Diana Dou, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University
NIAMS K99/R00 Fellow
Early-stage investigators often start their careers with dreams of contributing to a groundbreaking research discovery. It often can take decades to achieve a scientific breakthrough that changes our understanding of human disease. For NIAMS grantee Dr. Diana Dou of Stanford University, uncovering clues to a long-standing mystery about autoimmune diseases happened sooner in her career than expected.
Dou holds a NIAMS K99 grant, which is a research career award uniquely designed to facilitate the transition of outstanding postdoctoral candidates from mentored to independent research positions. She is the first author on a paper that offers new insight as to why most people with autoimmune diseases are women. In a new video series, Dr. Dou discusses her career path, the importance of NIH funding for cutting-edge research, and the research findings that could change our approach to diagnosing and treating autoimmune diseases.