David Karp, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief, Division of Rheumatic Diseases

Fredye Factor Chair in Rheumatoid Arthritis Research
Harold C. Simmons Chair in Arthritis Research

Internal Medicine - Rheumatology Diseases
Relapsing Polychondritis
Myositis

Biography

Dr. Karp was raised near Cleveland, OH. He obtained his bachelor’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical and doctoral degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. He also completed his residency and clinical fellowship training at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis before joining the NIH as a research fellow. He has been on the faculty of UT Southwestern since 1991.

For the past 25 years, Dr. Karp has studied the human immune system in health and disease. This has involved research on the genes, proteins, and cells that control immunity to harmful pathogens, as well as lead to disease states like systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis. His most recent studies have focused on the concept of pre-clinical immunity – the transition from people from a healthy state to having an activated immune system without symptoms to having genuine symptoms of autoimmune disease. Understanding this transition may lead to better diagnostic tools and the ability to treat autoimmune diseases at an earlier time or even prevent them.

Dr. Karp directs laboratory and clinical research on rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. He is the Chief of the Rheumatic Disease Division within the Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Karp has been included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list several times and named a Texas Monthly Super Doctor.

Education & Training

Fellowship - Washington University Barnes Hospital (1986-1987), Rheumatology
Residency - Washington University Barnes Hospital (1985-1986), Internal Medicine
Internship - Washington University Barnes Hospital (1984-1985), Internal Medicine
Medical School - Washington University in St. Louis (1980-1984)

Professional Associations & Affiliations

American Association of Immunologists (1980)
American College of Physicians (1984)
American College of Rheumatology (1991)

Honors & Awards

D Magazine Best Doctor 2020-2022

Books & Publications

Publications
- Discovery of biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus using a library of synthetic autoantigen surrogates.
  Quan J, Lakhanpal A, Reddy MM, Zaman S, Li QZ, German DC, Olsen NJ, Kodadek T, Karp DR Journal of immunological methods 2013 Nov
- Organ damage in high-risk patients with systemic and incomplete lupus syndromes.
  Olsen NJ, Yousif M, Mutwally A, Cory M, Elmagboul N, Karp DR Rheumatology international 2013 May
- Autoantibody profiling to follow evolution of lupus syndromes.
  Olsen NJ, Li QZ, Quan J, Wang L, Mutwally A, Karp DR Arthritis research & therapy 2012 Jul 14 4 R174
- Risk factors for ANA positivity in healthy persons.
  Li QZ, Karp DR, Quan J, Branch VK, Zhou J, Lian Y, Chong BF, Wakeland EK, Olsen NJ Arthritis research & therapy 2011 Mar 13 2 R38
- Interferon signature gene expression is correlated with autoantibody profiles in patients with incomplete lupus syndromes.
  Li QZ, Zhou J, Lian Y, Zhang B, Branch VK, Carr-Johnson F, Karp DR, Mohan C, Wakeland EK, Olsen NJ Clinical and experimental immunology 2010 Mar 159 3 281-91
- Novel sequence feature variant type analysis of the HLA genetic association in systemic sclerosis.
  Karp DR, Marthandan N, Marsh SG, Ahn C, Arnett FC, Deluca DS, Diehl AD, Dunivin R, Eilbeck K, Feolo M, Guidry PA, Helmberg W, Lewis S, Mayes MD, Mungall C, Natale DA, Peters B, Petersdorf E, Reveille JD, Smith B, Thomson G, Waller MJ, Scheuermann RH Human molecular genetics 2010 Feb 19 4 707-19
- Technical and policy approaches to balancing patient privacy and data sharing in clinical and translational research.
  Malin B, Karp D, Scheuermann RH Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research 2010 Jan 58 1 11-8
- Ethical and practical issues associated with aggregating databases.
  Karp DR, Carlin S, Cook-Deegan R, Ford DE, Geller G, Glass DN, Greely H, Guthridge J, Kahn J, Kaslow R, Kraft C, Macqueen K, Malin B, Scheuerman RH, Sugarman J PLoS medicine 2008 Sep 5 9 e190
- Protein array autoantibody profiles for insights into systemic lupus erythematosus and incomplete lupus syndromes.
  Li QZ, Zhou J, Wandstrat AE, Carr-Johnson F, Branch V, Karp DR, Mohan C, Wakeland EK, Olsen NJ Clinical and experimental immunology 2007 Jan 147 1 60-70
- Autoantibody profiling to identify individuals at risk for systemic lupus erythematosus.
  Wandstrat AE, Carr-Johnson F, Branch V, Gray H, Fairhurst AM, Reimold A, Karp D, Wakeland EK, Olsen NJ Journal of autoimmunity 2006 Nov 27 3 153-60

Research

Novel treatments for autoimmune diseases
Genetics of autoimmune diseases
Causes of autoimmunity
Cardiovascular complications of autoimmune diseases

Clinical Focus

Relapsing Polychondritis
Myositis
IGG4 Related Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Spondyloarthropathy
Systemic Sclerosis
Sarcoidosis
Vasculitis
Interstitial Lung Disease (Pulmonary Fibrosis)
Sjogren's Syndrome
Crystalline Arthropathies
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus