A photo of Grant Schulert.

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

513-636-4676

Board Certified

My Biography & Research

Biography

As a pediatric rheumatologist and researcher, I specialize in treating autoinflammatory disorders, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), systemic JIA, and complications of systemic JIA such as macrophage activation syndrome and lung disease.

I've always enjoyed working with children and families. I find the passion of parents inspiring and love the energy, humor and honesty of kids. I was drawn to rheumatology because we are asked hard questions, such as how to solve disease puzzles and how to find the best treatments. I also enjoy the long-term relationships with families and patients.

My interest in how the immune system works and how it fails led me to my research. My graduate work was in microbiology and how highly virulent microbes subvert the host immune system. In rheumatic diseases the immune system has become dysregulated to overreact or attack the body itself.

Broadly, I am interested in autoinflammation — how the body’s first line of defense becomes dysregulated in inflammatory diseases. More specifically, my principle interest is in the complications of systemic JIA such as macrophage activation syndrome and systemic JIA-associated lung disease.

My colleagues and I are trying to determine what causes severe complications of autoinflammatory disorders such as systemic JIA, how do we best treat and control hyperinflammation and how can we use novel biomarkers and genomics to direct our treatments.

I was extremely honored in 2018 to receive the Gold Medal Suzanne Dehoche Prize from the Kourir Association, a French organization for families of children with JIA. They present this prize to researchers whose work is most likely to lead to new treatments for juvenile arthritis. This was an amazing recognition of what we hope to do: Use genomics techniques to accelerate treatments.

Clinical Interests

Pediatric rheumatology; juvenile idiopathic arthritis; macrophage activation syndrome; autoinflammatory syndromes; periodic fevers

Research Interests

Systemic JIA; macrophage activation syndrome; innate immunity; monocyte and macrophage functions; whole exome sequencing

Academic Affiliation

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Divisions

Rheumatology, Lupus, Rheumatology



Blog Posts

Aggressive Screening Needed to Detect sJIA Lung Complication

Autoimmune Disorders

Aggressive Screening Needed to Detect sJIA Lung Complication

Grant Schulert, MD, PhD, Alexei A. Grom, MD10/29/2019

My Locations

My Education

MD: University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 2009.

PhD: University of Iowa Department of Microbiology, Iowa City, IA, 2009.

Residency: Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.

Fellowship: Pediatric Rheumatology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Certification: Pediatrics, 2012; Pediatric Rheumatology, 2017.

My Publications

Can tocilizumab calm the cytokine storm of COVID-19?. Schulert, GS. 2020.

The genetics of macrophage activation syndrome. Schulert, GS; Cron, RQ. Genes and Immunity. 2020; 21:169-181.

Distinct interferon signatures and cytokine patterns define additional systemic autoinflammatory diseases. de Jesus, AA; Hou, Y; Brooks, S; Malle, L; Biancotto, A; Huang, Y; Calvo, KR; Marrero, B; Moir, S; Oler, AJ; et al. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2020; 130:1669-1682.

Synergistic Signaling of TLR and IFNα/β Facilitates Escape of IL-18 Expression from Endotoxin Tolerance. Verweyen, E; Holzinger, D; Weinhage, T; Hinze, C; Wittkowski, H; Pickkers, P; Albeituni, S; Verbist, K; Nichols, KE; Schulert, G; et al. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2020; 201:526-539.

Alagille Syndrome and Chronic Arthritis: An International Case Series. Ferrara, G; Giani, T; Lieberman, SM; Kremer, C; Hong, S; Indolfi, G; Schulert, G; Cron, RQ; Mannion, ML; Lapidus, S; et al. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2020; 218:228-230.e1.

IL-18 as a biomarker linking systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and macrophage activation syndrome. Yasin, S; Fall, N; Brown, RA; Henderlight, M; Canna, SW; Girard-Guyonvarc'h, C; Gabay, C; Grom, AA; Schulert, GS. Rheumatology. 2020; 59:361-366.

IL-18 as therapeutic target in a patient with resistant systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and recurrent macrophage activation syndrome. Yasin, S; Solomon, K; Canna, SW; Girard-Guyonvarc'h, C; Gabay, C; Schiffrin, E; Sleight, A; Grom, AA; Schulert, GS. Rheumatology. 2020; 59:442-445.

Adenosine deaminase 2 as a biomarker of macrophage activation syndrome in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Lee, PY; Schulert, GS; Canna, SW; Huang, Y; Sundel, J; Li, Y; Hoyt, KJ; Blaustein, RB; Wactor, A; Do, T; et al. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2020; 79:225-231.

APOL1-Associated Collapsing Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in a Patient With Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING)-Associated Vasculopathy With Onset in Infancy (SAVI). Abid, Q; Best Rocha, A; Larsen, CP; Schulert, G; Marsh, R; Yasin, S; Patty-Resk, C; Valentini, RP; Adams, M; Baracco, R. American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2020; 75:287-290.

Physician practices for withdrawal of medications in inactive systemic juvenile arthritis, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) survey. Shenoi, S; Nanda, K; Schulert, GS; Bohnsack, JF; Cooper, AM; Edghill, B; Gillispie-Taylor, MC; Goldberg, B; Halyabar, O; Mason, TG; et al. Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal. 2019; 17.