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Melissa Akselrad, MD

Melissa Akselrad, MD, is a clinical fellow in rheumatology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. She completed her internal medicine residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Morningside/West.

Dr. Akselrad’s research focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus and the cardiovascular complications of rheumatic disease. Her work includes studies of lupus valvulitis and cardiovascular outcomes in lupus, as well as a quality improvement initiative to improve cardiovascular risk screening and management in rheumatology care. She serves on the American College of Rheumatology’s Fellows-in-Training Subcommittee and the Lupus Research Alliance’s Young Leaders Board.

Dr. Akselrad studied English literature at New York University and contributes articles and video commentary to RheumNow, including coverage of ACR Convergence 2026.

Articles By Melissa Akselrad, MD

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CAR T Gets the Spotlight. Are We Missing the B Cells That Matter?

By Melissa Akselrad, MD

CAR T is having its moment in rheumatology. But William Robinson’s presentation at ACR Convergence 2026 raised a question I find even more compelling: are we failing to eliminate the right B cells with therapies we already have?

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One Diagnosis, Different Diseases: Is TLR7/8 Inhibition the Future of Lupus Treatment?

By Melissa Akselrad, MD

We call it systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but are we really treating one disease? Increasingly, I wonder whether grouping biologically distinct patients under one diagnosis is limiting our ability to treat them effectively.

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Lupus CVD: Beyond the Lipid Panel

By Melissa Akselrad, MD

Innate immune dysregulation drives premature atherosclerosis in SLE, and it explains much of the cardiovascular risk that Framingham factors and medications do not. The main driver is a self-amplifying loop between type I interferon (IFN) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

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Valves Gone Wild in SLE

By Melissa Akselrad, MD

Lupus valvulitis is a rare cardiac manifestation of active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is defined by inflammation of one or more cardiac valves. It is often associated with Libman-Sacks endocarditis, which is characterized by the presence of sterile vegetations on the heart valves.

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