Overview
Dr. Megan Clowse is a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology; she also holds joint appointments in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Population Health Sciences. Her clinical research focuses on the management of rheumatic diseases in pregnancy. She has cared for over 1000 pregnancies in women with rheumatic disease, collecting information on these pregnancies initially in the Duke Autoimmunity in Pregnancy Registry and Repository, and the MADRA (Maternal Autoimmune Disease Research Alliance) registry and repository. She served on the Core Leadership Team for the inaugural American College of Rheumatology's Reproductive Health Guidelines, published January 2020. Dr. Clowse created www.LupusPregnancy.org and www.ReproRheum.Duke.edu, websites dedicated to improving pregnancy planning and management for patients and rheumatologists.
Dr. Clowse was the founding director of the Duke Lupus Clinic, where she continues to see patients each week and mentor junior faculty researchers. The team has developed a new approach to lupus classification and management and is currently collecting and analyzing patient- and physician-reported measures to better clarify this construct.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Racial differences in medication beliefs and adherence barriers among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Journal Article Lupus · January 2026 IntroductionBlack patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have lower medication adherence than White patients, contributing to worse health outcomes. However, racial differences in reasons for nonadherence and beliefs about medications are not wel ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteImproving Documentation Rates of Contraception and Reproductive Planning in Patients With Rheumatic Disease.
Journal Article Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) · October 2025 OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to improve contraception and reproductive planning documentation within rheumatology providers' notes at a single academic center. METHODS: Female patients aged 18 to 45 years with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases were ... Full text Link to item CiteMoving the ACR's Reproductive Health Guidelines Into Practice: A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of a Novel Reproductive Rheumatology ECHO.
Journal Article J Clin Rheumatol · August 1, 2025 BACKGROUND: Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) links experts with community providers through video teleconferences that include both didactics and case discussions. We piloted the first ECHO with a specific focus on reproductive rh ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
A multicenter, open-label, prospective study to assess the concentration of Bimekizumab in mature breast milk from mothers receiving treatment with Bimzelx
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by UCB Biopharma · 2025 - 20312/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030Advancing Reproductive Rheumatology through Research Mentoring
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2024 - 2029View All Grants