Dr. Salah Ahmed’s current research focus is on understanding the role of epigenetics and posttranslational mechanisms involved in inflammation and autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout. After completing his PhD in 2000, he pursued postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Orthopedics at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine and continued to conduct research as a research associate in the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases at CWRU. In 2005, he moved to the University of Michigan Medical School to work as a research-track faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology where he expanded his research interests by studying novel therapeutic approaches in the prevention and/or treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. He moved to the University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2009 as an assistant professor. In 2014, he joined the WSU College of Pharmacy and is now a full professor at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. His research lab is currently funded by the grants from the National Institutes of Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and in the recent past from the Arthritis Foundation and the Rheumatology Research Foundation, to investigate the role of epigenetics and posttranslational mechanisms and test new therapeutic approaches that lead to better and safer treatment options for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout.
Dr. Ahmed has published around 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers and he is currently a regular member of the American College of Rheumatology, the American Association of Immunologists, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. He also serves on several NIH peer-review study groups and is on the editorial board for Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders and Arthritis Research & Therapy.
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Christy first noticed her rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the age of 28. She had always been a very active person, playing basketball in middle school and soccer in high school and has always loved to hike, swim, and go to the gym. When she first noticed her RA, it was just a few months after the birth of her first child. She noticed it in both of her wrists. She figured it was carpel tunnel from holding the new baby so much, so she treated it accordingly. Two years later, she was pregnant with her second child and had no RA symptoms. But shortly after he was born, her RA symptoms reappeared in her wrists, hands, and feet. After she stopped breastfeeding, she found that she needed to take ibuprofen every day for her rheumatoid pain. She did that for about a year until she was pregnant with her third child. During these first few years of RA, her life didn’t change too much except for it becoming more difficult to open jars and her feet needed to rest more. However, after the birth of her third child, her symptoms came back and had spread. She did not want to keep taking ibuprofen every day because she knew that this would not be healthy for her body in the long-term. She started to read about autoimmune diseases and learned to change her diet and daily life patterns for the better. After adjusting her diet and learning to exercise in a way that would relieve her RA symptoms, Christy started to feel so much better and was able to stop taking any type of pain medication. Her symptoms are not completely gone, but she is pain free and is able to manage her RA through a healthy lifestyle!
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Liesel Marie Cox (Pronounced Lee- Zul) will be turning 5 soon, and has been planning for and anticipating her birthday since she turned 4. She loves school, her favorite color is purple, and she loves all things unicorns, princesses, mermaids or cats. She enjoys swimming lessons and wants to be a swimming teacher when she grows up. One accomplishment she is proud of is learning to ride a bike without training wheels at barely three years old.
About a year ago, Liesel started to wake up in pain and would limp down the hallway holding the wall for support. She never learned to run properly and instead when playing would “gallop.” Liesel’s pain increased and she could not walk for very long; instead utilizing a stroller, or on better days, her bike to get around. After several months of this, it was recommended that she see a rheumatologist.
At her initial rheumatology appointment, she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). She was also found to be ANA positive, and at the ophthalmologist was diagnosed with uveitis in both eyes. In weekly occupational therapy and physical therapy, with daily in-home programs, she is slowly regaining proper use of her knees and thumb. Through all the pain, medications and side effects, Liesel has been a trooper and her large-but-cute personality is why we still call her our “Love Bug.”
The family hopes that more doctors who work with children will learn about JIA, so that children can be diagnosed quickly for the soonest relief and best possible outcomes. They also hope Liesel’s story can help the field of pediatric rheumatology grow, as so many families have to travel tremendous distances to see one. They are thankful for this honor for their little “Love Bug” and ask that we all bring awareness to arthritis, especially JIA!
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