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Joseph Craft, MD

Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Professor of Immunobiology
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Additional Titles

Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine, Internal Medicine: Rheumatology

Program Director, Investigative Medicine, Internal Medicine: Rheumatology

About

Titles

Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Professor of Immunobiology

Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine, Internal Medicine: Rheumatology; Program Director, Investigative Medicine, Internal Medicine: Rheumatology

Biography

Dr. Craft is an AOA graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He did medical and immunology training at Yale and is currently Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine and Professor of Immunobiology. He directs a laboratory devoted to understanding of host responses to pathogen challenge and to autoimmunity. His lab was among the 4 that simultaneously dissected the transcriptional regulation of T follicular helper cells, a finding listed among the most significant milestone discoveries in T cell development by the journal Nature and has made sentinel discoveries defining targets of the immune response in lupus and the role of T cells in driving pathogenic autoantibody and mechanisms of T cell mediate tissue damage in that disease. He has trained over 40 postdoctoral fellows and 26 PhD and MD/PhD graduate students including those currently in his lab. He is director of the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale and has directed the Investigative Medicine MD to PhD program at Yale for over 20 years, training 70 MD/PhD students. Dr. Craft is a two-time NIH MERIT Awardee, 10-year NIH grants, recipient of the Yale Bohmfalk Basic Science Teaching Prize, an elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, past chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors at NIH/NIAMS, and a former Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences.

Appointments

Education & Training

Fellow
Yale School of Medicine (1985)
Resident
Yale-New Haven Hospital (1980)
Intern
Yale-New Haven Hospital (1978)
MD
University of North Carolina (1977)
MD
University of North Carolina , School of Medicine (1977)

Board Certifications

  • Rheumatology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Latest Certification Date
    2008
    Original Certification Date
    1988
  • Internal Medicine

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1980

Research

Overview

Ongoing studies are targeted towards identification of the developmental pathways of CD4 T cells that provide B cell help and that promote inflammation, and dissection of their potential to promote autoimmunity and inflammation. Related work involves determination of tissue environmental factors that regulate T cell metabolism and effector function at inflammatory sites, such as tissues damaged in autoimmunity.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; Autoimmune Diseases; Biology; Cytokines; Immunity; Investigative Techniques; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Rheumatology

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Joseph Craft's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    Immune Tolerance Network

  • activity

    Lupus Clinical Investigators Network

  • honor

    Distinguished Innovator Award

  • honor

    MERIT Award

  • honor

    Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine

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Administrative Support

Events

Apr 20258Tuesday