December 8, 2015
Photo of Dr. Kaplan.
Credit Dr. Mariana Kaplan

Mariana Kaplan, M.D., Chief of the Systemic Autoimmunity Branch in the NIAMS Intramural Research Program (IRP), received the Evelyn V. Hess Award from the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) for her outstanding contributions to the field of lupus research. Dr. Kaplan accepted the award at an LFA reception that coincided with the 2015 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual meeting in San Francisco.

Dr. Kaplan’s research focuses on the mechanisms leading to autoimmunity and organ damage in lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Her work has uncovered insights related to the role of the innate immune system in the development of premature atherosclerosis in lupus, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in people with the disease. She is currently investigating the role of abnormal neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in systemic autoimmunity.

Dr. Kaplan obtained her medical degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, followed by a residency in internal medicine at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico City. She completed her rheumatology fellowship and postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan, where she was a member of the faculty for 15 years before joining the NIAMS IRP in 2013.

Dr. Kaplan has published more than 116 peer-reviewed papers in rheumatology and immunology, and has served on a number of editorial boards. She is a fellow of the ACR and was awarded the ACR’s Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award in 2010. In 2011, she was selected to present the Edmund L. Dubois Memorial Lectureship at the ACR’s annual meeting, an honor conferred upon an outstanding young investigator in the field of lupus. Dr. Kaplan is a member of the American Association of Immunologists and the Henry Kunkel Society, and an elected member in the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

The mission of the NIAMS, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health, is to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. For more information about the NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877) 22-NIAMS (free call) or visit the NIAMS website at https://www.niams.nih.gov.

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