Dr. Kraus’ team investigates the factors that impact the long-term success or failure of kidney transplants as well as barriers to nephrology care and transplants in minority populations. We research many topics dealing with kidney transplant rejection, including diagnostic criteria, infection risk and incompatibility factors. Our lab also has a longstanding interest in pancreas transplants and has conducted research to establish guidelines for diagnosing antibody-mediated rejection of pancreas allografts-updated Banff grading schema.

Research in the Lilly Engineer Lab examines the quality and safety of medical care, with a focus on rural and underserved communities. Our current research evaluates methods for improving immunization rates among inner-city populations of school-aged children. We are also exploring the effect of federal policy changes and health care market forces on rural hospitals in the United States.

Research in the Meredith McCormack Lab deals primarily with pulmonary diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the role of environmental exposures in lung diseases. We have researched the factors that contribute to inner-city asthma, with a focus on how particulate matter air pollution impacts pulmonary function. We are also part of the LIBERATE clinical study, which is focused on patients who experience difficulty breathing and have been diagnosed with severe emphysema. We also have a longstanding interest in the effects of race/ethnicity, poverty and urbanization on nutrition and food allergies.

Research in the Rasika Mathias Lab focuses on the genetics of asthma in people of African ancestry. Our work led to the first genomewide association study of its kind in 2009. Currently, we are analyzing the whole-genome sequence of more than 1,000 people of African ancestry from the Consortium on Asthma among African-ancestry Populations in the Americas (CAAPA). CAAPA’s goal is to use whole-genome sequencing to expand our understanding of how genetic variants affect asthma risk in populations of African ancestry and to provide a public catalog of genetic variation for the scientific community. We’re also involved in the study of coronary artery disease though the GeneSTAR Program, which aims to identify mechanisms of atherogenic vascular diseases and attendant comorbidities.

The Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People (ARRWIP) group was founded in 2017 by Dr. Carolyn Sufrin of Johns Hopkins Complex Family Planning Serivces. The goal of our research is to create opportunities to improve reproductive wellbeing for people affected by the criminal legal system – including making full-scope, compassionate reproductive health care accessible for people experiencing incarceration and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.

Research in the Cheryl Dennison Lab aims to improve cardiovascular care for high-risk groups through multidisciplinary and health information technology-based methods. Our studies focus on reducing system and provider obstacles to implementing cardiovascular guidelines in various health care environments. Additional research interests include chronic illness management, quality of care, interdisciplinary teamwork and provider behavior.

The Allan Gelber Lab conducts research on the clinical epidemiology of rheumatic disorders. Our recent studies have explored topics that include the predicting factors of prevalent and incident gout; cardiovascular disease burden and risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; autoantibodies in both primary and secondary SjogrenÕs syndrome; and predictors of outcomes in patients with scleroderma. In addition, we have a long-standing interest in the ways in which racial differences affect disease manifestations in relation to rheumatic disorders.

The Nae-Yuh Wang Lab concentrates on a wide range of multicenter studies and randomized controlled trials. Recent studies have focused on pediatric cochlear implantation and longitudinal data analysis. One recent study found that partnering with primary care providers to deliver weight loss programs may promote greater participant satisfaction and weight loss. Another active study is assessing the effectiveness of promising interventions to reduce race disparities in live donor kidney transplantation.

The Mathioudakis lab is focused on developing and evaluating clinical decision support systems, technology, and mHealth for diabetes prevention and management. Our lab leverages large electronic medical record databases and uses machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to identify patterns in clinical care associated with optimal clinical outcomes. We are interested in understanding the role that advanced diabetes technologies can play in improving health outcomes for patients with diabetes. Our lab has published extensively on outcomes related to diabetes prevention and diabetes management and outcomes. Based on data from our long-term (over 10 year) clinic-based prospective cohort study from the Johns Hopkins Multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot and Wound Clinic, we have published extensively on clinical predictors and outcomes of patients with diabetic foot ulcers, focusing specifically on the role that glycemic control plays in patients with this complication. Healthcare disparities exist throughout medicine, but are particularly prominent in diabetes; our lab has evaluated healthcare inequities in diabetes outcomes and is developing and evaluating strategies to overcome them. In addition to identify optimal management approach to diabetes and its complications, our lab is interested in development and evaluation of innovative technology approaches to diabetes prevention.