Portrait of Katherine Pak.

Contact Information

301-451-9977
9000 Rockville Pike
50 South Drive
Building 50, Room 1142
Bethesda MD 20892

Media Resources

Summary

Katherine S. Pak, M.D., joined the Muscle Disease Unit of the NIH/NIAMS in 2014 as a Research Fellow. Dr. Pak graduated from Korea University College of Medicine, South Korea in 1999 and went on to complete her Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) residency training at the Samsung Cheil Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center in Seoul. Between 2003 and 2006, Dr. Pak worked as an OB/GYN specialist at the Ilsan Jeil Hospital. In 2009, she relocated to the United States from South Korea and joined the Rheumatology Department of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Research Program.

Research Statement

Dr. Pak's research interests include immunology and rheumatology, specifically understanding the pathophysiology of autoimmune myositis. Her current focus is on analyzing RNA Seq data with next generation sequencing techniques, data science, and bioinformatics.

Scientific Publications

The indirect immunofluorescence assay autoantibody profiles of myositis patients without known myositis-specific autoantibodies.

Casal-Dominguez M, Pinal-Fernandez I, Pak K, Marin-Sanchez A, Sanz-Martinez MT, Baucells A, Hosono Y, Christopher-Stine L, Mammen AL, Johns Hopkins Myositis Center Group
Clin Exp Rheumatol.
2021 May-Jun;
39(3).
doi: 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/7kyr5e
PMID: 32896249

Machine learning algorithms reveal unique gene expression profiles in muscle biopsies from patients with different types of myositis.

Pinal-Fernandez I, Casal-Dominguez M, Derfoul A, Pak K, Miller FW, Milisenda JC, Grau-Junyent JM, Selva-O'Callaghan A, Carrion-Ribas C, Paik JJ, Albayda J, Christopher-Stine L, Lloyd TE, Corse AM, Mammen AL
Ann Rheum Dis.
2020 Sep;
79(9).
doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216599
PMID: 32546599

Neutrophil dysregulation is pathogenic in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Seto N, Torres-Ruiz JJ, Carmona-Rivera C, Pinal-Fernandez I, Pak K, Purmalek MM, Hosono Y, Fernandes-Cerqueira C, Gowda P, Arnett N, Gorbach A, Benveniste O, Gómez-Martín D, Selva-O'Callaghan A, Milisenda JC, Grau-Junyent JM, Christopher-Stine L, Miller FW, Lundberg IE, Kahlenberg JM, Schiffenbauer AI, Mammen A, Rider LG, Kaplan MJ
JCI Insight.
2020 Feb 13;
5(3).
pii: 134189. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.134189
PMID: 31945019

Validation of anti-Mi2 autoantibody testing by line blot.

Pinal-Fernandez I, Pak K, Casal-Dominguez M, Hosono Y, Mecoli C, Christopher-Stine L, Mammen AL
Autoimmun Rev.
2020 Jan;
19(1).
doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2019.102425
PMID: 31734399

Trim33 (Tif1γ) is not required for skeletal muscle development or regeneration but suppresses cholecystokinin expression.

Parks CA, Pak K, Pinal-Fernandez I, Huang W, Derfoul A, Mammen AL
Sci Rep.
2019 Dec 6;
9(1).
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-54651-8
PMID: 31811178

Anti-NT5C1A autoantibodies are associated with more severe disease in patients with juvenile myositis.

Yeker RM, Pinal-Fernandez I, Kishi T, Pak K, Targoff IN, Miller FW, Rider LG, Mammen AL, Childhood Myositis Heterogeneity Collaborative Study Group
Ann Rheum Dis.
2018 May;
77(5).
doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-212436
PMID: 29363513

Association of Anti-3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A Reductase Autoantibodies With DRB1*07:01 and Severe Myositis in Juvenile Myositis Patients.

Kishi T, Rider LG, Pak K, Barillas-Arias L, Henrickson M, McCarthy PL, Shaham B, Weiss PF, Horkayne-Szakaly I, Targoff IN, Miller FW, Mammen AL, Childhood Myositis Heterogeneity Study Group
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
2017 Jul;
69(7).
doi: 10.1002/acr.23113
PMID: 28129483

Anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a reductase necrotizing myopathy masquerading as a muscular dystrophy in a child.

Mohassel P, Foley AR, Donkervoort S, Fequiere PR, Pak K, Bönnemann CG, Mammen AL
Muscle Nerve.
2017 Dec;
56(6).
doi: 10.1002/mus.25567
PMID: 28066895

Education

Samsung Cheil Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center, Seoul, South Korea
Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/Gyn) Residency (1999-2003)

Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Radiation Oncology Residency (1997-1999)

Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Transitional Year as Internship (1996-1997)

Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Medical Degree (1995)

Experience

Research Fellow
Muscle Disease Unit, NIH/NIAMS (August 2014-present)

Research Specialist
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Rheumatology Department (September 2009-May 2014)

OB/GYN Specialist
Ilsan Jeil Hospital, Ilsan, South Korea (2003-2006)

OB/GYN Resident
Samsung Cheil Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center, Seoul, South Korea (1999-2003)

Radiation Oncology Resident
Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea (1997-1999)

Transitional Year
Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea (1996-1997)

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