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Kyriakos A. Kirou, MD, DSc, FACP

Rheumatology

About Dr. Kirou

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Dr. Kyriakos A. Kirou, Associate Attending Physician at Hospital for Special Surgery, is a physician-scientist in the field of academic rheumatology. He has a special interest in the research and treatment of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Profile Video

Departments

Specialized Centers

Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Diseases
Lupus and APS Center of Excellence
Lupus Nephritis Program

Special Expertise

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Lupus Nephritis
Lupus and Pregnancy
Anti-phospholipid Syndrome
Vasculitis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Psoriatic Arthritis 
Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma)
Inflammatory Myositis

Patient Stories

Videos

Patient ratings for Dr. Kirou

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Insurance

Please call our office if you have questions regarding your insurance coverage. If you have out-of-network benefits, then your insurance may reimburse you for a portion of your office visit. We will work with you and your insurance to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Financial assistance may be available for patients in need.

Credentials

Appointments

Director, Lupus Nephritis Program, Hospital for Special Surgery
Clinical Co-Chief, Lupus Clinic, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Attending Physician, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Scientist, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Attending Physician, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell
Associate Clinical Member, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College

Affiliations

American College of Rheumatology, Fellow
American College of Physicians, Fellow
Arthritis Foundation Member, Member
Hellenic Medical Society of New York, Member
New York Rheumatism Association, Member
National Psoriasis Foundation, Member

Certification

American Board of Internal Medicine, 1995, 2005, 2015
American Board of Rheumatology, 1998, 2008, 2018

Awards

Best Doctors in America, 2019
America’s Best Physicians. Natl Consumer Advisory Board, 2017
HSS Division of Rheumatology Teaching Excellence Award, 2017
HSS Division of Rheumatology Teaching Excellence Award, 2007 
ACR Annual Slide Competition, Third Place, 2006
NIAID/NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (KO8), 2003
ACR/REF Global Arthritis Research Network Travel Grant, 2002
Merck 2000 Rheumatology Young Investigator, 2000
Extended Fellowship Grant Award (3 years), The SLE Foundation Inc., 1999
Fellowship Grant Award, Arthritis Foundation, New York Chapter, 1998 
ACR/REF Travel Award, 1998

Education

MD, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
DSc, National University of Athens, Greece

Residency

Internal Medicine, New York Hospital of Queens, Flushing, New York

Fellowship

Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery

State Licensure

Languages

English, Greek

For My Patients

Publications by Dr. Kirou

Patient Education

Professional Education

Blog Posts

Selected Journal Articles

Crow MK, Kirou KA. Hydroxychloroquine and lupus flare: a good drug, but we need to do better. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022; doi: annrheumdis-2021-221590 [pii].

Atisha-Fregoso Y, Malkiel S, Harris KM, Byron M, Ding L, Kanaparthi S, Barry WT, Gao W, Ryker K, Tosta P, Askanase AD, Boackle SA, Chatham WW, Kamen DL, Karp DR, Kirou KA, Sam Lim S, Marder B, McMahon M, Parikh SV, Pendergraft III WF, Podoll AS, Saxena A, Wofsy D, Diamond B, Smilek DE, Aranow C, Dall’Era M. Phase II Randomized Trial of Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide Followed by Belimumab for the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021;73:121-31; doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/art.41466.

Mavragani CP, Kirou KA, Nezos A, Seshan S, Wild T, Wahl SM, Moutsopoulos HM, Crow MK. Expression of APOBEC family members as regulators of endogenous retroelements and malignant transformation in systemic autoimmunity. Clin Immunol. 2021;223:108649; doi: S1521-6616(20)30809-3 [pii].

Gkrouzman E, Peng M, Davis-Porada J, Kirou KA. Venous Thromboembolic Events in African American Lupus Patients are Less Likely Associated with Antiphospholipid Antibodies Compared to Caucasians. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2020; doi: 10.1002/acr.24508 [doi].

Morand EF, Furie R, Tanaka Y, Bruce IN, Askanase AD, Richez C, Bae SC, Brohawn PZ, Pineda L, Berglind A, Tummala R, TULIP-2 Trial Investigators. Trial of Anifrolumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:211-21; doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1912196 [doi].

Crow MK, Olferiev M, Kirou KA. Type I Interferons in Autoimmune Disease. Annu Rev Pathol. 2019;14:369-93; doi: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-020117-043952 [doi].

Fernandez D, Kirou KA. What Causes Lupus Flares?. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2016;18:14-3; doi: 10.1007/s11926-016-0562-3 [doi].

Pan N, Amigues I, Lyman S, Duculan R, Aziz F, Crow MK, Kirou KA. A surge in anti-dsDNA titer predicts a severe lupus flare within six months. Lupus. 2014;23:293-8; doi: 10.1177/0961203313515763.

Kirou KA, Gkrouzman E. Anti-interferon alpha treatment in SLE. Clinical Immunology. 2013;148:303-12; doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2013.02.013.

Kirou KA, Lee C, George S, Louca K, Peterson MG, Crow MK. Activation of the interferon-alpha pathway identifies a subgroup of systemic lupus erythematosus patients with distinct serologic features and active disease. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:1491-503; doi: 10.1002/art.21031 [doi].

Kirou KA, Lee C, George S, Louca K, Papagiannis IG, Peterson MG, Ly N, Woodward RN, Fry KE, Lau AY, Prentice JG, Wohlgemuth JG, Crow MK. Coordinate overexpression of interferon-alpha-induced genes in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 2004;50:3958-67; doi: 10.1002/art.20798 [doi].

For more publications, please see the PubMed listing.

Research

Dr. Kyriakos Kirou has been very active in the translational and clinical research of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our studies, along with those of others, have identified the important role of type I IFN in the pathogenesis of lupus, and have paved the way for better understanding of this disease and the development of new lupus therapeutic targets. We have been part of the Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) and the Lupus Nephritis Trials Network and actively participating in important clinical trials for lupus and lupus nephritis at HSS.

Research Videos

Clinical Trials

Industry Relationships

Industry Relationships

One of the goals of HSS is to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and related disciplines for the benefit of patients. Physicians at HSS may collaborate with outside companies for education, research and medical advances. HSS supports this collaboration in order to foster medical breakthroughs; however HSS also believes that these collaborations must be disclosed.

As part of the disclosure process, this website lists physician collaborations with outside companies. The disclosures are provided by information provided by the physician and other sources and are updated regularly. Further information may be available on individual company websites.

Below are the healthcare industry relationships reported by Dr. Kirou as of March 23, 2023.

  • Aurinia Phamaceuticals - Advisory Board
  • Ensign Pharmaceutical/Shannon Pharmaceuticals - Consultant

By disclosing the collaborations of HSS physicians with industry on this website, HSS and its physicians make this information available to their patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest Policy does not permit physicians to collect royalties on products developed by him/her that are used on patients at HSS.

Patients should feel free to ask their HSS physicians questions about these relationships.

Dr. Kirou in the News