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Lupus Blog & Current Events

Join our discussion as we discover more about lupus!

2024 Annual Lupus Symposium

Posted On: May 24 2024

UMass Chan faculty and students at the annual Lupus Symposium

The Lupus Symposium held on May 9th brought together leading experts, researchers, and patients to discuss the latest advancements in lupus research and treatment. 

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Functional Nutrition

Posted On: May 31 2023

An interview with Jennifer Crossman, Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC)

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Food for Thought: Does the food we eat impact lupus?

Posted On: May 28 2023

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own tissues. In this fight against itself, the body makes immune complexes that deposit in various places, such as the joints, kidney, skin, and brain. Over time, patients with SLE can experience symptoms related to damage of affected organs, such as kidney failure and heart attack. 

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Sleep disturbances in lupus

Posted On: Sep 15 2022

Created with Biorender.com

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease where the immune system starts attacking its own tissues. Currently, there are no known causes or cures for the disease, just treatments to manage lupus. Symptoms of lupus include skin rash, fever, pain/swelling in joints, etc. Recently, studies have also identified sleep disturbance as one of the more common symptoms, occurring in around 50%-80% of people living with SLE.

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Are COVID-19 vaccines and boosters effective if I have lupus?

Posted On: Aug 12 2022

Are COVID-19 vaccines and boosters effective if I have lupus?

Created with Biorender.com

As COVID-19 restrictions lift around the world, cases continue to be high. According to the CDC, there are about ~120,000 new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reported each day, and these reports are severely undercounted1. With the rise of new variants and colder weather on the horizon, you might be wondering what you can do to stay healthy.

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Interview with Danny Kwong and Fatima Qutab

Posted On: Jan 26 2022

Read about our newest undergraduate researchers working to solve autoimmunity!

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Interview with LupusChat Board

Posted On: May 31 2021

Happy Lupus Awareness Month! I had the pleasure of interviewing the LupusChat Executive Board. LupusChat is a global health organization based in New York City, founded in 2012 by Tiffany Marie Peterson. The mission of LupusChat is to "improve the quality of life for all those impacted by lupus, chronic, autoimmune, and rheumatic diseases."

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Interview with Ruth Wilson

Posted On: May 03 2021

Interview with Ruth Wilson

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ruth Wilson, a lupus patient and research associate studying lupus in the Fitzgerald Lab at UMass Chan Medical School. Ruth is very passionate about lupus research. She recently worked with the MA Governor's office to have May officially declared Lupus Awareness Month in our state! Go Ruth!

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Skin Lupus in Dogs

Posted On: Apr 08 2021

Did you know that man's best friend can also develop lupus?

We collaborated with veterinarians at Tufts Cummings School to examine leftover material from skin biopsies taken to diagnose cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE; lupus skin rash) in pet dogs to better understand what drives disease in both human and veterinary patients.

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Interview with Janice Lagace, Deb White & Paul Newton

Posted On: Jul 27 2020

Interview with Janice Lagacé, Deborah White & Paul Newton

For the month of July, we will be featuring the people of UMass who support our research. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Janice Lagacé, Deborah White & Paul Newton. Janice is the Associate Director of Research Funding Services, and she signs off on all my grant submissions on behalf of the university. Deb and Paul are Grant & Contract Specialists, and they help with my pre- and post-award budgeting/financials. We have worked together for many years, and Janice, Deb and Paul are awesome at what they do! They help so much with the financial portion of my research proposals, not to mention the research of many other investigators at UMass. Get to know them here!

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Interview w Laura Lajoie & Celia Hartigan

Posted On: Jul 17 2020

Interview with Laura Lajoie & Celia Hartigan

For the month of July, we will be featuring the people of UMass who support our research. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Lajoie and Celia Hartigan. Laura and Celia work in our Dermatology Department and play critical support roles for our projects. Laura is the Director of the Skin Diseases Research Core, and Celia is a Research Nurse Manager who helps us with our human research studies. We have worked together for many years, during which we've become good friends. Laura and Celia are some of the hardest workers I know, and they always go above and beyond to help us. Get to know them here!

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Interview with Martha Rios & Mariela Martinez

Posted On: Jul 10 2020

Interview with Martha Rios & Mariela Martinez

For the month of July, we will be featuring the people of UMass who support our research. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Martha Rios and Mariela Martinez. Martha and Mariela work for our Environmental Building Services (EBS) department as custodians on our floor. We have worked together for about 6 years, during which we've become good friends. Martha and Mariela are some of the hardest workers I know, and they always go above and beyond to help us. Get to know them here!

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Interview with Madelyn Rivera

Posted On: Jul 01 2020

Interview with Madelyn Rivera

For the month of July, we will be featuring the people of UMass who support our research. For my first interview, I had the pleasure of interviewing Madelyn Rivera. Maddy works in our research core facility as an Animal Care Technician. Maddy always goes above and beyond to help us, and she does everything with a smile and a positive outlook on life. Get to know her here!

 

 

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Interview with Kerstin Nundel

Posted On: Jun 18 2020

Interview with Dr. Kerstin Nundel

Meet our research team member Dr. Kerstin Nundel. Kerstin's lab studies how B cells, a type of white blood cell, become activated against the body's own tissues and cause lupus.

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Interview with the LRA Research Team

Posted On: May 28 2020

Ms. Diomaris Gonzalez, Dr. Shayla Shorter and Dr. Teodora Staeva of the Lupus Research Alliance.

Happy Lupus Awareness Month!

I had the pleasure of interviewing the Research Team at the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA), including Dr. Shayla Shorter, Ms. Diomaris Gonzalez, and Dr. Teodora (Teo) Staeva. I have had the opportunity to work with all three as one of six recipients of an LRA grant at UMass. The LRA is the world’s leading private funder of lupus research in the world.  These three are great role models for women in science and advocacy, and it was wonderful to hear their insights into what the LRA is accomplishing and their visions for the future of lupus.

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