Lupus Foundation of America expands medical-scientific staff

The Lupus Foundation of America announced the appointment of Joan T. Merrill, MD, as chief advisor of clinical development and Susan Manzi, MD, MPH, as its new medical director, according to a press release from the foundation.

Drug development will be Merrill’s focus, along with the development of a new instrument for use in clinical practice and clinical trials. An online training program for physicians engaged in clinical trials also will fall under her direction. Merrill is a professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma and is involved with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, where she founded a clinical pharmacology research program to study new biologic treatments that may play a role in the immune system.

“On behalf of the Lupus Foundation of America, Dr. Merrill has made enormous contributions to advancing the science and medicine of lupus having been our founding medical director for 12 years,” Sandra C. Raymond, president and chief executive officer of the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), said in the release. “We look forward to working with her in this new role.”

Manzi will address educational gaps and health care needs for patients with lupus, and focus on expanding educational materials and improving educational programs. Manzi also will represent the foundation regarding policies that affect the health and quality of life for patients with lupus. Manzi is chair of medicine at the Allegheny Health Network and co-founder and director of the Lupus Center for Excellence in Pittsburgh, Pa. She has served on the LFA’s board of directors for 9 years and is a member of the LFA’s Medical Scientific Advisory Committee.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Manzi will be serving as our next medical director, as she is widely recognized as a leader in lupus patient care and research and a pioneer in the scientific investigation of cardiovascular disease in people with lupus.”

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