Dr Kavanaugh is a Professor of Medicine and Rheumatologist and Allergist/Immunologist. He earned his BS in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA and his MD at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in clinical immunology and allergy at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. Dr Kavanaugh also completed a rheumatology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX. In 1990, he joined the faculty at University of Texas Southwestern before joining the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at the University of California, San Diego, CA in 1999.

Dr Kavanaugh has authored more than 600 publications. He is on the editorial boards of several journals and has served as peer reviewer for more than a dozen scientific journals. Dr Kavanaugh is a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the American College of Rheumatology. He has been a member of and chaired numerous committees in these organizations.

Dr Kavanaugh’s main research interest has been in clinical research, particularly translational aspects of rheumatology research. This has included work delineating the immunopathophysiology of rheumatic diseases as well as defining changes associated with novel immunomodulatory therapies. Although his research focus has largely been rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, Dr Kavanaugh has conducted many studies in other autoimmune conditions including systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis and inflammatory bowel disease amongst others. His studies have also focused on novel imaging methods and clinical outcomes. Dr Kavanaugh has helped create guidelines for the treatment and optimal care of patients with several rheumatic diseases. He is a founding member of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) and remains on its executive committee.