WEBINAR SERIES—Hormonal and Chromosomal Influences on Autoimmunity and Lupus

January 29, 2025
11 a.m. EST

Content Partner: Society for Women's Health Research

Autoimmune diseases affect over 8% of the United States population. A significant genetic component exists—autoimmune diseases tend to run in families. It’s also common for one person to have several different autoimmune conditions. One of the most salient characteristics of autoimmune diseases is that most predominantly affect women, which may be partly due to hormonal or chromosomal influences.

This presentation will focus on the historical and current understanding of hormonal and chromosomal influences on autoimmunity with particular attention to B cell selection and activation.

Speakers

Betty Diamond, MD
Professor and Director, Molecular Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Betty Diamond, MD, received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She performed a residency in internal medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology with Matthew Scharff, MD, at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is the director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Diamond’s research has focused on the induction and pathogenicity of anti-DNA antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. She has developed a research program on the immunomodulatory functions of the C1q antibody. Diamond has served on the Scientific Council of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Board of Directors of the American College of Rheumatology and is a past president of the American Association of Immunologists.

Melissa Cunningham, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Medicine, The Medical University of South Carolina

Melisa Cunningham, MD, PhD, was raised in “Chocolate Town, U.S.A.” (Hershey, Pennsylvania). She received her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in molecular medicine from Boston University. Cunningham earned her PhD and MD  at The Pennsylvania State University. She completed her internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship training at The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She joined the MUSC faculty in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, where she is an associate professor. Cunningham’s research interests lie in women’s health issues with a focus on sex bias in autoimmunity. Her basic science research focuses on the role of estrogen receptor alpha variants in modulating Toll-like receptor signaling and the inflammatory response in lupus.