During her productive career, Dr. Tsao’s insights have contributed to our understanding of the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She spent 30 years at the University of California Los Angeles and has retained professor emerita status there. Since 2015, she’s been at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where her laboratory, with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Lupus Research Alliance, is focused on the genetics and epigenetics of SLE.
In collaboration with MUSC colleagues Diane Leigh Kamen, MD, MSCR, professor of medicine, and James C. Oates, MD, director of the division of rheumatology, Dr. Tsao has been contributing to efforts to identify SLE biomarkers which will hopefully generate more targeted therapies.
“I’m trying to be more practical,” she says, “in order to shorten the timeframe to help patients.” She recalls two moments during her time at UCLA when she was devastated to learn of the early deaths of young women with lupus. In the face of this complex and devastating disease which cuts short young lives, she states, “We just have to work harder.”
Dr. Tsao’s work toward solving the enigma of lupus has extended beyond her research as well. A founding member of the International SLE Genetic Consortium, she believes she has benefitted from her time with organizations and with those who have put in time to volunteer. “Now, as ACR Journals Publication Committee chair, it’s my time to contribute,” she says.
Gretchen Henkel is a health and medical journalist based in California.
