Our Leadership
Joseph Arnold
Board Chair
Susan M. Manzi, MD, MPH
Medical Director
Mary T. Crimmings
Interim CEO; Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
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
The Board determines the Foundation's mission and strategic direction, sets policies, monitors progress toward goals, and provides oversight and accountability.
Officers
Directors
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
Susan M. Manzi, MD, MPH
Tim Nolan
Director – New York
Amy Ondr
Council of Chapter Professional Staff Representative
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
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
Candace Feldman, MD, MPH, ScD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital | 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
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
Ashira D. Blazer, MD, MSCI
| Read Bio
Cassandra Dolecki, Pharm.D., BCACP, TTS
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
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
S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH
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.
Mary T. Crimmings
Interim CEO; Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Sandra C. Raymond
Susan M. Manzi, MD, MPH
Joan T. Merrill, MD
Julie Tune
Chief Financial Officer
Mary T. Crimmings
Interim CEO; Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Jeanine Smith
Senior Vice President, Network Development
Patrick Wildman
Senior Vice President, Advocacy & Government Relations
Leigh Ann Cardenas
Senior Vice President, Individual Giving and Donor Stewardship
Mike Donnelly
Vice President, Communications