Peer Review Process 2009

Mandating Sound Science

At the heart of the LRI’s winning research strategy for lupus: Rigorous scientific peer review

The LRI consistently uncovers and supports the most intelligent and innovative novel research in lupus by tolerating risk and unleashing scientific creativity.

In ranking grant applications before submitting their recommendations to our Board of Directors, the peer reviewers—all forward-thinking scientists and clinicians from the nation’s top academic medical centers—look for such qualities as

novelty of hypotheses
scientific quality
potential for revealing something meaningful about lupus
likelihood of success
creativity

Open to New Ideas

For the LRI, the rationale for the hypotheses is more important than the amount to preliminary data presented. Our approach differs in this crucial way from applications for government and other funding.

Brilliant ideas that wouldn’t have gotten support anywhere else have a chance at the LRI.

Our reviewers also look for applications from investigators in diverse disciplines—even from scientists who have never worked in lupus before.

Peer Review Task Force 2009-2010

Chairs David Pisetsky, MD, PhD, of Duke University, Michel Nussenzweig, MD, PhD, of Rockefeller University, and Virginia Pascual, MD, of Baylor Institute for Immunology Research oversaw the 2009–2010 intensive review process.

In 2009-2010, three subcommittees further evaluated proposals in:

Disease-Related Human Studies (Human Lupus Biology)
Disease-Related Animal Models
Basic Immunology

Grant proposals that come close to funding endure rigorous inspection by these multiple reviewers.

Chairs

Michel Nussenzweig, MD, PhD
Rockefeller University

Virginia Pascual, MD
Baylor Institute for Immunology Research

David Pisetsky, MD, PhD
Duke University, VA Medical Center

Human Studies

Keith Elkon, MD
University of Washington

Ignacio Sanz, MD
University of Rochester

Roberto Caricchio, MD
University of Pennsylvania

Bruce Cronstein, MD
New York University

Umesh Deshmukh, PhD
University of Virginia

Gabor Illei, MD, PhD
NIAMS

Robert Kimberly, MD
University of Alabama Birmingham

Amy Major, PhD
Vanderbilt University

Joseph McCune, MD
University of Michigan

Westly Reeves, MD
University of Florida

Ian Rifkin, PhD
Boston Medical Center

Argyrios Theofilopoulos, PhD
Scripps Research Institute

Betty Tsao, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles

Dwight Kono, MD
Scripps Research Institute

Disease Related Animal Models

Anne Davidson, MD
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Robert Eisenberg, MD
University of Pennsylvania

Michael Cancro, PhD
University of Pennsylvania

Philip Cohen, MD
Temple University

Mary Crow, MD
Hospital for Special Surgery

Eric Greidinger, MD
University of Miami

Christine Grimaldi, PhD
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Vicki Kelley, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Ann Marshak-Rothstein, PhD
Boston University

Chandra Mohan, MD, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center

John Mountz, MD, PhD
University of Alabama Birmingham

Elahna Paul, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Alessandra Pernis, MD
Columbia University Medical Center

Chaim Putterman, MD
Albert Einstein

Marko Radic, PhD
University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Christopher Roman, PhD
SUNY Downstate

Basic Immunology

Lionel Ivashkiv, MD
Hospital for Special Surgery

David Nemazee, PhD
Scripps Research Institute

Paul Anderson, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Silvia Bolland, PhD
NIAID

Janis Burkhardt, PhD
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Jill Buyon, MD
New York University School of Medicine

Robert Clancy, PhD
New York University

Marcus Clark, MD
University of Chicago

Jan Erikson, PhD
Wistar Institute

Lee Ann Garrett-Sinha, PhD
SUNY Buffalo

Gary Gilkeson, MD
Medical University of South Carolina

Nir Hacohen, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Greg Lemke, PhD
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Nancy Monson, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Chander Raman, PhD
University of Alabama Birmingham

Inez Rogatsky, PhD
Hospital for Special Surgery

Michael Schneider, MD
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine