Two physician-scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are among the top rheumatology researchers in the country, according to a new list resulting from a comprehensive study.
Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., and Matlock Jeffries, M.D., rank among the top 3% of the nation’s research-focused rheumatologists, according to Avant-garde Health, a healthcare analytics company born out of research at Harvard Business School.
James and Jeffries are two of the three Oklahoma rheumatologists named to the Avant-garde Health list, which included 364 rheumatologists nationwide. The awards are based on the quantity and quality of physicians’ published research.
The list matters, according to Avant-garde, because “cultivating research excellence directly enhances institutional reputation, attracts top-tier talent, and most importantly, leads to better patient care and outcomes.”
In addition to treating patients and leading OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Rheumatology Research Program, James also serves as the foundation’s executive vice president and chief medical officer. In 2023, she became the first woman from an Oklahoma institution elected to the National Academy of Medicine. She also is a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and was the first graduate of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s M.D./Ph.D. program.
Jeffries is director of OMRF’s Arthritis Research Center and sees patients with knee and hand osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. His lab studies the connection between arthritis and our gut microbiome, which is composed of trillions of bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our digestive system.
