Miriam Shelef, MD, PHD

Education

• Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, New York – MD, PhD (immunology) in the Medical Scientist Training Program
• University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison, Wisconsin – Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Rheumatology (American Board of Internal Medicine’s Research Pathway)

Professional Activities

Dr. Shelef is a faculty member in the Division of Rheumatology within the Department of Medicine. She is the founder and director of the UW Rheumatology Biorepository, which contains over 700 biological samples with extensive clinical data that supports research performed by faculty throughout the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. She is actively involved in education, serving on the MD/PhD Admissions Committee and as the founder and director of the UW Rheumatology Research Seminar Series. As a nationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Shelef is a reviewer for the Rheumatology Research Foundation and is a Co-chair of the Rheumatoid Arthritis – Animal Models section for the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting. Dr. Shelef is a recipient of the UW Health Patient and Family Experience Provider Champion Award for her outstanding clinical care.

Clinical Specialties

Dr. Shelef’s clinical interests include rheumatoid arthritis and systemic autoimmune disorders, and she cares for patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Because of her comprehensive and scientific approach, Dr. Shelef is often specifically requested by UW colleagues as well as non-UW providers throughout Wisconsin and Illinois who are referring their patients for rheumatology care.

Research

View Dr. Miriam Shelef’s publications on NCBI My Bibliography

Dr. Shelef leads a basic translational research program focused on solving the mysteries of how and why systemic autoimmunity develops and persists in order to guide the discovery of better clinical tests and improved treatments. To this end, there are currently two major research directions in her lab. First, her research group aims to define the role of citrullination and the citrullinating peptidylarginine deiminase enzymes in immunity, inflammation, and arthritis. Second, her research team uses traditional methodology and cutting-edge high density array technology with innovative statistical methods to discover new autoantibody targets as well as novel features of antibody and autoantibody reactivity in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other autoimmune diseases. Her research is and has been supported by the Rheumatology Research Foundation, the NIH NIAMS, the Wisconsin Partnership Program, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, and the University of Wisconsin.