- Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology), Department of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology), Yale School of Medicine, Yale University
- Professor of Immunobiology, Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University
- Director, Investigative Medicine Program, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University
- Director, Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale University
Dr. Joseph Craft is an AOA graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, with medical and immunology training at Yale University, where he is the Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine and Professor of Immunobiology. He directs the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale.
Dr. Craft’s laboratory is devoted to understanding host responses to pathogen challenge and to the mechanisms underlying autoimmunity. His lab was among four groups that dissected the transcriptional regulation of T follicular helper cells — a finding recognized by Nature as one of the most significant discoveries in T cell development. His team has also made foundational contributions defining targets of the immune response in lupus and elucidating mechanisms of T cell-mediated tissue damage in autoimmunity.
A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Craft served as Chief of the Section of Rheumatology at Yale for 28 years. He has trained more than 40 postdoctoral fellows, 26 PhD and MD/PhD students, and mentored 12 NIH K grant recipients. He has directed Yale’s Investigative Medicine MD/PhD program for over 20 years, training more than 70 MD/PhD students.
Dr. Craft is a two-time NIH MERIT Awardee, including one currently active award. His honors include the Yale University Graduate Mentor Award in the Biological Sciences for 2026, the Yale Bohmfalk Basic Science Teaching Prize, elected Fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Fellowship in the American College of Physicians, and Mastership in the American College of Rheumatology.