UC Davis Health
Department of Internal Medicine

Lupus Clinical Care Team | UC Davis Health

The Lupus Clinical Care Program

The Lupus Clinical Care Team

Dr. Gulati speaking
Director, Lupus Clinical Care Program

Gaurav Gulati, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A.

Gaurav Gulati is a Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor and serves as the Associate Chief Medical Officer for ambulatory specialties at UC Davis Health. He has more than a decade of experience in clinical, research and clinical trials related to lupus and has published multiple peer reviewed research articles on the subject. He regularly gives talks on lupus to providers, trainees and the broad community and is engaged with multiple organizations in advocacy for lupus.

Meet Our Team

  • Lisa Harris-Chavez, LCSW - Clinical Social Worker
    • The LCSW serves as an integral member of the Lupus SLE team providing assessments, screenings, crisis intervention, care coordination, brief therapeutic interventions, and linkage to community resources. Working with the providers, the LCSW formulates, develops, and implements a comprehensive psychosocial plan of care for our patients, families, and caregivers. 
  • Kristen Lau, PharmD, BCACP - Senior Specialty Clinical Pharmacist - Rheumatology
    • Lau is the lead clinical rheumatology pharmacist at UC Davis Health. She has spent the past five years specializing in immunology, with a strong focus on rheumatology and lupus care. Lau helped expand specialty pharmacy services into the Rheumatology Clinics to better support patients with chronic autoimmune conditions. She works closely with a dedicated team of pharmacists and technicians to ensure patients can access the medications they need—especially high-cost therapies—by helping them navigate insurance approvals and start treatment without unnecessary delays. Lau also provides in-depth medication counseling and teaches injection techniques for self-administered therapies, empowering patients to manage their treatment with confidence. She is passionate about improving access to care and is excited to continue supporting the lupus community through education, advocacy, and collaboration.

  • Morgan Balaban: Morgan is an emerging clinical research professional with education in Global Disease Biology and prior experience as a medical scribe. Her academic foundation has provided her with a strong interdisciplinary understanding of human health, disease mechanisms, and public health systems. In her role as a medical scribe, she honed critical skills in medical documentation, clinician collaboration, and clinical workflow optimization across diverse healthcare settings. More recently, she has transitioned into clinical trials research, contributing to studies in infectious diseases, nephrology, and rheumatology. With a growing interest in translational science and patient-centered research, she is committed to advancing evidence-based care and supporting high-quality clinical research across therapeutic areas.
  • Poonam Prasad: Poonam is a clinical research professional with progressively responsible experience and currently serves as a Clinical Research Supervisor, overseeing study coordinators across four therapeutic areas. With a Master’s in Health Informatics and a certification in clinical research, she brings a strong foundation in data integrity, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency to her burgeoning leadership role. Her experience spans multiple phases of clinical trials, and she is particularly skilled in supporting interdisciplinary teams and optimizing site performance. Passionate about workforce development, she is committed to mentoring research staff and building sustainable research capacity through training, support, and infrastructure development. Her leadership reflects a deep dedication to advancing high-quality, patient-centered clinical research.
  • Elizabeth Robison: Elizabeth has experience as a clinical coordinator in infectious diseases, followed by a transition into regulatory affairs and quality assurance, and is a certified Clinical Research Professional. She brings a strong foundation in clinical and regulatory affairs and data integrity. She has specialized skills in data management and quality assurance practices, ensuring compliance and accuracy across four therapeutic areas. She spearheads the regulatory affairs team across therapeutic areas and helps to develop standard operating procedures and workflow generation. Her work bridges clinical research and regulatory standards, with a focus on maintaining high-quality data to support successful submissions and oversight. Her interdisciplinary expertise allows her to contribute effectively to both operational execution and regulatory readiness.
  • Kate Trigg: Kate is a public health professional with over a decade of progressively responsible experience in clinical research and health systems strengthening. She holds a Master of Public Health, a certification in clinical research coordination, and is currently completing her Doctorate in Public Health, reflecting her deep commitment to advancing evidence-informed practice and policy. Throughout her career, she has led initiatives aimed at improving institutional processes, optimizing research operations, and supporting workforce capacity across diverse clinical settings. Her work bridges operational efficiency with equity-driven research, and she is a strong advocate for enhancing the generalizability of clinical trials to better reflect real-world populations. With a systems-level perspective and a passion for sustainable impact, she continues to drive innovation in clinical research infrastructure and practice.
  • Tammy Yotter: Tammy is a seasoned Clinical Research Nurse with over 20 years of experience in HIV research and a certification in clinical research. She has recently dedicated her time and experience to advancing research studies in lupus. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the design, coordination, and implementation of numerous clinical trials, with a strong focus on patient-centered care, protocol adherence, and ethical research practices. Her work in HIV research has spanned multiple phases of drug development, equipping her with a deep understanding of chronic disease management in diverse populations. More recently, she has brought her clinical expertise and compassionate approach to lupus research, supporting trials that explore innovative therapies for complex autoimmune conditions. Passionate about equity in clinical research, she remains committed to ensuring that all participants receive high-quality care and that underrepresented communities are meaningfully included in scientific discovery.

  • Ashley Feldkamp, M.D.
  • Rohit Gupta, M.D.
  • Joesph Mehrabi, M.D.
  • Jonathan Tran, M.D.

Donate to our Program

Lupus Clinical Care Fund