This career development award will support the professional advancement of Dr. Cheilonda Johnson a full-time junior clinical investigator at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Johnson proposes to identify genetic and clinical determinants of inflammatory myopathy associated interstitial lung disease (IIM-ILD). IM-ILD is a rare highly morbid condition that disproportionately affects African Americans. Unfortunately, the rarity IIM and heterogeneity of IIM-ILD has limited adequately powered clinical studies of IIM-ILD risk factors and long-term outcomes. Johns Hopkins is the ideal environment to complete this proposal. Dr. Johnson and her team have access to a large existing database of HLA typing in European Americans and African Americans from the NIH in addition to a large highly characterized cohort of European American and African American patients from the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center and University of Chicago Interstitial Lung Disease Program. She plans to explore how HLA class I and II associations in IIM-ILD, racial/ethnic background, and myositis specific autoantibodies influence clinical phenotypes and outcomes in IIM-ILD. Dr. Johnson has received excellent training to date but requires additional skills to complete the current proposal and achieve her ultimate career goal to become an expert clinical epidemiologist focusing on racial disparities and disease variation in autoimmune associated interstitial lung disease. This includes (1) additional experience in the design and analysis of genetic association studies, (2) the establishment of more clinical expertise in the care of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and related interstitial lung disease, and (3) training in the evaluation of complex disease variation based on race/ethnicity. She has partnered with an excellent group of senior clinical scientists who will oversee the conduct of her research and training plan. In summary, this Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Faculty Diversity in Biomedical Research (K01) will support Dr. Cheilonda Johnson an emerging junior clinical investigator working to improve the clinical care of those with autoimmune associated interstitial lung disease.
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy associated interstitial lung disease (IIM-ILD) is a significant cause of excess morbidity and mortality in patients with IIM. Accurate quantifiable measures that predict IIM-ILD development do not exist. This research will lead to a better understanding of why some patients with IIM develop ILD while others remain free of ILD.
