Harvard Medical School
About the Webinar
This presentation illustrates how epidemiologic and patient-oriented research studies can further the understanding of etiology and outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a common chronic disease. Different study designs are needed to investigate different types of exposures and outcomes. This presentation discusses studies related to lifestyle factors, genetics, biomarkers, comorbid conditions for RA risk, and outcomes, focusing in particular on how inflammation in the lung may be a nidus for both RA onset and worsened clinical outcomes.
About Jeffery A. Sparks
Jeffrey A. Sparks, M.D., MMSc, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
He received his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas, and completed his residency in internal medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also has a Master of Medical Sciences degree in patient-oriented research from Harvard Medical School.
His research focuses on using patient-oriented and epidemiologic methods to evaluate the etiology, outcomes, and public health burden of RA. In particular, he performs studies to evaluate genetic, environmental, serologic, and familial risk factors for RA, clinical trials for RA prevention, and RA outcomes research focusing on the respiratory, metabolic, cardiovascular, and mortality burden of RA.
He has served as the chair of the American College of Rheumatology’s Early Career Investigators Subcommittee with a focus on equipping trainees and junior faculty with the skills needed to succeed in research. He has received research awards from the National Institutes of Health, the Rheumatology Research Foundation, and the Brigham Research Institute.