Division Leadership:

Kristine Kuhn

Associate Professor Division Head, Scoville Endowed Chair
I am a physician-scientist whose lab focuses on how commensal microbes at the intestinal mucosal surface modulate local adaptive immune responses that affect the development of autoimmunityI have served on >15 mentorship committees and worked with an equal number of individuals during career stage transitions. To improve my mentorship skills, I engage in numerous workshops focused on being a mentor and in issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion (5 hours in the past year). I am open to mentoring new trainees.

Kristen Demoruelle MD, PhD

Associate Professor Associate Division Head for Research
I am a physician-scientist and my lab focuses on understanding mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). My areas of research focus include: immune dysregulation and autoantibody generation in the lung in the development of RA and RA associated lung diseases, the contribution of dysregulated neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation in the development of RA and interstitial lung disease, immune dysregulation and autoantibody generation in the female genital track in the development of RA in women, and the effects of contraception and pregnancy on the development of RA, with a focus on NETosis. I have mentored more than 30 medical students, residents, fellows and post-docs. My trainees have had numerous abstract presentations at local and international scientific meetings, obtained research grant funding, had first-author publications, and successfully obtained fellowship and faculty positions. I am dedicated to continuously improving my mentorship skills to ensure that all trainees feel respected and supported to achieve their goals. I actively engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings to foster an inclusive and equitable learning environment. I am open to new trainees.

Jason Kolfenbach MD

Associate Professor Associate Division Head for Education and Fellowship Program Director
I primarily focus on Medical Education, Specialty Care Access, and Inflammatory Eye Disease. I've participated in Implicit Bias, Diversity in Recruitment/Workplace, and Medical Education (Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators) trainings. I am open to new trainees.

Elena Weinstein MD

Associate Professor Associate Division Head of Faculty and Staff
I am a clinician-educator and clinical researcher who focuses on inflammatory muscle disease, systemic lupus and inflammatory arthritis. I also have a strong focus on quality improvement and patient safety. I have served as a mentor for multiple rheumatology fellows in developing their quality improvement initiatives and for residents interested in rheumatology continuity clinics. I have engaged in trainings to improve my skills in QI, promotion of wellness, mentorship, and issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion (4 hours in the past year). I am open to mentoring new trainees

Liudmila Kastsianok MD

Associate Professor Associate Division Head for Clinic
I am a physician-educator specializing in clinical operations within the field of rheumatology. My research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in rheumatology practice, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD), rheumatoid arthritis, synovial biopsy, and improving access to rheumatology care. I have completed several advanced training programs to enhance her leadership and professional skills. These include the "Fundamentals of Physician Leadership" course by the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) in 2022, the Women's Leadership training at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus from 2023 to 2024, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training at National Jewish Health.

Division Faculty:

Including faculty practicing at National Jewish Hospital, Denver Health and Authority Hospital, Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Pediatric-Rheumatology faculty at Children's Hospital (A-Z last name order):

Nirmal Banda PhD

Professor-Research
As a professor and researcher my laboratory focuses on the role of complement and cytokines in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using various mouse models of RA, early RA, RA, OA synovium and developing complement-targeting therapeutics using innovative technologies such as gene silencing and gene editing. I have served on SOM admission committee, thesis committee and worked with many undergraduate and graduate students.  I am open to trainees depending on resource availability. 

Jessica Bloom MD, MSCS

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado

Liron Caplan MD, PhD

Associate Professor Section Head, Rheumatology
Rocky Mountain VAMC
I am a physician-scientist focused on optimizing management of individuals with spondylarthritis through the use of pharmacoepidemiologic methods and outcomes research. I have a PhD in clinical sciences and have mentored 10+ post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty. I have completed local and national mentorship training workshops and participate in annual DEIJ training at both CU and the VA. I am open to new trainees.

Jennifer Cooper MD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado

Megan Curran MD

Associate Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology Fellowship Director
Children's Hospital Colorado

Lisa Davis MD

Associate Professor
Denver Health and Hospital Authority

Kevin Deane MD

Professor William P. Arend Endowed Chair in Rheumatology Research

Ashley Frazer-Abel

Assistant Professor-Research
My focus in on Complement Immunobiology and autoimmunity. Specifically, I am a board certified scientist and direct a laboratory that stands at the point of translating research discoveries to testing that can be used to direct patient care. We provide niche testing for patient diagnostics and to support the development of new therapies to meet unmet medical needs. I have been grateful to avail myself of a number of DEI and unconscious bias training sessions over the past couple years. As a diagnostic scientist, I have had an opportunity to mentor individuals at different parts of their careers; from individual touching their toe into medical science with their first job out of college, to training individuals in pharma who find themselves outside their scientific area. I am open to new trainees interested in learning about clinical testing. 

Robert Fuhlbrigge MD, PhD

Professor Section Head Pediatric Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado
My academic interests are focus on 3 areas: 1) the diagnosis and management of rare pediatric autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders; 2) understanding the mechanisms driving tissue-specific inflammatory responses; and 3) workforce development: helping to develop the next generation of clinicians and scientists in Pediatric-Rheumatology. I've participated in trainings including the Harvard Medical School Leadership Development Program for Physicians and Scientists, Brigham and Women's Hospital Leadership Training Program, Faculty Mentoring Leadership Program, and CCTSI Colorado Mentoring Training Program. I am open to mentoring new trainees.

Melissa Griffith MD

Assistant Professor
I focus my clinicial and research time on patients with connective tissue disease related interstitial lung disease and systemic sclerosis. I am also interested in musculoskeletal ultrasound to help diagnose and treat autoimmune diseases. I have taken courses on mentorship, leadership and DEI in the last few years, and I am open to mentoring new trainees.

Joel Hirsh MD

Associate Professor, Medicine-Rheumatology
Denver Health and Hospital Authority

Michael Holers MD

Smyth Professor of Rheumatology Director of Faculty Ventures
CU Innovations

Anna Helena Jonsson MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
I am a rheumatologist and physician-scientist who studies the role of CD8 T cells and granzyme K in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. I won a Young Mentor Award at Harvard Medical School in 2021 for my work with rheumatology fellows and have the pleasure of mentoring one graduate student and serving on two PhD thesis committees since my arrival at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in summer 2023. I take mentoring and diversity, equity, and inclusion issues seriously by regularly participating in workshops and peer discussions. I am open to new trainees.

Nicholas Kortan DO

Clinical Associate Professor
I am a clinician-educator who focuses on general adult rheumatology with personal interests in sports medicine and metabolic bone disorders.  In addition, having spent over 20 years in the military, I enjoy serving the military community members and can bring my experience and expertise to help with those patients as well. I am open to trainees.

Liudmila Kulik PhD

Assistant Research Professor
My primary academic interest is immunology research. I am curious about how autoimmune disorders such as lupus, diabetes type 1, arthritis are developed, what immunological pathways drive the diseases, and how these disorders can be stopped, prevented or treated. I am a current member of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), and I have mentored summer students as well as post-docs. I am open to mentoring new trainees.

Clara Lin MD

Associate Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado

Katharine Moore MD

Associate Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology Clinical Research Director
As a pediatric rheumatologist, my academic focus resides in three primary areas: I am the Clinical Research Director for Pediatric Rheumatology, and in this role I oversee the research operations for our clinical outcomes studies and clinical drug trials for children with various rheumatic diseases, including juvenile idiopathic arthritis, childhood lupus, juvenile scleroderma, juvenile dermatomyositis, and other related conditions. Transition of care from pediatric to adult rheumatology: I serve as the founder and lead for our transition workgroups and am involved at the institutional and national level in various scholarly initiatives aimed at improving transition readiness and reducing the obstacles and risks associated with the transfer of care. Clinical Informatics: As a certified physician builder for Epic (our electronic health record platform), I work with the hospital informatics teams to optimize the functionality of our electronic records in ways that improve patient safety, patient engagement, and provider efficiency. I have participated in numerous training activities related to my research role in the section of Pediatric Rheumatology. As a member of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance’s transition workgroup and the transition committee of Children’s Hospital Colorado, I have participated in educational sessions focused on recognizing pitfalls and improving outcomes in pediatric-to-adult transition. From an informatics perspective, I have completed numerous certification trainings to attain the status of “physician builder”, with ongoing formal and informal courses to maintain and improve my skill, competency, and certifications in clinical informatics. I am open to new trainees.

Meredith Morcos MD

Assistant Professor
Rocky Mountain VA
I am a clinician-educator working with internal medicine residents and rheumatology fellows at the VA. I also have a focus in QUI and am currently working on improving DMARD monitoring. I have completed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Course Moving Quality Improvement from Theory to Action and the Trek LIC Faculty Development Series at the University of Colorado. I am open to mentoring new trainees.

Larry Moreland MD

Professor
I am a clinical trialist with a focus on HIH funded clinical research studies as well as novel pharmaceutically sponsored research studies. An overarching goal is to develop biomarkers and understand the mechanisms of disease in many of our autoimmune inflammatory disorders. Disease that I have focused on over the past 35 years have been rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, osteoarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. I have also initiated and participated in several longitudinal registries in order to better define disease mechanisms and understand the heterogeneity of our inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. I have had a focus of mentoring Rheumatology fellows who had a goal of academic Rheumatology careers. Also, I have mentored several medical residents and medical students. I am currently serving as a mentor on 3 NIH funded training grants at CU Anschutz. I am open to mentoring new trainees.

Katherine Nowicki MD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado
I am a clinician educator who balances her time between educating medical students, residents, and fellows along with providing care to patients with pediatric rheumatologic conditions. My particular area of clinical expertise is in Chronic Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis (CNO) and I co-direct the CNO multidisciplinary clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. I am completing the Academy of Medical Educator’s Teaching Scholars Program and regularly engage in other training that improves my skills as an educator such as NBME item writing workshops, DEI training, and more. I am open to new trainees.

Itziar Quinzanos MD

Assistant Professor
Denver Health and Hospital Authority
My academic focus is on treating underserved populations, aiming to improve their health outcomes and access to quality care. Through teaching and clinical practice, I strive to address health disparities and provide compassionate, equitable treatment to these communities. I am open to new trainees

J. Brian Shirley DO

Associate Professor Clinical Practice, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado

Jennifer Soep MD

Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado

Jennifer Stichman MD

Associate Professor of Medicine
Denver Health and Hospital Authority
I am a clinical researcher and clinician based at Denver Health. I direct the resident electives for the Rheumatology division and am the Resident Continuity Clinic Director for the Webb Clinic at Denver Health. Clinically, I practice 50% outpatient General Internal Medicine and 50% general Rheumatology. I am open to new trainees.

Christopher Striebich MD PhD

Associate Professor
Academic Focus: Trainings: Mentorships: DEI Areas of focus:

Gabriel Tarshish MD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Rheumatology
Children's Hospital Colorado
I am mainly a clinician-educator with interests in various pediatric rheumatologic diseases including, but not limited to, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and juvenile dermatomyositis. I am interested in medical education and work closely with our fellowship training program. I am open to mentoring new research trainees.

Steven Taylor MD

Assistant Professor
My academic focus is on improving access to rheumatology by understanding and improving the interface between primary and secondary care. I am open to new trainees.

Kentaro Yomogida MD

Asst Professor, Pediatrics - Rheumatology
My research focuses on the transcription factors that regulate the functions and development of immune cells, and how abnormal regulation leads to autoimmunity. I have been mentoring students, post-doc and lab technicians in my research lab, as well as medical students, residents and fellows in the clinical settings. My lab welcomes a range of trainees including undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research technicians.

Joann Zell MD

Associate Professor
I am a clinical educator and clinician with a focus on systemic lupus erythematous and women's health/pregnancy. I co-direct a rheumatology renal clinic and a dermatology rheumatology clinic. I direct the medical student experiences for Rheumatology. I attended DEI training yearly, and I was a part of the Women's Leadership Program in2020-1; I have served on a national quality measures committee for 10 yrs. I am a small group educator/mentor in the medical school and trained in communication skills and physical exam.

Fan Zhang PhD

Assistant Professor
The Zhang lab develops computational AI methods to study inflammatory disease pathogenesis. We use cutting-edge single-cell multi-omics and systems immunology approaches to push the boundaries of translational medicine research. I am a faculty member of the Computational Bioscience PhD program, the Immunology PhD program, and the MD/PhD program, and I currently have students from these programs in my lab. I have taken Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. I am open to new trainees.

Rheumatology (SOM)

CU Anschutz

Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes

1775 North Aurora Court

3102

Aurora, CO 80045


303-724-7605

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