Our Team

Washington University

Co-Director

Atkinson-headshotJohn P. Atkinson, MD
Samuel B. Grant Professor of Medicine,
Molecular Microbiology, and Pathology and Immunology
Division of Rheumatology

Recipient of Washington University School of Medicine Distinguished Service Award and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Lifetime Achievement “Master Physician” Award

Dr. Atkinson’s research team initially discovered and named the disease cerebroretinal vasculopathy (CRV). The name has now been changed to retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL).

Co-Director

Jonathan Miner, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine,
Molecular Microbiology, and Pathology and Immunology
Division of Infectious Diseases
Miner Laboratory web site

Dr. Miner is rheumatologist and is leading our clinical trials in collaboration with the entire RVCL team.  The Miner laboratory is also defining molecular mechanisms of RVCL disease pathogenesis.

Andria Ford, MD, MSCI
Associate Professor in Neurology, Department of Neurology

Dr. Ford lparticipates in the clinical care of RVCL patients and leads multiple clinical research projects on RVCL.  She recently published a longitudinal study describing the progressive nature of RVCL in terms of cognitive function and brain imaging.

M. Gilbert Grand, MD
Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Kathy Liszewski
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology Division and Clinical Trials Coordinator

Dennis Hourcade, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology Division

Lynne Mitchell
Senior Scientist, Rheumatology Division

Xiaobo Wu, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology Division

Madonna Bogacki
Clinical Research Coordinator, Rheumatology Division

Lorraine Schwartz
Assistant Administrator RVCL Research Center, Rheumatology Division

USA Colleagues

Joanna Jen, MD, PhD
Senior Faculty Neurology, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York

Rennie Rhee, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Rheumatology, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Epidemiology in Biostatistics and Epidemiology
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nouri Neamati, PhD
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Michaela U. Gack, PhD
Scientific Director
Cleveland Clinic Florida Research & Innovation Center
Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Marcus Clark MD
Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Department of Medicine (Rheumatology)
Chicago, Illinois

Fotini Gounari PhD DSc
Associate Professor or Medicine
University of Chicago
Department of Medicine (Rheumatology)
Chicago, Illinois