# Environmental Determinants of Lupus among African Americans

> **NIH NIH K24** · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · 2020 · $172,407

## Abstract

Project Description
Dr. Kamen has devoted her career to conducting patient-oriented research in rheumatology with a focus on
lupus and to mentoring the next generation of clinical investigators. Starting in residency, she has made
continuous progress toward her goal of uncovering the natural history of autoimmune disorders in order to
design preventive and therapeutic strategies around identified risk factors. While conducting highly
interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects she has mentored 48 students, post-doctoral trainees and
junior faculty. Dr. Kamen teaches medical students and residents as the co-Director of the Rheumatology
Curriculum and oversees the clinical research operations as Director of Clinical Research for the Division of
Rheumatology. Her dedication and track record for teaching and research mentoring were recognized in 2011
when she received the MUSC Developing Scholar Award and in 2012 when she received the Mary Betty
Stevens Young Investigator Prize from the Lupus Foundation of America. This K24 Midcareer Investigator
Award would ensure continued protected time for Dr. Kamen's research and mentoring.
The proposed research project titled “Environmental Determinants of Lupus among African Americans”
includes new aims which build upon ongoing work. This project explores the role of gut microbiota in the
development of lupus-related autoimmunity. The proposed research has the strong support of the Sea Island
Gullah African American community, with whom we have an established ongoing longitudinal cohort and a
community-academic partnership. Participants for the proposed research project will be recruited from the
existing ongoing longitudinal SLE in Gullah Health (SLEIGH) study to take advantage of genetic and clinical
data already collected since the study's inception in 2003. Dr. Kamen's investigations have been continuously
NIH funded, including a 5-year K23 Career Development Award from NIAMS that led to a 4-year R21 from
NIEHS and a 5-year P60 project from NIAMS under Dr. Kamen's leadership. The vast amount of accumulated
past exposure data, wealth of existing stored biospecimens, and enthusiasm from study participants to take
part in a study of an autoimmune disease common in their community, present a unique opportunity to address
the role of the gut microbiota in the development of autoimmunity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9991745
- **Project number:** 5K24AR068406-05
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
- **Principal Investigator:** DIANE L KAMEN
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $172,407
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-19 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9991745

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9991745, Environmental Determinants of Lupus among African Americans (5K24AR068406-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9991745. Licensed CC0.

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