Pauline Ho

Pauline Ho is a Clinical Professor and MAHSC Honorary Clinical Chair at The University of Manchester's Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. She is a Consultant Rheumatologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary and leads musculoskeletal ultrasound services in Northwest England. Her research focuses on psoriatic arthritis genetics, inflammatory arthritis biomarkers, and clinical trial design for autoimmune therapies. She holds honorary professorships and fellowships including FRCP (Royal College of Physicians) and MRC-funded clinical research awards.

Education:

• BSc Biochemistry (University of Wales, 1992)
• MBBCh Medicine (University of Wales, 1995)
• MSc Clinical Rheumatology (University of Manchester, 2002)
• PhD in Psoriatic Arthritis Genetics (University of Manchester, 2007)

Research Interests: Integrating genetic, immunological, and clinical data to understand autoimmune disease mechanisms. Specializes in psoriatic arthritis pathogenesis, musculoskeletal imaging innovations, and translational research linking biomarkers to clinical outcomes. Leads studies involving ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy and phase II/III clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis prevention.

Awards: Recipient of the MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship, MAHSC Honorary Clinical Chair (2023), and Honorary Professor title (2023).

Grants & Trials: Principal investigator for commercial/academic studies including the APIPPRA phase 2b trial evaluating abatacept in rheumatoid arthritis high-risk patients. Active in observational and interventional drug studies involving immunomodulatory therapies.

Labs/Teams: Kellgren Centre for Rheumatology clinical research hub and collaborative networks with BritPACT (British Psoriatic Arthritis Consortium) and GRAPPA (Psoriasis/Arthritis research group).