M. Kari Connolly MD

Dr. Kari Connolly is a dermatologist and rheumatologist whose overall interest is in autoimmune skin diseases and the mechanisms by which tissue damage occurs. Connolly is involved with a variety of research studies involving scleroderma, lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis and blistering diseases. Her laboratory processes several hundred skin specimens a year. She also participates in clinical trials looking at treatment in autoimmune diseases

Connolly earned a medical degree at Albany Medical College in New York in 1984 with honors. She completed a three-year internal medicine residency at UCLA and became board certified in 1987. Her interest in autoimmune diseases brought Connolly to UCSF Medical Center where she did a combined fellowship in rheumatology and residency in dermatology. She completed her postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Dr. David Wofsy in murine models of systemic lupus erythematosus. She joined the faculty with a joint appointment in Dermatology and Medicine (Rheumatology) in 1991. Connolly has received honors and awards in the areas of research, teaching and patient care.