Faculty
Robert Willkens, M.D.
Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine Emeritus
American College of Rheumatology Master
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1950-1954
M.D., University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
1954-1955
Intern in Medicine, King County Hospital, Seattle, Washington
1955-1957
Assistant Resident in Medicine, King County Hospital, Seattle Washington
1957-1958
Research Fellow, Columbia, Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York
1958-1959
Chief Resident in Medicine, King County Hospital, Seattle, Washington
CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr. Willken's research interests have focused on evaluation and management of serious rheumatoid arthritis using modalities developed to treat primary neoplastic disease. Dr. Willkens demonstrated that Methotrexate, initially shunned by the rheumatology community, was a particularly effective disease modifier and it has now become the agent to which most new therapies are compared. He continues to evaluate the mechanisms of that therapy and its side effects - which include lymphoma. He also studies the incidence and etiology of rheumatoid arthritis in Native Americans in the State of Washington. Together with Dr. Gerald Nepom, he has shown that there is a genetic predilection of this group of people to develop serious and debilitating skeletal immune mediated disease. The presence of a homology of the hyper variable region in the genome of Yakama native americans provides confirmation that this cassette of amino acids is comparable to that demonstrated in other populations around the world. Dr. Willkens continues to evaluate new biologic therapies in combination and in comparison to treatment with methotrexate.
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS
Dawson T, Starkebaum G, Wood W Willkens RF, Gown A, Epstein-Barr virus, methotrexate and lymphoma in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in primary Sjogren’s Syndrome. J Rheum. 2001; 28:27-53.
Willkens RF, Nepom GT, Marks CR, Nettles JW, Nepom BS. Association of HLA-DW16 with rheumatoid arthritis in Yakima Indians: Further Evidence for the "Shared Epitope "Hypothesis Arth Rheum 1991;34:43-47.
Willkens RF, Watson MA, Paxson CG. Low-dose pulse methotrexate therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheum 1980;4:501.
Willkens RF, Blandau RL, Aoyama DT, Beaseley RP. Studies of rheumatoid arthritis among a tribe of Northwest Indians. J Rheum 1976;3:9.
Willkens RF, Gilliland BC, Anderson RV. Response of sensitized rabbits to intra-articular gamma globulin. Arth & Rheum 1968;11:418.