Our Leadership

Chair, Medical-Scientific Advisory Council; Prof., Rheumatology, Harvard University Medical School; Director, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Editor, Arthritis and Rheumatology

Board of Directors

Medical-Scientific Advisory Council

Management Team

The Board determines the Foundation's mission and strategic direction, sets policies, monitors progress toward goals, and provides oversight and accountability.

Officers

Andrew T. Brophy

Board Chair - Maryland

Susan M. Manzi, MD, MPH

Immediate Past Chair, Medical Director | Read Bio

Joseph Arnold, Esq

Vice Chair - Pennsylvania

Barbara Polk

Secretary - Washington, DC

Christine Smith

Treasurer - Texas

Directors

Janine Allen

Director - California

Judy Barlin

Director - Florida

Lynn Blandford

Director - Texas

Lindsay Cafritz

Director – California

Karen H. Costenbader, MD, MPH

Chair, Medical-Scientific Advisory Council; Prof., Rheumatology, Harvard University Medical School; Director, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Editor, Arthritis and Rheumatology | Read Bio

Conrad Gehrmann

Director - Washington

Jane Hawley

Director – California

Cindy Messerle

Council of Professional Staff Representative - Pennsylvania

Phong Nguyen

Director - Pennsylvania

Tim Nolan

Director – New York

Cheri Perron

Director – Pennsylvania

The Medical-Scientific Advisory Council (MSAC) is composed of thought leaders from multiple medical specialty areas related to lupus, including adult and pediatric rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and epidemiology. The Council plays a critical role for the Foundation, advancing the science and medicine of lupus not only through work in research and advocacy, but also by supporting professional and patient education efforts, conducting peer-review of our funding opportunities, and developing evidence-based research programs that address urgent and unmet needs. Each MSAC member serves on one of the three sub-committees listed below. Learn more about the subcommittee roles.

Grant Review Subcommittee

Cynthia Aranow, MD

Professor of Medicine, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research | Read Bio

Christie M. Bartels MD, MS

Assistant Professor Department of Medicine Rheumatology Division, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine & Public Health

Bonnie Bermas, MD

Professor of Internal Medicine, Rheumatic Disease Division, Dr. Morris Ziff Distinguished Professorship in Rheumatology | Read Bio

May Choi, MD, FRCPC

Gary S. Gilkeson Lupus Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Rheumatology Assistant Professor, Cumming School of Medicine | Read Bio

Cristina Drenkard, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Emory School of Medicine | Read Bio

Candace Feldman, MD, MPH, ScD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Read Bio

Andrew G. Franks Jr., MD, FACP, FAAD, FACR

Director, Autoimmune Skin Institute of New York at GPD; Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology & Medicine (Rheumatology), NYU School of Medicine | Read Bio

Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, M.D., Dr. P.H.

Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology; Research Professor, Solovy Arthritis Research Society Professor of Medicine Medical Director, Clinical Research Unit | Read Bio

F. Jorge Sanchez-Guerrero, MD, MS

Professor of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto

Diane Kamen, MD, MSCR

Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina | Read Bio

Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE

Physician, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Associate Scientist, SickKids Research Institute; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Toronto | Read Bio

Zihai Li, MD, PhD

Klotz Memorial Chair in Cancer, Research Professor and Founding Director, Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology | Read Bio

Chandra Mohan, MD, PhD

Hugh Roy & Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston | Read Bio

Timothy Niewold, MD, FACR

Vice Chair of Medicine for Research, Hospital for Special Surgery | Read Bio

Brad Rovin, MD

Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Ohio State University; Director, Division of Nephrology Director, GN Fellowship Program | Read Bio

Zahi Touma, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto; Clinician Scientist, Krembil Research Institute | Read Bio

Betty P. Tsao, PhD

Prof.; Richard M. Silver Endowed Chair for Inflammation Research, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology | Read Bio

George C. Tsokos, MD

Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Chief, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Read Bio

Research and Standards Subcommittee

Isabelle Ayoub, MD, FASN

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Ohio State University | Read Bio

Ashira D. Blazer, MD, MSCI

| Read Bio

Cassandra Dolecki, Pharm.D., BCACP, TTS

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Autoimmunity Institute, Allegheny Health Network | Read Bio

Jennifer M. Grossman, MD

Clinical Professor of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles

Judith A. James, MD, PhD

VP, Clinical Affairs Chair, Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program; Lou Kerr Chair, Biomedical Research, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation | Read Bio

Mariana J. Kaplan, MD

Sr. Investigator and Chief, Systemic Autoimmunity Branch; Acting Dir., Lupus Clinical Trials Unit, NIAMS/NIH

Mimi Kim, MS, ScD

Prof. and Head, Division of Biostatistics, Dept. of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine | Read Bio

Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMS

Assoc. Prof. of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School; Vice Chair, Clinical Trials and Innovation, Dept. of Dermatology; Dir., Clinical Unit for Research Innovation and Trials (CUReIT); Dir., Center for Skin and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases | Read Bio

Ignacio Sanz, MD

Professor, Department of Medicine; Division Director, Division of Rheumatology; Eminent Scholar, Georgia Research Alliance | Read Bio

Laura E. Schanberg, MD

Prof. of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center; Co-Chair, Childhood Arthritis & Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry & Research Committee; Co-PI, CARRA Registry

Saira Z Sheikh, MD

Linda Coley Sewell Distinguished Professor of Medicine; Director, UNC Rheumatology Lupus Clinic; Director, Clinical Trials Program, UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center | Read Bio

Victoria P. Werth, MS, MD

Professor of Dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania | Read Bio

Government Relations and Advocacy Subcommittee

Stacy Ardoin, MD, MS

Associate Professor Clinical Medicine - Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology, Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital | Read Bio

Anca D. Askanase, MD, MPH

Dir., Columbia University Lupus Center; Assoc. Prof. of Medicine, Columbia University | Read Bio

S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine, Emory University; Chief of Service, Grady Memorial Hospital | Read Bio

The day-to-day affairs of the Foundation are led by a management team that possess years of experience in all aspects nonprofit organization operations.

Stevan W. Gibson

President & CEO | Read Bio

Sandra C. Raymond

Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Advisor | Read Bio

Susan M. Manzi, MD, MPH

Immediate Past Chair, Medical Director | Read Bio

Joan T. Merrill, MD

Professor of Medicine, Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center | Read Bio

Julie Tune

Chief Financial Officer

Mary T. Crimmings

Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Jeanine Smith

Vice President, Network Development

Patrick Wildman

Vice President, Advocacy & Government Relations

Leigh Ann Cardenas

Vice President, Individual Giving and Donor Stewardship

Mike Donnelly

Vice President, Communications