Denise L. Faustman

professor, Harvard Medical School

Denise L. Faustman, MD, PhD, has worked in the field of autoimmunity for over 15 years and has made some of the key discoveries regarding the role of MHC Class I antigen presentation in immunity. Her earlier research achievements include introducing the concept of modifying antigens on donor tissues to prevent their rejection, a scientific accomplishment that is now in human clinical trials for diverse human diseases treatable with cellular transplants. In 2001, her lab reversed type 1 diabetes in mice with end stage disease, a project that is now being translated into human clinical trials. Her current research continues to focus on uncovering new treatments for type 1 diabetes, as well as searching for therapies for other autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's disease, lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Faustman is currently the director of the Immunobiology Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. After completing her internship, residency, and fellowships in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at the MGH, Dr. Faustman became an independent investigator at the MGH and Harvard Medical School in 1987.