Lindsay Kelmenson, MD
Instructor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Colorado (UC), Aurora, Colo.
Background: Dr. Kelmenson was born and raised in Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine, where she got the bug for rheumatology. “I chose to be a rheumatologist because of the wide spectrum of diseases and patients we treat,” she says. “[Plus] the rewarding patient–doctor relationships we build over time.”
She completed residency training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. There, she worked with rheumatologist Katherine Liao, MD, MPH, on the association of secondary Sjögren’s syndrome and joint damage in RA. She completed her rheumatology fellowship at UC, currently is an instructor of medicine at UC and is pursuing her Master of Science in clinical science.
Under the mentorship of UC rheumatologist Kevin Deane, MD, she focuses her research on RA and Sjögren’s syndrome, and advancing the field of preclinical RA. “Specifically, the factors that influence autoantibody development in individuals at risk for these autoimmune diseases,” she says.
She’s especially interested in the development of RA-related antibodies at mucosal sites, including the lung and periodontium. Using samples from the Lung Tissue Research Consortium, she examined the presence of ectopic lymphoid tissue and RA-related Abs in the lungs of RA and non-RA patients with interstitial lung disease.
Among her many honors from the ACR and Rheumatology Research Foundation, she has earned the Medical & Pediatric Resident Research Award (2013) and the Scientist Development Award (2016–2018), which currently funds her two-year, cross-sectional study of periodontal disease in RA.
‘Rheumatology is a gratifying field with many career paths. Fellowship is the time to explore the best path for you.’ —Dr. Kelmenson
Q: What does it mean to you to be recognized as a distinguished fellow?
A: It’s a tremendous honor to receive this recognition for my clinical and research accomplishments. I’m grateful to current and past mentors for their commitment to education, and I will continue to value their guidance in my career going forward.
Q: What has the ACR meant to you as an early-career rheumatologist?
A: The ACR has been a huge support to me early in my career, including travel stipends, career development awards through the Rheumatology Research Foundation and networking at conferences.
Q: Any advice for the next generation of rheumatology fellows?
A: Rheumatology is a gratifying field with many career paths. Fellowship is the time to explore the best path for you. If you find what makes you happy in rheumatology, professional and personal success will follow.
