Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has been selected to present at the world’s largest interdisciplinary science forum this weekend.
As one of four speakers on an international panel, James will present the latest scientific data on “Predicting Autoimmune Disease” at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco on Feb. 17. The meeting includes 181 symposia on research topics and policy issues in healthcare, energy, the environment and other contemporary topics.
James will speak about advances in predicting autoimmune diseases—conditions in which the body turns the weapons of its immune system against itself. These diseases, which include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes and nearly 80 other conditions, affect 5 to 8 percent of the U.S. population and are responsible tens of billions of dollars in annual medical bills.
“This is an honor, as well as an opportunity to talk about the exciting advances being made in the prediction of lupus and other autoimmune diseases,” said James, who holds the Lou C. Kerr Chair in Biomedical Research at OMRF. James’ work on predicting lupus was cited in the February issue of Scientific American, and she co-authored a groundbreaking study on the topic that appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine.
A native Oklahoman, James hails from Pond Creek and has been a member of OMRF’s scientific staff since 1994. She earned her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oklahoma.
“I always look forward to representing OMRF and Oklahoma at scientific forums,” said James. “It’s a wonderful way to share our research about lupus with scientists in the national and international communities.”
About OMRF:
Chartered in 1946, OMRF (www.omrf.org) is one of the nation’s oldest, most respected biomedical research institutes. Dedicated to understanding and curing human disease, the nonprofit institute focuses on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease. It is home to Oklahoma’s only member of the National Academy of Sciences.
