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Faculty Detail    
Name GRACIELA S ALARCON
 
Campus Address FOT 830 Zip 3408
Phone  (205) 934-3814
E-mail  galarcon@uab.edu
Other websites
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Med - Immunology/Rheumatology  Med - Immunology/Rheumatology Professor Emeritus
Center  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr Professor Emeritus
Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Professor Emeritus

Biographical Sketch 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHProvide the following information for the key personnel in the order listed for Form Page 2.Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FOUR PAGES. NAMEGraciela S. Alarcón POSITION TITLEProfessor of Medicine EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, and include postdoctoral training.) INSTITUTION AND LOCATION DEGREE(if applicable) YEAR(s) FIELD OF STUDY Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad NacionalMayor de San Marcos, Lima Perú 1961 Pre-Med Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú MD 1967 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD MPH 1972 A. Positions and Honors. Positions and Employment 1966-1967 Rotating Internship, Affiliated University Hospitals, Lima Perú 1967-1969 Straight Medicine Internship, Baltimore City Hospitals, Baltimore, MD 1969-1972 Fellowship, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 1972-1976 Assistant Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Perú 1976-1986 Associate Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Perú 1986-pres Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú 1980-1981 Fellowship, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 1981-1985 Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 1984-pres Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham 1985-1988 Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 1988-1997 Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 1997-2001 Jane Knight Lowe Professor of Medicine in Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 2001-present Jane Knight Lowe Chair of Medicine In Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham Other Experience and Professional Memberships 1972 Peruvian College of Physicians 1972 Peruvian Rheumatology Society, Past President 1980 American College of Rheumatology, Fellows, (formerly The American Rheumatism Association) 1980 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, Member 1984 American College of Physicians, Fellow 1984 Alabama Society of the Rheumatic Diseases, Past President 1985 – 1989 Arthritis & Rheumatism – Editorial Board Member and Associate Editor 1990 – 1996 American Board of Internal Medicine – Subspecialty Rheumatology, Board Member 1992 – 1996 FDA – Arthritis Advisory Committee Member 1998 – 2001 Bailliere’s Clinical Rheumatology Editorial Board Member 1997 – 2001 Arthritis & Rheumatism, Advisory Editor 2000 – present Journal of Rheumatology and Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, Editorial Board Member 2000 – 2003 Annals of Internal Medicine, Editorial Board Member 2001 – present American Journal of Medicine, Editorial Board Member Honors 1981 ARA Senior Rheumatology Scholar Award 1988 “Professor of the Year” – Mexican Society of Rheumatology 1997 Virginia Engalichteff Award for Impact on Quality of Life, Arthritis Foundation 2000 “Visiting Professor” – Argentinean Society of Rheumatology 2002 Peruvian Academy of Medicine, Member 2003 Outstanding Women Faculty, UAB B. SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (from a total of 341) 1. Reveille JD, Bartolucci A, Alarcón GS: Prognosis in systemic lupus erythematosus: Negative impact of young age at onset, black race and thrombocytopenia. Arthritis Rheum 1990;33:37-48. 2. Morgan SL, Baggott JE, Vaughn WH, Austin JS, Veitch TA, Lee JY, Koopman WJ, Krumdieck CL, Alarcón GS: Supplementation with folic acid during methotrexate therapy or rheumatoid arthritis: Results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Int Med 1994;1221:833-841. 3. Calvo-Alén J, Bastian HM, Burgard SL, Mikhail I, Bartolucci AA, Straaton KV, Alarcón GS: Identification of patient subsets of patients among those presumptively diagnosed with referred and/or followed up for systemic lupus erythematosus at a large tertiary care center. Arthritis Rheum 1995;38:1475-1484. 4. Reveille JR, Alarcón GS, Fowler SE, Heyse SP, Trentham DE, Neuner NE, Clegg DO, Leisen JCC, Cooper S, Mikhail I, Tutleman M, Pillemer SR, Tilley BC. HLA-DRB1 genes and disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 1996;39:1802-1807. 5. Reveille JD, Moulds JM, Ahn C, Freidman A, Baetghe B, Roseman J, Straaton K, Alarcón, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups. I: The effect of HLA-class II, C4 and CR1 alleles, socioeconomic factors and ethnicity on the onset of disease. Arthritis Rheum 1998;41:1161-1172. 6. Alarcón GS, Friedman AS, Straaton KV, Mould JM, Lisse J, Bastian HM, McGwin G, Bartolucci AA, Roseman JM, Reveille JD for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: III. A comparison of characteristics early in the natural history of the LUMINA cohort. LUPUS. 1999; 8:197-209. 7. Friedman AS, Alarcón GS, McGwin G, Straaton KV, Roseman J, Goel N, Reveille JD: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: IV. Factors associated with self-reported functional outcome in a large cohort study. Arthritis Care Res 1999;12:256-266. 8. Zonana-Nacach A, Alarcón GS, Roseman JM, Straaton KV, Burst N, Lisse J, Friedman AW, Moulds JM, Reveille JD, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups, VI: Fatigue and its relationship with ethnicity, disease activity, illness behaviors, helplessness, exercise and therapy. LUPUS 2000; 9:101-109. 9. Alarcón GS, McGwin G, Jr., Bastian HM, Roseman J, Lisse J, Fessler BJ, Friedman AW, Reveille JD for the LUMINA study group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups VII: Predictors of early mortality in the LUMINA cohort. Arthritis Rheum (Arthritis Care Res). 2001; 45:191-202 10. Alarcón GS, McGwin G, Jr., Bartolucci A, Roseman JM, Lisse J, Fessler B, Bastian HM, Friedman AW, Reveille JD, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups, the Lumina Study: IX. Differences in damage accrual. Arthritis Rheum, 2001; 44:2797-2806 11. Alarcón GS, Cianfrini L, Bradley L, Sanchez ML, Brook K, Friedman AW, Baethge BA, Fessler BJ, Bastian HM, Roseman J, McGwin G, Jr., Reveille JD, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: X. Measuring Cognitive impairment with the cognitive symptoms inventory. Arthritis Rheum (Arthritis Care Res). 2002; 47:310-319. 12. Alarcón GS, McGwin G, Jr., Brooks K, Roseman JM, Bastian HM, Fessler BJ, Sanchez ML, Friedman AW, Baethge BA, Reveille JD. Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: XI. Sources of discrepancy in perception of disease activity: A comparison of physician and patient visual analog scale scores. Arthritis Rheum (Arthritis Care Res), 2002; 47:408-413. 13. Friedman AW, Tew MB, Ahn C, McGwin G,Jr., Fessler BJ, Bastian HM, Baethge BA, Reveille JD, Alarcón GS for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: XV. Prevalence and correlates of fibromyalgia. Lupus 2003; 12:274-279. 14. Alarcón GS, Roseman JM, McGwin G, Jr., Uribe A, Bastian HM, Fessler BJ, Baethge BJ, Friedman AW, Reveille JD, for the LUMINA study group. Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: XX. Damage as predictor of further damage. Rheumatology. 2003;42:1-4. 15. Uribe AG, Alarcón GS. Ethnic Disparities in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Curr Rheumatol Rep 2003;5:364-369. 16. Vilá LM, Alarcón GS, McGwin G, Jr., Friedman AW, Baethge BA, Bastian HM, Fessler BJ, Reveille JD for the LUMINA Study Group. Early clinical manifestations, disease activity and damage of systemic lupus erythematosus among two distinct US Hispanic subpopulations. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2003; Nov 17 1-6.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
Southern Society for Clinical Investigation  Member   
Peruvian Rheumatology Association  Member   
Peruvian College of Physicians  Member   
Peruvian American Medical Society  Member   
Pan American League Against Rheumatism (PANLAR)  Chair, Selection Committee 2003 PANLAR-Merck Rheumatology Prize  http://www.panlar.net/ 
Colombian Society of Rheumatology  Member   
Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (formerly Arthritis Health Professionals Association)  Member   
American Federation for Clinical Research  Member   
American College of Rheumatology (formerly American Rheumatism Association)  Member  http://rheumatology.org 
American College of Physicians  Member   



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
ses and Evidence-Based Advances in Clinical PracticeTitle of your research project, if
Description
ntly are focused on prevention and outcomes research dedicated to the study of risk factors accounting for poor disease outcomes among patients with different rheumatic disorders, to the modification of these risk factors and to the implementation of evidence-based advances in clinical practice. Dr. Alarcón has a proven track record in health services research including longitudinal studies of outcome, randomized clinical trials and genetic risk profiling in RA and SLE. Two examples of ongoing studies are the LUMINA and PROFILE studies of SLE. In the LUMINA (LUpus in MInority populations NAture vs nurture) study, a multicentric effort has been undertaken to constitute a multi-ethnic cohort of SLE patients of Hispanic, African-American and Caucasian ethnicity, to determine the factors predictive of outcome A comprehensive database, which includes detailed socioeconomic-demographic, clinic, immunologic, immunogenetic, functional, psychological and behavioral variables, is being obtained and a serum and DNA repository secured. Process and end-point outcomes being examined include disease activity, damage, function, and mortality. The LUMINA cohort includes both “New” and “Established” cases of SLE and thus it is not an inception cohort. This rich longitudinal database is an invaluable resource for determining the many different factors that can affect the outcome of lupus among individuals from different ethnic groups. Dr. Fessler is a collaborator in the LUMINA study. Within the SCOR, Drs. Kimberly and Dr. Alarcón have in conjunction with investigators at other centers established another multi-ethnic, multicentric cohort of lupus patients; this cohort also is constituted by “New” and “Established” cases of SLE, however, Established cases may have up to 10 years of disease duration by the time they enter this cohort. The purpose of this cohort is to determine the genetic factors that may account for a given outcome in this disease, or to what extent the genetic profile of an individual explains the phenotype, hence this cohort has been named PROFILE. A DNA repository is being secured and, in order to obtain a replenishable DNA supply for all PROFILE patients, EBV inmortalization of cell lines is now performed at the UAB GCRC. As new genetic information, from SCOR investigators as well as from other centers, is developed and putative markers recognized, they can be examined in this cohort. The time at which renal involvement occurs in the course of the disease in SLE and is evolution over time is currently being examined in this cohort. As described below, Dr. Alarcon is involved in a number of studies and, most particularly, is collaborating with Dr. Bradley and other investigators in the comprehensive analysis of fibromyalgia. 500 words or less, detailing your

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Alarcón GS, Roseman J, Bartolucci A, Friedman AW, Moulds JM, Goel N, Straaton KV, Reveille JD, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: II. Features predictive of disease activity early in its course. Arthritis Rheum 41:1173-1180, 1998.  9663472 
Brooks K, Fessler BJ, Bastian HM, Alarcón GS: Sociocultural issues in clinical research: A rheumatological perspective. Arthritis Care Res. (In Press)  11324785 
Alarcón GS, Rodríguez JL, Benavides G, Jr., Brooks K, Kurusz H, Reveille JD, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: V. Acculturation, health-related attitudes and behaviors and disease activity in Hispanic patients from the LUMINA Cohort. Arthritis Care Res 12:267-274, 1999.  10689991 
Alarcón GS, Friedman AS, Straaton KV, Mould JM, Lisse J, Bastian HM, McGwin G, Jr., Bartolucci A, Roseman JM, Reveille JD for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: III. A comparison of characteristics early in the natural history of the LUMINA cohort. Lupus 1999; 8:197-209  10342712 
Reveille JD, Moulds JM, Ahn C, Friedman A, Baetghe B, Roseman J, Straaton K, Alarcón GS, for the LUMINA Study Group: Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: I. The effect of HLA-class II, C4 and CR1 alleles, socioeconomic factors and ethnicity on the onset of disease. Arthritis Rheum 41:1161-1172, 1998.   

Keywords
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia