IOWG is honored to host Alexa Meara, MD, MS, rheumatologist and pioneer in the management of autoimmune complications arising from cancer immunotherapy.
Dr. Meara serves as Associate Professor in the Division of Oncology of the The James Cancer Hospital at OSU Wexner Medical Center.
After earning her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Meara completed her internal medicine residency at East Carolina University (ECU) and Vidant Medical Center later serving as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine. Following her chief year, she was appointed Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine at ECU.
Dr. Meara pursued fellowship training in Rheumatology at The Ohio State University (OSU) and subsequently completed two additional years of research fellowship, earning a Master of Medical Science degree.
Her clinical practice includes directing a specialized Immunotherapy Management Clinic, focused on managing autoimmune complications arising from cancer immunotherapy. Her research centers on understanding immune-related adverse events (irAEs), with the goal of classifying and treating these autoimmune sequelae while preserving the antitumor efficacy of immunotherapy.
Through this work, Dr. Meara co-founded the Alliance for Support and Prevention of Immune-Related Adverse Events (ASPirE), a collaborative network of academic physicians dedicated to education and evidence generation in this emerging field. She also established The Foundation for Autoimmune Cancer Support, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that amplifies the patient voice and fosters community bridging autoimmune disease and cancer, and redefining survivorship as thrivorship.
In addition to her clinical and research roles, Dr. Meara teaches pre-clinical learners the fundamentals of history-taking and physical examination and serves as a Success Coach for residents and fellows through the Graduate Medical Education office.
