Division News

Their trainee days are behind them, but they’re still too young to be considered senior scientists. They are the young investigators in the Division of Rheumatology. We profile three rheumatologists who are devoted to their patients, their profession, and their research, and explore how the Division is nurturing them during their early careers.

Kai Sun, MD

James B. Wyngaarden, MD, professor emeritus and former chair of the Duke Department of Medicine as well as former director of the National Institutes of Health, died on June 14 at the age of 94.

In her clinic, Megan Clowse, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine (Rheumatology and Immunology), helps patients with rheumatic disease safely navigate pregnancy while managing their disease. In her research, she gathers and analyzes data about the best pregnancy planning and management practices. She’s also working to educate providers and patients on a larger scale.

“I’m trying to figure out how everyone can get state-of-the-art care from their local rheumatologist in order to have healthy pregnancies,” she says. “My mission is that all women with rheumatic disease can have the families they want.”

For women who take hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to control rheumatic disease, research has shown that it’s best for mother and baby to continue the medicine during pregnancy. But should the dose be maintained, decreased, or increased? Stephen Balevic, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and medicine (Rheumatology and Immunology), set out to investigate this question using data from the Duke Autoimmunity in Pregnancy registry. 

When a woman with rheumatic disease is pregnant, she may experience many symptoms--some from her underlying disease and some from pregnancy itself. Which of these symptoms signal increased risk for preterm delivery?

Nathaniel Harris, MD, PhD, an intern in the Duke internal medicine residency program, spent his third year of medical school, also at Duke, plumbing the DAP registry for insights into this question.

Megan Clowse, MD, MPH, is excited about a new development in the Duke Lupus Clinic that has opened up new ways of understanding, treating, and talking about lupus.

Two Department Medicine faculty members were inducted into the Association of American Physicians (AAP) during a joint April 6 meeting of the AAP, the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the American Physician-Scientists Association (APSA). Membership in AAP is a distinction recognizing excellence and outstanding achievement.

Kathleen Cooney, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, announced that Andrew Alspaugh, MD, will serve as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Medicine, and David Pisetsky, MD, PhD, has agreed to serve as Associate Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, effective April 1.

The Duke Innate Immunity Group (DIIG) will hold its 5th annual symposium of Innate Immunity, Inflammation and Disease on May 30, 2019 in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.

Congratulations to the following Department of Medicine faculty who received promotions in the first half of 2018.