# Determinants of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $177,120

## Abstract

Project Summary
This career development award will support the professional advancement of Dr. Cheilonda
Johnson a full-time junior clinical investigator at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Johnson
proposes to identify genetic and clinical determinants of inflammatory myopathy associated
interstitial lung disease (IIM-ILD). IM-ILD is a rare highly morbid condition that disproportionately
affects African Americans. Unfortunately, the rarity IIM and heterogeneity of IIM-ILD has limited
adequately powered clinical studies of IIM-ILD risk factors and long-term outcomes. Johns
Hopkins is the ideal environment to complete this proposal. Dr. Johnson and her team have
access to a large existing database of HLA typing in European Americans and African
Americans from the NIH in addition to a large highly characterized cohort of European American
and African American patients from the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center and University of
Chicago Interstitial Lung Disease Program. She plans to explore how HLA class I and II
associations in IIM-ILD, racial/ethnic background, and myositis specific autoantibodies influence
clinical phenotypes and outcomes in IIM-ILD. Dr. Johnson has received excellent training to
date but requires additional skills to complete the current proposal and achieve her ultimate
career goal to become an expert clinical epidemiologist focusing on racial disparities and
disease variation in autoimmune associated interstitial lung disease. This includes (1) additional
experience in the design and analysis of genetic association studies, (2) the establishment of
more clinical expertise in the care of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and related
interstitial lung disease, and (3) training in the evaluation of complex disease variation based on
race/ethnicity. She has partnered with an excellent group of senior clinical scientists who will
oversee the conduct of her research and training plan. In summary, this Mentored Career
Development Award to Promote Faculty Diversity in Biomedical Research (K01) will support Dr.
Cheilonda Johnson an emerging junior clinical investigator working to improve the clinical care
of those with autoimmune associated interstitial lung disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10133713
- **Project number:** 5K01HL135459-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Cheilonda Johnson
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $177,120
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-01-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10133713

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10133713, Determinants of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (5K01HL135459-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10133713. Licensed CC0.

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