Research Leadership: Ted Mikuls, MD

This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony for UNMC’s 2020 Scientist Laureate, Research Leadership, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator Award recipients.

• Name: Ted Mikuls, MD
• Title: Umbach Professor of Rheumatology, vice chair of research, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine-Rheumatology, College of Medicine
• Joined UNMC: August 2002
• Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Research focus:

• Rheumatoid arthritis

The best advice I could give a beginning researcher is:

Show initiative. If you wait for “projects” or “opportunities” to fall in your lap, you may be waiting a very long time.

The toughest lesson I’ve learned is:

Peer review isn’t always fair, nor does it always make sense.

The goal of my research is: to better understand mechanisms the links between established risk factors with disease onset and progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

My research will make a difference because:

By better understanding disease pathogenesis in RA, we hope to identify improved strategies for the diagnosis and management and possibly even prevent its onset.

The best part of my job is:

Being involved in patient care, teaching and research makes every day a new adventure.

Something you may not know about me is:

• I taught science in a local high school for a year before starting medical school.