Ali Askari, MD

About

Ali D. Askari, MD, is the immediate past director of the Division of Rheumatology and the Rheumatology Fellowship at University Hospitals, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and is board-certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. His areas of expertise include fibromyalgia, lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory myopathies and other adult rheumatological diseases. During his more than 50-year career at UH, Dr. Askari has distinguished himself as a leading physician, teacher and researcher in the field of rheumatology.

Dr. Askari earned his medical degree at Tehran University in Tehran, Iran. He completed his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in rheumatology at UH/Case Western Reserve University, where he served as chief resident.

Dr. Askari has been an active staff member at UH since 1974 and spent 20 years as director of the rheumatology fellowship program at UH/Case Western Reserve University. During his years as division and fellowship director, Dr. Askari trained 100 rheumatologists who are now academic practitioners all over the world. He continues with his teaching and instruction of fellows at UH and Case Western Reserve University.

Through his research, Dr. Askari has made significant academic contributions in the areas of complications of myopathies, neuromuscular problems with Sjögren’s syndrome, innovative treatment of relapsing polychondritis, the first treatment of Behcet’s disease with Colchicine in the U.S., complications of joint hypermobility, the similarity of periodontis to rheumatoid arthritis, and the treatment of these refractory conditions. Dr. Askari’s prolific research has resulted in the publication of more than 50 articles and numerous abstracts in prominent medical journals.

Dr. Askari has been an active member of numerous committees and professional organizations throughout his career. He served as president of the board of directors for the National Sjogren’s Syndrome Association, is a member of the American Medical Association, and was on the board of directors for Academy of Medicine for two terms. He was the chairman of the Lupus Foundation, vice president of the Arthritis Foundation Cleveland chapter, and served as president of the Cleveland Society of Rheumatology twice. He is a founding fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Awards and achievements that Dr. Askari has earned throughout his career include the American College of Rheumatology Masters Award, Top Physicians Award, and the Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans. In 2019, he was named a University Hospitals Distinguished Physician, an honor bestowed on only a select few UH physicians each year.