Trainee Research Information

---

​The Division of Rheumatology has many engaging options available for trainees who would like to explore research opportunities. These are available to trainees at all levels of prior research experience, including graduate students, mentored scholarly activity [MSA] medical students, research-track medical students, and Rheumatology Research Foundation summer preceptorships.

Students accepted in the research track or on a research rotation should complete the Rheumatology T32 Medical Student Position Application.

Research opportunities also exist for house staff/residents, post-doctoral students, and rheumatology fellows. House staff contemplating an academic career are encouraged to pursue one of the research opportunities within the division, prior to applying for the rheumatology fellowship research track (3 year academic-oriented position). Post-doctoral students may be interested in one of our funded Division of Rheumatology positions supported by the NIH T32 mechanism.

Faculty members accepting trainees and their area of scholastic focus include:  

Liron Caplan, MD, PhD

• Clinical/Outcomes/Health Services Research
• Quality of Care Interventions
• Spondyloarthritis
• Available for: Graduate and Medical Students, Residents and Post-docs 

Kevin Deane, MD, PhD

• Epidemiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
• Translational Research in RA Pathogenesis
• Clinical Trials in RA Prevention
• Available for: Graduate students, Medical Students and Residents

Kristen Demoruelle, MD, PhD

• Translational Research in Mucosal Autoimmunity and Sex Differences in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Pathogenesis
• Available for: Graduate students, Medical Students and Residents

Michael Holers, MD

• Translational and basic research
• Available for: Residents

Anna Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD

• Translational and Basic Research
• Granzyme K and CD8 T cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis and other rheumatologic diseases
• Available for:  Graduate and Medical students, Residents, and Post-docs

Kristine Kuhn, MD, PhD

• Translational and Basic Research
• Microbiome and mucosal studies in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Spondyloarthritis (SpA)
• Available for: Graduate and Medical Students, Residents and Post-docs 

Larry Moreland, MD 

• Translational research
• Clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
• Interdisciplinary joint biology program
• Diseases registries/databases
• Cellular therapies including bispecific and Car-T  therapies for autoimmune diseases.

Ruth Napier, PhD

• Translational and Basic Research
• Mechanisms of autoimmunity: the interface between infection and the immune system
• Blau syndrome, Spondyloarthritis (SpA), autoimmune uveitis, rheumatoid arthritis
• Available for: Graduate and Medical Students, Residents and Post-docs 

Christopher Striebich, MD, PhD​

• Clinical Trials
• Available for: Post Docs

Fan Zhang, PhD

• AI approaches for translational research
• Computational biology and systems immunology for big data
• Single-cell multi-omics data integration for inflammatory disease
• Available for: Graduate and Medical Students, and Postdocs