Advisory Board
Jonathan Miner, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Jonathan Miner, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Jonathan Miner M.D., Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds both advanced medical and scientific degrees. Dr. Miner has demonstrated excellence through a number of highly regarded publications in top tier journals, such as Nature Medicine, Cell, Science Translational Medicine, Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Nature to name only a few. He is considered one of the foremost experts in the field of RVCL, seeing patients, overseeing clinical trials, and staying current with all relevant research. It is his belief that further research, patient identification, and a coordinated effort will lead to a successful treatment option for RVCL.Marcus Clark, MD
University of Chicago
Marcus Clark, MD
University of Chicago
Dr. Marcus Clark M.D. is currently a professor of medicine and a professor of pathology at the University of Chicago in the Division of Biological Sciences, and is also on committees for cancer biology, immunology, and molecular medicine. He has many impressive peer reviewed publications in highly esteemed journals, such as Nature Immunology, Frontiers of Immunology, and Science Translational Medicine to name a few. Dr. Clark’s research focuses on adaptive immunity and how it relates to autoimmune disorders, such as RVCL, as well as bioinformatic advances that may be useful in further research. Overall, his goal is to improve our functional understanding of how adaptive immune responses evolve at sites of disease, and how we may be able to combat those issues.Andria Ford, MD
Washington University
Andria Ford, MD
Washington University
Dr. Andria Ford M.D. is an associate professor of neurology and of radiology in the Division of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, with a focus on strokes and neurological disorders. She recently published in Neurology a paper entitled “Lesion evolution and neurodegeneration in RVCL-S: A monogenic microvasculopathy,” which focused on how white brain matter is effected in RVCL patients. Dr. Ford hopes to use her considerable knowledge of neurology and brain health to help RVCL patients in the future.
Tamara Hershey, PhD
Washington University
Tamara Hershey, PhD
Washington University
Dr. Tamara Hershey Ph.D. is Lab Chief of the highly collaborative Neuroimaging Labs (NIL), which is part of the division of Radiological Sciences within the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She is also a member of the Psychiatry, Neurology, Radiology and Psychological and Brain Sciences Departments, and works in the fields of cognitive and clinical neuroscience, using a range of neuroimaging, pharmacological and cognitive techniques to understand the impact of metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions on the brain, particularly during development. She draws from numerous disciplines (neuroscience, radiology, endocrinology, neurology, psychiatry, psychology) to enhance the quality and clinical relevance of her research. Dr. Hershey believes that better imaging and understanding of the brain condition in RVCL patients will lead to better outcomes.Rodger McEver, MD
OMRF
Rodger McEver, MD
OMRF
Dr. Rodger McEver M.D. is the vice president of research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He has received several awards for his work, including the Fred Jones Distinguished Scientist and Edward L. and Thelma Gaylord Prize for Scientific Achievement, demonstrating a commitment to research and medicine. In his lab, he studies how circulating blood cells attach to blood vessel surfaces at sites of tissue injury or infection and how substances released at these sites direct such activity. Our understanding of this process is critically important to future evolution of treatment options for vascular-based disorders, such as RVCL.
Peter Merkel, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Peter Merkel, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Peter Merkel M.D., M.P.H. is the Chief in the Division of Rheumatology and a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. With degrees from Wesleyan University, Yale, and Harvard, he has published many highly regarding papers focused on vasculitis and associated diseases and disorders. He also regularly sees patients and was recognized by America's Top Doctors (2014 – 2018) and by Best Doctors in America (2013 – 2018). Dr. Merkel’s vast expertise is an asset to our furthering our global understanding of RVCL.
Ken Polonsky, MD
University of Chicago
Ken Polonsky, MD
University of Chicago
Dr. Kenneth Polonsky M.D. currently serves as the Dean of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, while also holding other prestigious titles such as President of the University of Chicago Medicine health system, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, Dean of the Pritzker School of Medicine, and the Richard T. Crane Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine. Dr. Polonsky is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He has won multiple awards, including the Young Investigator Award from the American Federation of Clinical Research (1993), the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award of the American Diabetes Association (1994) and a highly selective National Institutes of Health MERIT Award (1997). In 2007, he was named director of the five-year, $50-million NIH-funded Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences at Washington University. In 2009 he was elected an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He has published more than 250 papers, and has served on the editorial boards of several journals. He maintains a focus on genetic abnormalities in autoimmune disorders, an underlying issue in RVCL patients.Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD
Washington University
Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD
Washington University
Dr. Fumihiko Urano, M.D., PhD. is a Samuel E. Schechter Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine and Pathology & Immunology in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Urano holds advanced medical and scientific degrees, and has a passion for seeing patients as well as conducting basic research. Following his clinical and research training in pathology, oncology, and medical genetics, Dr. Urano studied endoplasmic reticulum biology at the New York University School of Medicine under the mentorship David Ron, MD (currently Professor at the University of Cambridge). He has a wealth of experience in genetic testing and counseling, developing regenerative gene therapy, retinal dystrophy, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune disorders. This broad and deep expertise is a distinct value to our better understanding a disease as rare as RVCL.Nouri Neamati, PHD
College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan
Nouri Neamati, PHD
College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan
Nouri Neamati is the John G. Searle Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. He obtained a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas in 1995. From 1995 to 2000 he was a postdoctoral fellow and a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. In September 2000, he joined the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy with a joint appointment at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, rising to the rank of professor in 2011. Dr. Neamati is the recipient of numerous awards including the NIH Technology Transfer Award in 2000, STOP CANCER Award in 2001, GlaxoSmithKline Drug Discovery Award in 2002, BCRP and LCRP Concept Awards from the Department of Defense (DOD) in 2005 and 2009, LUNGevity Discovery Award, American Lung Association, 2006, The Littlefield-AACR Award in Metastatic Colon Cancer Research, in 2006, the Idea Awards in Ovarian and Breast Cancer from the DOD in 2006 and 2010, and a Concept Award in 2012. He has published 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 18 book chapters, and over 30 patents in the area of drug design and discovery. He has recently edited the first comprehensive and authoritative book on “HIV-1 Integrase: Mechanism and Inhibitor Design.” He has served in numerous study sections for NIH and DOD. He was the founding editor-in-chief of Current Molecular Pharmacology, an associate editor of Current Anticancer Drug Targets, and an editorial advisory board member of several journals including Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, Hormones & Cancer, and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.John Atkinson, MD
Washington University
John Atkinson, MD
Washington University
Dr. John Atkinson M.D. is currently the Samuel Grant Professor of Medicine and holds a joint Professorship in Molecular Microbiology in the Rheumatology Division at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he has practiced medicine and conducted research since 1976. He has trained at prestigious institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital and the National Institute of Health (NIH) and was an investigator at the very selective Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1976-1992. He also serves as the director of the RVCL Research Center where the goal of his research effort is to increase our understanding of the origins of autoimmunity and to discover a treatment for RVCL. His clinical activities center on the care of patients with RVCL, complement deficiencies and immune mediated inflammatory disorders, especially SLE and vasculitic syndromes. Dr. Atkinson has a passion for people, a love of science, and a desire to promote medical advancements.Rennie L. Rhee, M.D., M.S.C.E.
University of Pennsylvania
Rennie L. Rhee, M.D., M.S.C.E.
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Rhee is the Principal Investigator of multiple NIH, foundational, and institutional research awards to study vasculitis. Her research interests include clinical and translational research in vasculitis. She led the development of a biorepository at the Penn Vasculitis Center and co-led the development of the Penn Giant Cell Arteritis Fast-Track Program. As co-director of the RVCL Research Center, Dr. Rhee is coordinating many of the clinical research efforts for RVCL at Penn. She is also working with our RVCL Research Team to coordinate the collection of biospecimens for RVCL research studies.
