 2009 Jun;135(6):1550-6.
3. Valiyil R, Hong G, Casciola- Rosen L, Mammen AL, Christopher-Stine, L. Rituximab is an Effective Therapy for Myopathy Associated with Anti-Signal Recognition Particle Antibodies: A Case Series. Arthritis Care Res. 2010 Sep;62(9):1328-34
4. Christopher-Stine L, Hong G, Casciola-Rosen L, Corse A, Mammen AL. A novel autoantibody recognizing 200 and 100 kDa proteins is associated with an immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy. Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Sep;62(9):2757-66
5. Mammen AL, Chung T, Christopher-Stine L, Rosen P, Rosen A, Casciola-Rosen LA. Autoantibodies against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a reductase (HMGCR) in patients with statin-associated autoimmune myopathy. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Mar;63(3):713-21.
6. Petri MA, Kiani AN, Post W, Christopher-Stine L, Magder LS. Lupus Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (LAPS).Ann Rheum Dis. 2011 May;70(5):760-5.
7. Mammen AL, Gaudet D, Brisson D, Christopher-Stine L, Lloyd TE, Leffell MS, Zachary AA. Increased frequency of DRB1*11:01 in anti-HMG-CoA reductase-associated autoimmune myopathy. Arthritis Care Res. 2012 Aug;64(8):1233-7.
8. Casciola-Rosen L, Hall JC, Christopher-Stine L, Mammen AL, Rosen A. Isolated elevation of aldolase in the serum of myositis patients: a potential biomarker of damaged early regenerating muscle cells. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2012 Jul-Aug;30(4):548-53.
9. Werner JL, Christopher-Stine L, Ghazarian SR, Pak KS, Kus JE, Daya NR, Lloyd TE Mammen AL. Antibody Levels Correlate with Creatine Kinase Levels and Strength in Anti-HMG-CoA Reductase-Associated Autoimmune Myopathy. Arthritis Rheum. 2012 Dec;64(12):4087-93.
10. Alexanderson H, Del Grande M, Bingham III CO, Orbai AM, Sarver C, Clegg-Smith K, Lundberg IE, Song YW, Christopher-Stine L. Patient Reported outcomes and Adult Patients’ disease experience in the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies. A report from the OMERACT 11 Myositis Special Interest Group. J Rheumatol. 2014 Apr;41(4):792-8.
11. ENMC Myositis Muscle Biopsy Study Group. 193rd ENMC International workshop pathology diagnosis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies 30 November – 2 December 2012, Naarden, The Netherlands. Neuromuscular Disorders 2013 (23): 945–951.
12. Fiorentino DF, Chung LS, Christopher-Stine L, Zaba L, Li S, Mammen AL, Rosen A, Casciola-Rosen L.Most patients with cancer-associated dermatomyositis have antibodies to nuclear matrix protein NXP-2 or transcription intermediary factor 1-gamma. Arthritis Rheum. 2013 Nov;65(11):2954-62.
13. Sharma K, Orbai AM, Desai D, Cingolani OH, Halushka MK, Christopher-Stine L, Mammen AL, Wu KC, Zakaria S. Brief Report: Antisynthetase Syndrome-Associated Myocarditis. J Card Fail. 2014 Jul 29
14. Johnson C, Connors GR, Oaks J, Han S, Truong A, Richardson B, Lechtzin N, Mammen AL, Casciola-Rosen L, Christopher-Stine L, Danoff SK. Clinical and pathologic differences in interstitial lung disease based on antisynthetase antibody type. Respir Med. 2014 Sep 18
15. Christopher-Stine L. Siedner M, Lin J, Haas M, Parekh H, Petri M, Fine DM. Renal Biopsy in Lupus Patients with Low Levels of Proteinuria. J Rheumatol. 2007 Feb;34(2):332-5.
16. Hall JC, Casciola-Rosen L, Samedy LA, Werner J, Oyoyemi K, Danoff SK, Christopher-Stine L. Anti melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5-associated dermatomyositis: expanding the clinical spectrum. Arthritis Care Res. 2013 Aug;65(8):1307-15.
17. Lloyd TE* , Christopher-Stine L*, Penal-Fernandez I, Tiniakou E, Petri M, Baer A, , Danoff SK, Pak K, Casciola-Rosen L , and Mammen AL . Cytosolic 5’-nucleotidase 1A is a common target of circulating autoantibodies in several autoimmune diseases; Arthritis Rheum , 2015 Apr 17(Epub)

Contact for Research Inquiries

Johns Hopkins Myositis Center
5200 Eastern Ave
Mason F. Lord Tower Suite 4500
Baltimore, MD 21224 map
Phone: 410-550-5969

Academic Affiliations & Courses

Courses and Syllabi

Physical Diagnosis Course
Hahnemann University
1999 - 2001
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
2001 - 2010
Advanced Ambulatory Clerkship in Musculoskeletal Medicine
Johns Hopkins University
2004 - 2004
Pathophysiology; Rheumatic Disease Course
Johns Hopkins University
2005 - 2009
Immunology II
Johns Hopkins University
2010 - 2010
Colleges Advisory Program Core Faculty
Taussig College
2012

Activities & Honors

Honors

Whos Who in America, Marquis , 2009
Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. Americas Top Doctors, 2008
Who's Who of American Women, Marquis , 2008
Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Marquis , 2007
The Golden Stethoscope Award Winner, 2001
The Golden Stethoscope Award Nominee, 2000
C. Nelson Davis Award , 1998
Wyeth-Ayerst Award for Excellence in Infectious Diseases, 1998
Elizabeth Blackwell Memorial Award to the Outstanding Senior Woman, 1997
Hahnemann Physicians Society Award, Hahnemann Physicians Society, 1997
Van Buren O. Hammet Memorial Award Prize, 1997
William Likoff, M.D. Award, 1997
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, 1996
Memorial Scholarship , Alpha Phi Sorority Howell , 1996
Scholarship, William Goldman Foundation , 1995
Betty Ford Center Professional-in-Residence participant, 1995
Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, 1992
Outstanding Performance in Psychiatry, Van Buren O. Hammet Memorial Award, 1997
Ken Titus Award for the Best Lecture, Virginia Society of Rheumatologists, 2009
Leadership Program for Women Faculty, Johns Hopkins University, 2010
Scholarship Award Recipient, Sexton, 2014

Memberships

Alpha Omega Alpha
American Medical Women’s Association, 1992 - 1997
American Medical Women’s Association, 1993 - 1994
Chapter President
Philadelphia County Medical Society, Pennsylvania Medical Society, 1997 - 2000
Philadelphia County Medical Society, Pennsylvania Medical Society, 2000 - 2001
Vice Chair
Maryland Society for The Rheumatic Diseases, 2001
Member
American College of Rheumatology, 2003
Fellow Member
Maryland Society for the Rheumatic Diseases, 2006
President
The Myositis Association Medical Advisory Board, 2009 - 2014
Member
The Myositis Association, 2012 - 2012
Chair, The Nominating Committee

Professional Activities

Abstract Selection Committee on Myositis and Myopathies, ACR, 2006
Barker Firm Faculty , Johns Hopkins University, 2005
Graduate Medical Education Committee, MCP Hahnemann University, 1998 - 2001
Intern Selection Sub-committee, Johns Hopkins University, 2005
Medical Advisory Board, The Myositis Association, 2009
Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, MCP Hospital, 2000 - 2001
WorkLife Advisory Group, Johns Hopkins, 2007
Member, Departments of Medicine’s Task Force on Women’s Academic Careers in Medicine
Advisor, College Advisory Program
Board Member, Institutional Review Board (IRB 5)
Philanthropy Chair, Departments of Medicine’s Task Force on Women’s Academic Careers in Medicine

Videos & Media

Lectures and Presentations

“A 55 Year-old Man with Underlying Diabetic Nephropathy Presents with a Rapidly Rising Creatinine,”
Speaker, Philadelphia, PA (05/01/1997)
Hahnemann University Hospital Morbidity and Mortality Conference
Does Bankruptcy Influence Medical Education?
Speaker, Philadelphia, PA (05/01/2001)
MCP Hospital Medicine Grand Rounds
Clinicopathologic Conference
Speaker, Philadelphia, PA (06/01/2001)
Hahnemann University Hospital Grand Rounds
Cardiovascular Complications of SLE
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (11/09/2002)
Maryland Lupus Foundation
Lupus and Cardiovascular Disease
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (10/04/2003)
Lupus Foundation of Greater Washington
Management of Women with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (12/04/2003)
Women's Health Symposium
Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis: Recognition and Treatment
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (01/16/2005)
Rheumatology Symposium
Dermatomyositis
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (10/13/2005)
Johns Hopkins University Grand Rounds
Atorvastatin Does Not Increase Bone Mineral density in SLE
Plenary Speaker, Barcelona, Spain (06/15/2007)
EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism)
Atorvastatin Treatment Does Not Reduce Cytokines or Cell Adhesion Molecules in SLE
Speaker, Boston, MA (11/10/2007)
American College of Rheumatology Concurrent Session
The Antisynthetase Syndrome
Speaker, Philadelphia, PA (11/14/2007)
Drexel University College
The Antisynthetase Syndrome
Speaker, Washington DC (10/13/2008)
Children's National Medical Center
What We Know About Statins and Myositis
Speaker, Denver, CO (09/20/2008)
The Myositis Association Annual Conference
Coping with Prednisone
Speaker, Denver, CO (09/20/2008)
The Myositis Association Annual Conference
Managing your disease (polymyositis)
Speaker, Denver, CO (09/20/2008)
The Myositis Association Annual Conference
Myositis: 32 Flavors and Then Some
Speaker, Hot Springs, VA (09/29/2008)
Virginia Society of Rheumatolgists
Myositis 101: A Clinical Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Myopathies and their Mimics
Speaker, Monmouth, NJ (10/09/2008)
Monmouth Medical Center - Department of Internal Medicine Medical Grand Rounds
The Antisynthetase Syndrome
Speaker, Boston, MA (01/27/2009)
Massachusetts General Hospital Rheumatology Grand Rounds
A Novel Autoantibody Against 200/100 kDa Is Associated with a Necrotizing Myopathy
Plenary Speaker, Philadelphia, PA (10/19/2009)
ACR Discovery 2009 Plenary Session
Myositis 101
Speaker, Kansas City, MO (11/05/2009)
Kansas City Southwest Clinical Society
Myositis: A Review
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (11/11/2009)
Johns Hopkins University Neurology
Myositis 101: A Physician’s Primer
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (11/20/2009)
MedStart Harbor Hospital Grand Rounds
Myositis Update: Many Shapes and Sizes
Speaker, Carey, NC (10/17/2010)
North Carolina Rheumatology Association
Myositis Update
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (06/04/2010)
Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of the Rheumatic Diseases
Anti-HMGCoA Reductase- Associated Myopathy: Bedside to Bench and Back
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (02/02/2011)
Neurology Resident Noon Conference
Anti-HMGCoA Reductase- Associated Necrotizing Myopathy: Bedside to Bench and Back
Speaker, Los Angeles, CA (04/27/2011)
Cedars-Cinai Medical Center Rheumatology Grand Rounds
Anti-HMG CoA- Reductase Associated Myopathy: An Illustration of Collaboration
Speaker, Bethesda, MD (05/11/2011)
National Institute of Health
What’s new in Myositis: Autoimmune Necrotizing Myopathy – the New Kid on the Block?
Speaker, New York, NY (05/19/2011)
New York State Rheumatology Association
21-year-old man with fever, rash, arthritis, and pulmonary lesions
Discussant, Boston, MA (06/23/2011)
Massachusetts General Hospital Grand Rounds
Anti-HMGCoA Reductase- Associated Necrotizing Myopathy : Shaping our Understating of The Inflammatory Myopathies
Speaker, New York, NY (10/07/2011)
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Rheumatology Rounds
Statin Myopathies
Speakers, Chicago, IL (11/08/2011)
American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting
Calcinosis
Speaker, Chicago, IL (04/29/2012)
ACR Stater of the Art Clinical Symposium
Dermatomyositis Treatment
Speaker, Chicago, IL (04/29/2012)
ACR Stater of the Art Clinical Symposium
Statin Myopathy in Evolution: Immune Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy and the Anti-HMGCR Connection
Keynote Speaker, Philadelphia, PA (05/01/2012)
Philadelphia Rheumatism Society Annual Scientific Lecture
Bench to Bedside and Back Again: Autoimmune Statin Myopathy and the Anti-HMGCR Story
Speaker, Stockholm, Sweden (09/25/2012)
Karolinska Institutet
Statin Myopathy
Speaker, Stockholm, Sweden (09/27/2012)
2012 Cutting Edge Rheumatology
Statin-associated autoimmune myopathy: from bedside to bench and back again
Speaker, Bethesda, MD (10/17/2012)
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda
Statin Myopathy in Evolution: When is It Autoimmune?
Speaker, Detroit, MI (10/18/2012)
Henry Ford Health System Grand Rounds
Statin Myopathy
Speaker/Discussant, Naarden, Netherlands (12/01/2012)
European Neuromuscular Centre (ENMC) 193rd meeting
The Ever-Changing World of Statin Myopathies
Speaker, Washington DC (03/07/2013)
Georgetown University
The ABCs of Myositis - How antibodies can determine clinical features
Speaker, Orlando, FL (07/20/2013)
Florida Society of Rheumatology Annual Meeting
Healthy Living Despite Myositis
Speaker, Louisville, KY (10/19/2013)
The Myositis Association Annual Patient Conference
Myositis Mimics
Speaker, Boston, MA (11/08/2013)
Harvard, MA
Autoimmune Statin-Associated Myopathy- The Plot Thickens
Speaker, Brooklyn, NY (11/07/2013)
SUNY Downstate Medical Center Medical Grand Rounds
Myositis Update
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (04/12/2014)
Johns Hopkins 10th Annual Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of the Rheumatic Diseases
Stain Myopathy in Evolution:Exploring the Link to Autoimmunity
Speaker, New York, NY (04/15/2014)
Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Grand Rounds
Patient Reported Outcomes in the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies
Speaker/Discussant, Budapest, Hungary (05/09/2014)
OMERACT Special Interest Group
The ABCs of Myositis
Speaker, Rochester, NY (05/29/2014)
University of Rochester Medical Grand Rounds
Statin Myopathy: An Autoimmune disease?
Speaker, Baltimore, MD (06/06/2014)
Center for Autoimmune Disease Research - The Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Management of Interstitial Lung Disease in Myositis
Speaker, Annual Meeting Update on Management and Classification of Myositis Clinical Science Session, Paris, France (06/14/2014)
European League Against Rheumatism
Myositis 101: Polymyositis, Dermatomyositis, and Related Inflammatory Myopathies
Speaker, Annual Conference, Louisville, KY (08/08/2014)
Rheuamtology Nurses Society
Statin Myopathy: An Autoimmune Disease?
Speaker, Medical Grand Rounds, New Orleans, LA (08/29/2014)
LSU Health Science Center
Promising Research in PM and DM
Speaker, Annual Patient Conference, Reno, NV (09/06/2014)
The Myositis Association
Statin Myopathy: When is it Autoimmune?
Speaker, Rheumatology Grand Rounds, Chicago, IL (09/16/2014)
University of Chicago
The Elevated CPK – Including Statins
Speaker, 10th Kenneth Austin RheumatologySymposium, Washington DC (04/01/2015)
Howard University
Statin Myopathy Associated with Anti-HMGCR Autoantibodies
Speaker, Strategic Advisory Meeting, Boston, MA (04/14/2015)
Inova Diagnostics
Statin Myopathy: When is it Autoimmune?
Speaker, Medical Grand Rounds, Detroit, MI. (04/22/2015)
Beaumont Hospital
Difficult Myositis: challenging Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy Cases
Speaker, Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC (04/26/2015)
South Carolina Rheumatism Society
Myositis Update: Then and Now
Speaker, Medical Grand Rounds, Baltimore, MD (05/06/2015)
St. Joseph’s Medical Center Medica
Myositis Patient Reported Outcomes
Moderator, Stockholm, Sweden (05/09/2015)
The Lung in Myositits
Myositis Patient Reported Outcomes
Speaker, The First International Conference on Myositis, Stockholm, Sweden (05/11/2015)
Creating a Center of Excellence
Speaker, Your Academic Clinical Practice Toolkit Maximizing Your Success Seminar, Baltimore, MD (08/03/2015)
Johns Hopkins Hospital

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