Interview with Amr H Sawalha: epigenetics and autoimmunity

Amr H Sawalha is Professor of Internal Medicine and Marvin and Betty Danto Research Professor of Connective Tissue Research at the University of Michigan, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology. He also holds faculty appointments at the Center for Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics and the Graduate Program in Immunology at the University of Michigan. He was recently appointed as Guest Professor at Central South University in Changsha, China. He received his medical degree from Jordan University of Science and Technology and completed his residency training in internal medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and his fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Michigan. His research focus is the genetics and epigenetics of complex autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including lupus and systemic vasculitis. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and review articles, and is on the editorial board of several journals in his field. He has been elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and has received numerous awards, including the Edmund L Dubois, MD, Memorial Lectureship Award from the American College of Rheumatology in recognition for his work in lupus. He is Chair of the Lupus Foundation of America research subcommittee and is a member of the Vasculitis Foundation Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. He also provides clinical care and teaching in the rheumatology outpatient and inpatient services, and he is the director of the NIH-funded rheumatology training grant at the University of Michigan.