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Megan Elizabeth Bowles Clowse

Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Rheumatology and Immunology
Duke Box 3535, Durham, NC 27710
Baker House 07, Duke South, Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710

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


Professor of Medicine · 2024 - Present Medicine, Rheumatology and Immunology, Medicine
Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2024 - Present Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Science Departments
Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2024 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published November 9, 2020
Women with Autoimmune Lung Disease Can Safely Give Birth if Closely Monitored
Published November 11, 2019
Can You Breastfeed if You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Published August 20, 2019
HOP-STEP program builds plan for 'pregnancy success' in patients with lupus

View All News

Recent Publications


Bringing Reproductive Health Guidelines Into Fellowship Training: A National Survey of Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology Fellows and Program Directors.

Journal Article Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) · March 2025 OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to assess rheumatology fellows' (RFs') and program directors' (PDs') interests in different educational tools and methods and to facilitate curriculum development for reproductive health related to rheumatic disease. METHODS: Co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development and Pilot Testing of a Patient-Centered Reproductive Decision Aid for Pregnancy-Capable People With Rheumatic Diseases.

Journal Article ACR Open Rheumatol · March 2025 OBJECTIVE: Although women with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are at an elevated risk for adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, some report that they lack access to resources that support informed reproductive decision-making. We develop ... Full text Link to item Cite

Second (2nd) Trimester Kidney Function and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes among Patients with Lupus.

Journal Article Kidney360 · February 14, 2025 BACKGROUND: Kidney function is not routinely assessed during pregnancy. Several studies have proposed antepartum kidney function, particularly 2nd trimester kidney function, as a potential predictor of adverse pregnancy outcomes. It has been previously est ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Advancing Reproductive Rheumatology through Research Mentoring

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Cervical Cancer Screening in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

ResearchMentor · Awarded by Rheumatology Research Foundation · 2025 - 2028

Improving patient-provider communication and medication adherence in systemic lupus erythematosus

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


Vanderbilt University · 1999 M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles · 1994 M.P.H.