Dr. Kamen had a longstanding interest in the clinical treatment of and research in understanding the natural history of autoimmune disorders. Shortly after graduating from college at Northwestern University, she began working as the lupus research manager for Dr. Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, a rheumatologist at Northwestern University Medical School and leader in SLE epidemiologic research. Dr. Ramsey-Goldman was a wonderful role model and helped Dr. Kamen decide to become a physician and pursue rheumatology. In 1999, she graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and completed Internal Medicine residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. She was able to continue working in the field of SLE research during residency and was fortunate enough to join Dr. Gary Gilkeson’s SLE research team at a time when several exciting new ideas were being developed. Dr. Kamen has had the opportunity to be involved with a novel research idea looking at the prevalence, characteristics, and genetics of SLE within the Sea Island African American Gullah population. She completed a two-year Master of Science in the Clinical Research program, funded through an NIH K30 Clinical Research Curriculum Award and has completed a three-year rheumatology fellowship in June 2005. In July 2005, Dr. Kamen became an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Kamen feels her combination of clinical rheumatology training, clinical research experience, and formal didactic training will be invaluable to gain insights into the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for these diseases and improve the quality of life for patients with lupus. | 
