Peter Merkel, MD, MPH

Dr. Merkel is Chief of Rheumatology and Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. An internationally recognized expert in vasculitis, scleroderma, and systemic autoimmune diseases, he has authored over 450 scientific publications. He serves as Principal Investigator for the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) and the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network (VPPRN), leading international research efforts in vasculitis. His research focuses on novel therapies for systemic autoimmune diseases, clinical trial design, outcome measure development, clinical and genetic epidemiology, and biomarker discovery. Dr. Merkel earned his MD from Yale University and MPH from Harvard University. He completed residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He has held faculty positions at Harvard Medical School, Boston University, and now the University of Pennsylvania. His research is primarily supported by the NIH, FDA, PCORI, with additional funding from industry and private foundations.