Speaker

Talk: Advancing Research on Autoimmune Lung Disease through the Study of Sex and Gender

Dr. Elizabeth Volkmann, is the Director of the UCLA Scleroderma Program and the founder and Co-Director of the UCLA Connective Tissue Disease-Related Interstitial Lung Disease (CTD-ILD) Program. Dr. Volkmann is an active clinical and translational researcher in systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung disease. Her research focuses on developing personalized treatment approaches for patients through the discovery of novel biomarkers. She pioneered the first study to investigate the gut microbiome in patients with systemic sclerosis and now leads an international consortium of investigators dedicated to understanding how the gut microbiome contributes to inflammation and clinical symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis. She also participates in clinical trials to help identify new therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases. She strives to provide humanistic and compassionate care and seeks to empower her patients to improve their health through traditional, as well as more holistic approaches.