Meet our Fellows
Vasculitis Fellows
In just a few short years, VCRC-VF Fellowships have provided advanced training to over 25 physician-researchers. Each year new fellows are added to this total; increasing the number of highly qualified physicians and researchers who can diagnose, treat, and improve the lives of people living with vasculitis.
2024-2025 VCRC-VF Fellows
2024–2025
Sam Falde, MD
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
Fellowship Focus:
Improving treatment outcomes by refining classification criteria for ANCA-associated vasculitis.
2024–2025
Ruoning Ni, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio
Fellowship Focus:
Gaining skills, experience, and expertise to guide her in opening a vasculitis center in Iowa.
2022-2024 VCRC-VF Fellows
2023–2024
Mats Junek, MD, MSc
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Research Interests:
Building clinical models that predict relapse risk. This will help patients and doctors create treatment plans that balance relapse risk with medication side effects.
2023–2024
Roger Yang, MD
Penn Vasculitis Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Interests:
Developing effective sinonasal treatments for Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA) and immunomodulatory therapies for Relapsing Polychondritis.
2022–2023
Mohanad M. Elfishawi, MBBCh, MS
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
Research Interests:
Investigating metabolic risk factors for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and predicting patients’ risk of developing an aortic aneurysm or dissection (when a tear occurs in the inner layer of the aorta).
2022–2023
Marta Casal Moura, MD, MSc, MSPH
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
Research Interests:
Identifying which Anca-Associated Vasculitis (AAV) glomerulonephritis—kidney inflammation—patients respond to plasma exchange and finding relapse predictors in Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA).
2022–2023
Gözde Kübra Yardimci, MD
Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Ontario
Cleveland, Ohio
Research Interests:
Preventing severe ischemic events (lack of blood flow to organs and/or tissue) in Takayasu arteritis and Behçet’s syndrome.
Jessica Bloom, MD
University of Colorado-Denver
2021–2022
Kinanah Yaseen, MD
Cleveland Clinic
2020–2021
Stephanie Garner, MD
McMaster University
2019–2020
Sebastian E. Sattui, MD
Hospital for Special Surgery
2019–2020
Alvise Berti, MD
Santa Chiara Hospital
2019–2020
Kevin Byram, MD
Cleveland Clinic Center for Vasculitis Care and Research
2017–2018
Kaitlin Quinn, MD
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
2017–2018
Jennifer Rodrigues, MD
McMaster University
2016–2017
Amy Archer, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
2016–2017
Medha Soowamber, MD
University of Toronto
2015–2016
Natasha Dehghan, MD
University of Pennsylvania
2014–2015
Rennie Rhee, MD, MSCE
University of Pennsylvania
2014–2016
Elizabeth Brant, MD
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2012–2014
Christian Pagnoux, MD, MPA
University of Toronto
2010–2012
Tanaz Kermani, MD, MS
Mayo Clinic 2010–2011
Atul Khasnis, MD, MS
Cleveland Clinic
2009–2010
Eamonn Molloy, MD, MS, MRCPI
Cleveland Clinic
2007–2008
Peter Grayson, MD, MS
Boston University
2006–2008
Francisco Silva, MD, MS
Mayo Clinic
2006–2008
Gunnar Tomasson, MD, PhD
Boston University
2006–2008
Alicia Rodríguez-Pla, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins
2005–2007
Alfred D. Mahr, MD, MPH, PhD
Boston University
2005–2007
Curry Koening, MD, MS
Cleveland Clinic
2005–2007