Jacqueline Madison, MD, who joined Dr. Jason Knight's Lab in 2019, recently graduated from the Adult-Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Program and is now an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. Dr. Madison grew up in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan and then moved out east to attend Yale University where she studied Biology and Anthropology for her bachelor’s degree. Dr. Madison then returned to Michigan where she received her MD degree and completed a combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency and fellowship at the University of Michigan.
How long have you been at Michigan?
I have been at Michigan since 2009 when I first started medical school. I have stayed through Med-Peds residency and a combined adult and pediatric Rheumatology fellowship.
How long have you been in the Knight lab?
I first collaborated with Dr. Knight in 2019 on a paper about Pediatric Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). I have been in the Knight lab since that original collaboration.
What parts of your work do you most enjoy?
I love patient care and research. I greatly enjoy taking care of patients with complex diseases, such as APS and lupus, and helping them navigate how they can fit their medical needs into a full life. I love caring for patients across the age spectrum, from young children to late adulthood. I bring this enthusiasm for my patients into my research and try to help us better understand and treat these diseases.
What interests you about antiphospholipid syndrome?
APS is so strange in that it is an autoimmune disease that leads to thrombosis. How unusual! The disease has potentially devastating impacts on patients if it is not recognized and treated appropriately. There is so much still to learn about this disease, and so many lives can potentially be impacted in a positive way if we can better understand the cause of APS and how best to treat it. Pediatric APS is especially understudied and needs more research; I think that a better understanding of pediatric APS will teach us more about the disease in all APS patients. I also hope our research can help women with APS who are trying to conceive and having a difficult time. It is so mentally and physically difficult to go through pregnancy loss, and I hope that with improved diagnostic methods and treatments we can ease this pain.
What do you see yourself doing in the future?
I hope to continue doing research in APS and seeing patients in the rheumatology clinic for a long time.
What is something you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love spending time outdoors! I recently had my first child, and she also seems to enjoy spending time outside. We go for lots of walks as a family, and I am looking forward to taking her to lots of state and national parks.
