Skip to main content
R Scofield, MD, Rheumatology, Oklahoma City, OK, OU Health

RHalScofieldMDFACP

Rheumatology • Oklahoma City, OK

Lupus & Related

Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Member, Arthritis & Clinical Immunology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation; Associate Chief of Staff for Research, Oklahoma City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Join to view full profile

Dr. Scofield is on Doximity

As a Doximity member you'll join over two million verified healthcare professionals in a private, secure network.

  • Connect with other colleagues in the same hospital or clinic
  • Search all U.S. specialist profiles and refer a patient
  • Read the latest clinical news and earn CME/CEU credits

See Dr. Scofield's full profile

Already have an account?

Summary

  • The immune system distinguishes self from non-self, and protects the body from foreign invaders such as bacteria. In autoimmune diseases, the immune attack targets self. My research takes a broad scientific approach to systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) and Sjögren’s.

    In Sjögren’s syndrome, autoimmunity targets salivary and lacrimal glands resulting in severe dry eyes and mouth. Some patients have disease involving joints, lungs, peripheral nerves, skin, brain, kidney and white blood cells. We study human Sjögren’s syndrome through the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Sjögren’s Syndrome Research Clinic. We purify antibody secreting cells from salivary glands of patients, and study how these cells and the antibodies cause disease. We are studying mitochondria dysfunction in Sjögren’s and how this may relate to clinical outcomes like fatigue and metabolic syndrome as well as salivary autoantibodies.

    Lupus can affect any body tissue or organ, common manifestations involve the skin, joints and kidneys. The disease is found in women about 10 times more often than in men. About 1 in 500 men has an extra X chromosome (47,XXY), and 1 in 1000 women also has an extra X (47,XXX). We have found that 47,XXY men and 47,XXX women are more common among lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome than expected with 47,XXY men having lupus at the same rate as women. On the basis of these findings, we have proposed that the sex bias of these diseases is related to the number of X chromosomes. Our present research is directed at uncovering the molecular basis of the X chromosome dose effect especially as related to TLR7 and CXorf21, whose genes lie on the X chromosome.

    We are study autoimmunity in PTSD, in which lupus, RA, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune thyroid disease are increased several fold. Our studies focus on autoantibodies and B cell hyperactivity.

Education & Training

  • Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins UniversityMA, History of Medicine, in progress, anticipated degree in 2024, 2018 - 2024
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterFellowship, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, 1988 - 1991
  • Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
    Oklahoma Medical Research FoundationPost-Doctoral Fellowship, Immunology/Genetics, 1988 - 1991
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterChief Residency, Internal Medicine, 1987 - 1988
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
    University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterResidency, Internal Medicine, 1984 - 1987
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
    University of Texas Southwestern Medical SchoolClass of 1984
  • Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M UniversityBA, Chemistry, Distnguished Student, 1976 - 1980

Certifications & Licensure

  • OK State Medical License
    OK State Medical License 1985 - 2024
  • TX State Medical License
    TX State Medical License 1985 - 1989
  • American Board of Internal Medicine Internal Medicine
  • American Board of Internal Medicine Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Merrick for Outstanding Medical Research Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, 2023
  • Fellow Southern Society of Clinical Investigation, 2019
  • James F. Hammarsten Physician of Excellence Award Oklahoma City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 2018
  • Join now to see all

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Press Mentions

  • Fear Itself: Unmasking the Fight or Flight Response
    Fear Itself: Unmasking the Fight or Flight ResponseOctober 30th, 2018
  • Why so Many More Women Develop Lupus Than Men
    Why so Many More Women Develop Lupus Than MenJanuary 29th, 2018
  • The 'Mad' Scientist: Fact or Fiction?
    The 'Mad' Scientist: Fact or Fiction?October 31st, 2017
  • Join now to see all

Grant Support

  • Free radical damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in Sjorgren’s syndromeStudy Group for the Prevention of Autoimmune Disease/Benroya Research Institute2016–2017
  • Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies In Autoimmune DiseaseVeterans Affairs2012
  • Pathogenic B Cells In Sjogren'S SyndromeNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2011
  • Clinical CoreNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2011
  • Sjogren'S Model With Anti-Ro/La And Salivary Pathology And DysfunctionNational Institute Of Dental &Craniofacial Research2006–2010
  • The X Chromosome In Systemic Lupus ErythematosusNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2006–2010
  • Insulin Resistance And GlucocorticoidsNational Center On Minority Health And Health Disparities2007–2009
  • Genetics Of Severe Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Defined By ThrombocytopeniaNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2007
  • Genetics Of Severe SLE Defines By ThrombocytopeniaNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2004–2006
  • Glucosamine And Insulin ResistanceNational Center For Research Resources2004–2005
  • Genetics Of Severe SLE Defined By ThrombocytopeniaNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2003
  • Thrombocytopenia And The Genetics Of Severe LupusNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2002
  • A Model Of Sjogren'S Syndrome With Anti-Ro/La AntibodiesNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases2001
  • B27 Binding Bacterial And Self Peptides In B27 ArthritisNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases1996–2000
  • B27 Restricted T Cell Response To B27 Mimic PeptidesFogarty International Center1997
  • Origin Of Antiro/Ssa AntibodyNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases1994–1996
  • Origin Of Anti-Ro/Ssa AntibodyNational Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases1992–1993

Committees

  • Member, Publications Committee, American College of Rheumatology 2019 - Present
  • Member, Executive Committee, EULAR and ACR Joint Committee on Classification of Sjögren’s Syndrome 2014 - Present
  • Member, Rheumatology Subsection, Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation Commitee on Practice Guidelines 2013 - 2016

Professional Memberships

Other Languages

  • Spanish

Hospital Affiliations

External Links

Dr. R Scofield, Dr. R Scofield, MD, Dr. R Hal Scofield