Maureen McMahon

Dr. Maureen McMahon is rheumatologist, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Site Director of the UCLA Lupus Clinical Trials Network. Dr. McMahon graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, completed a residency in internal medicine at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine, completed a fellowship in rheumatology at UCLA., and received a Master’s degree in clinical research from UCLA. Her research and clinical work have focused on identifying new treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is a devastating autoimmune disease that affects nearly 1.5 million people in the US. Up to 92% of patients with lupus are women, most commonly between the ages of 15 and 40. Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop the disease.  Current treatment strategies often involve immunosuppression, and side effects from these therapies are quite common.

Dr. McMahon is the lead site investigator for the ALE09 study, an NIH sponsored study to evaluate the effect of ajulemic acid (JBT-101) on joint pain due to SLE. JBT-101 is a synthetic cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) agonist, which can activate the body’s normal processes to resolve immune responses while avoiding immunosuppression.