Catherine Alexis Sims

My research is focused on preventative and reproductive health care in patients with autoimmune disease. Specifically, I am interested in empowering women to make informed decisions about cervical cancer screening and exploring avenues to make this screening more accessible. I also study pregnancy outcomes in this population and assess the impact of pregnancy planning, immunosuppressive medications, and maternal mental health on these outcomes.

My research interests extend into my clinical practice as well. Each week, I see patients in the Duke Autoimmunity in Pregnancy clinic and Durham Veterans Affairs rheumatology clinic. During these clinic visits, our conversations are centered around contraception, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and preventative health care screenings. I also have the opportunity to teach Duke University medical students, residents, advanced practice providers, and rheumatology fellows.

Advocating for patients' reproductive rights is an important aspect of my role as a reproductive rheumatologist. I am currently a member of the North Carolina Medical Society and participate in meetings with local elected officials to advocate for women to have access to medications and procedures to ensure comprehensive reproductive health care. I also attend numerous patient-focused workshops and conference to empower women to make informed decisions about their health.

Fellowships, Gifts, and Supported Research

Health Systems Research Fellowship · 2022 - 2025 Fellow · Awarded by: Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System The Durham VA Health Care System in collaboration with the Duke Division of General Internal Medicine and Department of Population Heath, provides this fellowship for MD scholars with an interest in training in health services research. It is a 2-3 year program with an emphasis on learning health system competencies. Dr. Sims has focused her research efforts on using national Veteran data to assess cervical cancer screening completion and outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy outcomes for women with autoimmune disease.

Women's Health Fellowship Program · 2021 - 2023 Fellow · Awarded by: Union Chimique Belge (UCB) · $100,000.00 This program supports the training of rheumatology fellows with a specialized focus on women’s health-related issues, specifically in the context of inflammatory diseases. The goal of this grant is to increase women’s health expertise in the rheumatology community. Dr. Sims focused her proposal on the expansion of the international vasculitis pregnancy registry (VPREG) and performed both quantitative and qualitative examinations of pregnancy outcomes in this population.

External Relationships

Amgen, Inc.

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.