Sung Lim MD
- Department of Medicine
Professor
- (678) 616-1521
- sslim@emory.edu
-
Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Medicine, Divison of Rheumatology
49 Jesse Hill Jr. Dr., SE
Overview
Dr. Lim received his undergraduate education at Duke University and his medical degree from the State University of New York at Brooklyn. He did his internal medicine training and rheumatology fellowship at Emory and has been faculty since 2002. He also has a MPH in epidemiology from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory. Dr. Lim is Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director in the Division of Rheumatology at Emory University School of Medicine, Professor of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and the Chief of Rheumatology for Grady Health Systems.
His clinical and research interests focus on lupus, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus. He is the Director of the Grady Lupus Clinic and also directs The Emory Lupus Nephritis Clinic with Dr. Jason Cobb at Emory Midtown, where he and others provide expert evaluation and care. He is particularly interested in improving outcomes and eliminating racial health disparities in lupus.
He is the Principal Investigator (PI) of several grants, including the CDC-funded Georgia Lupus Registry. This population-based registry more accurately determined the prevalence and incidence of lupus in Atlanta. From this registry, he and Dr. Drenkard helped to form a population-based prospective cohort of lupus patients called the Georgians Organized Against Lupus (GOAL) research cohort. From these two significant projects, Dr. Lim and his research group are better understanding the biologic, behavioral, provider, healthcare system, societal, and environmental factors (organic and social exposures) that contribute to poor outcomes and racial/ethnic health disparities. He is also the PI of multiple investigator-initiated grants, including a R01 from NIAMS, a U01 from the CDC, and others from industry and private foundations. Dr. Lim has been involved in over 30 lupus clinical trials since 2004 and is currently the site PI for 9 clinical trials studying the safety and efficacy of new treatments for lupus. He also participates in clinical trials as part of the Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) and serves on its Steering Committee. He was awarded the Distinguished Service and the Clinical Investigator Fellowship Awards by the American College of Rheumatology and has held multiple volunteer positions, including Chair of The Collaborative Initiatives Department that oversees The Lupus Initiative and Chair of the clinical study section for the Rheumatology Research Foundation grants. He is on the Medical-Scientific Advisory Board of the Lupus Foundation of America and past President of the Georgia Society of Rheumatology.
Academic Appointment
- Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Professor of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Education
Degrees
- MPH from Emory University
- MD from State University of New York at Brooklyn
- BA from Duke University
Research
Focus
- My research focus builds upon my passion for treating and studying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), primarily in the black population. I seek to understand better the disparities in prevalence and outcomes in blacks with SLE. Ultimately, I hope to translate this better understanding into designing interventions to improve outcomes.
Publications
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Renal arteriosclerosis in kidney biopsies associated with higher 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in lupus nephritis.
Rheumatology (Oxford) Volume: 64 Page(s): 2665 - 2675
05/01/2025 Authors: Garg S; Astor BC; Lim SS; Raval AN; Zhong W; Panzer SE; Khosroshahi A; Rovin B; Bartels CM -
Limitations in Activities of Daily Living Among Individuals With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) Volume: 77 Page(s): 440 - 450
04/01/2025 Authors: Plantinga LC; Bowling CB; Pearce BD; Hoge C; Dunlop-Thomas C; Lim SS; Katz PP; Yazdany J -
Using patient-reported measures to predict hospitalisation in a population-based lupus cohort.
Volume: 12
03/23/2025 Authors: Lim SS; Wu SS-J; Ross R; Bao G; Richards M; Palmer L; Bryant G -
Better Patient Care and Team Satisfaction Call for "Both-And" Approach.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken)
03/03/2025 Authors: Brandt J; Lim SS; Bartels CM -
Breaking research silos to achieve equitable precision medicine in rheumatology.
Nat Rev Rheumatol Volume: 21 Page(s): 98 - 110
02/01/2025 Authors: Ainsworth HC; Baker Frost D; Lim SS; Ramos PS -
Racial differences in clinical trial perceptions among a large, predominantly Black cohort of people with systemic lupus erythematosus in the Southeastern USA.
Volume: 12
01/04/2025 Authors: Williams JN; Mozee H; Bao G; Dunlop-Thomas C; Schofield K; Drenkard C; Lim SS -
Introduction to the Special Theme Issue: Environmental and Geographic Factors and Rheumatic Disease.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) Volume: 77 Page(s): 1 - 2
01/01/2025 Authors: Allen KD; Lim SS -
Diversity and Inclusivity in Rheumatology Publications.
ACR Open Rheumatol Volume: 6 Page(s): 732 - 733
11/01/2024 Authors: Sawalha AH; Allen KD; Feldman CH; Lim SS; Perl A; Solomon DH; Williams EM -
The Explication of Race in Rheumatology Disparities.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) Volume: 76 Page(s): 1447 - 1450
11/01/2024 Authors: Lim SS; Ramos PS; Williams EM -
Diversity and Inclusivity in Rheumatology Publications.
Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) Volume: 76 Page(s): 1351 - 1352
10/01/2024 Authors: Sawalha AH; Allen KD; Feldman CH; Lim SS; Perl A; Solomon DH; Williams EM