Ewa Cairns
Research Interests/Specializations
Autoimmunity
Immunology
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Genetics and Immune Responses to Citrullinated Antigens
Dr. Cairns received her PhD degree in 1987 from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Subsequently, she did 3 years of postdoctoral training at Toronto Western Hospital where she worked with Dr. Katherine Siminovitch. In 1990, Dr. Cairns came back to London Ontario to begin her appointment as a faculty member in the Departments of Medicine (Division of Rheumatology) and Microbiology & Immunology. Currently she is a Full Professor in these departments. She is also an Associate Scientist of the Lawson Research Institute, a Member of the Program of Experimental Medicine, a Member of the Joint Motion Program and a Member of the Centre for Human Immunology.
Dr. Cairns is an immunologist who studies mechanisms responsible for the development of chronic rheumatic diseases. She currently focuses specifically on Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her research emphasis is on determining “why” some but not other people develop this disease, “when” the disease develops and “how” to stop its progression or development. Dr. Cairns’ major scientific contributions to this topic include demonstration that: 1) certain proteins (citrullinated proteins) can trigger an immune response leading to arthritis in some but not all subjects; 2) development of arthritis is linked to the presence of a specific gene; and 3) arthritis can be prevented or its progression stopped by blocking immune responses to the citrullinated proteins. These cutting edge research findings were published in high impact journals such as the Journal of Immunology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Rheumatology and Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Dr. Cairns served as a grant review member on the Immunology and Transplantation Committee of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and receives continuous research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society of Canada and the Calder Foundation.
Dr. Cairns’ research program attracts many undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows. Her contributions to research supervision and teaching have been recognized by the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry from which she received the Dean’s Award of Excellence in Graduate and Postgraduate Education in 2008.
Dr. Cairns is an immunologist who studies mechanisms responsible for the development of chronic rheumatic diseases. She currently focuses specifically on Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her research emphasis is on determining “why” some but not other people develop this disease, “when” the disease develops and “how” to stop its progression or development. Dr. Cairns’ major scientific contributions to this topic include demonstration that: 1) certain proteins (citrullinated proteins) can trigger an immune response leading to arthritis in some but not all subjects; 2) development of arthritis is linked to the presence of a specific gene; and 3) arthritis can be prevented or its progression stopped by blocking immune responses to the citrullinated proteins. These cutting edge research findings were published in high impact journals such as the Journal of Immunology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Rheumatology and Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Dr. Cairns served as a grant review member on the Immunology and Transplantation Committee of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and receives continuous research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society of Canada and the Calder Foundation.
Dr. Cairns’ research program attracts many undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows. Her contributions to research supervision and teaching have been recognized by the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry from which she received the Dean’s Award of Excellence in Graduate and Postgraduate Education in 2008.
