# Impact of ANCA Type and Rituximab vs. Cyclophosphamide on Cardiovascular Risk, Mortality, and Quality-Adjusted Life Years inANCA-Associated Vasculitis

> **NIH NIH K23** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $178,380

## Abstract

Candidate: Zachary S. Wallace, MD is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and an
Assistant in Medicine in the Rheumatology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). After his
undergraduate degree in History from Cornell University, he received his MD at Georgetown University. He
completed his medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship at MGH, during which Dr. Wallace began
working with Hyon Choi, MD, DrPH. Dr. Wallace conducts patient-oriented research of multi-system rheumatic
conditions, especially ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), which has resulted in 20 peer-reviewed original
papers, with 10 as the first author and 6 in Arthr Rheum and Ann Rheum Dis. Dr. Wallace is completing his
Master of Science in Epidemiology at Harvard University. His goal is to become an independent investigator
and world-class leader in patient-oriented research of AAV and multi-system rheumatic conditions.
Mentorship, Training Activities, and Environment: Dr. Wallace will conduct the proposed project at MGH
under the mentorship of Hyon Choi, MD, DrPH and co-mentorship of John Stone, MD, MPH and Rochelle
Walensky, MD, MPH. Dr. Choi is a world-renowned, NIH-funded physician scientist in advanced clinical
epidemiology of rheumatic conditions, ranging from common disorders to rare but serious disorders (e.g.,
AAV). He has severed as a mentor for several prior K awardees. Dr. Stone is a clinical investigator and expert
in AAV who has led landmark trials in AAV and other vasculitides. Dr. Walensky is an expert in decision
science, simulation modeling, and cost-effectiveness analysis. Dr. Wallace' research will also benefit from the
specific expertise of his key collaborators, including covariate definition algorithms, lipid analysis, quality of life
measures, and external validation. To complement the expertise of his mentors, he will acquire new skills
through didactics on advanced clinical epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, and simulation modeling.
Research: Despite advances in AAV care, it continues to carry a 4-fold higher risk of cardiovascular disease
(CVD), a 2-fold higher risk of death, and a significant quality-of-life impairment compared to the general
population. The central goal of this research is to improve long-term AAV outcomes by determining the impact
of key potential predictors such as ANCA types and initial treatment choice (rituximab (RTX) & cyclo-
phosphamide (CYC)) on CVD risk, mortality, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). To achieve this goal, he
will examine the impact of ANCA type and initial treatment choice on CVD and mortality in a large longitudinal
AAV cohort using validated algorithms to assess covariates in electronic medical records (Aims 1& 2). He will
also study the effect of RTX and CYC on lipid profiles using frozen samples from a randomized trial (Aim 2).
Finally, he will project QALYs associated with initial induction therapy choice and ANCA type in a simulation
model (Aim 3). Completion of this pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9886161
- **Project number:** 5K23AR073334-03
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Zachary Scott Wallace
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $178,380
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9886161

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9886161, Impact of ANCA Type and Rituximab vs. Cyclophosphamide on Cardiovascular Risk, Mortality, and Quality-Adjusted Life Years inANCA-Associated Vasculitis (5K23AR073334-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9886161. Licensed CC0.

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