Mohamad Bittar, M.D., M.S.

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Bittar is a rheumatologist with a focus on clinical research and education. He has a special interest in studying the spondyloarthritis family of conditions which includes ankylosing spondylitis (axial spondyloarthritis), psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease-related arthritis, and uveitis. 

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • M.D., 2013, American University of Beirut
    • M.S., The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

  • Internship

    • Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 2015

  • Residency

    • Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 2017

  • Fellowship

    • Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 2019

  • Certifications

    • American Board of Internal Medicine
    • American Board of Internal Medicine in Rheumatology

Memberships and associations:

  • American College of Rheumatology
  • Spondyloarthritis Research Treatment Network
  • Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society

Areas of interest

  • Axial Spondyloarthritis
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Psoriatic Arthritis

Publications

Selected publications

  • Han S, Ferrer J, Bittar M, Jones A. Alopecia secondary to severe discoid lupus responding to anifrolumab. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2023 Jul 25;9(3):e098. doi: 10.1097/JW9.0000000000000098. PMID: 37497192; PMCID: PMC10368378.
  • Bittar M, Khan MA, Magrey M. Axial Spondyloarthritis and Diagnostic Challenges: Overdiagnosis, Misdiagnosis, and Under-diagnosis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2023 Jan 5. doi:10.1007/s11926-022-01096-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36602692
  • Bittar M, Mease P. Novel therapies in axial spondyloarthritis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2022 Dec 22:101811. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2022.101811. Epub ahead of print.PMID: 36566165
  • Zulfiqar B, Aksionav P, Bittar M, Chapman C. A Case of Anti-Jo-1 Myositis with Unique Biopsy Findings. Case Rep Rheumatol. 2022 Jun 6;2022:9096643. doi:10.1155/2022/9096643. PMID: 35707502; PMCID: PMC9192263
  • Bittar M, Merjanah S, Alkilany R, Magrey M. Malignancy in ankylosing spondylitis: a crosssectional analysis of a large population database. BMC Rheumatol. 2022 Jun 30;6(1):44. doi:10.1186/s41927-022-00275-x. PMID: 35768880; PMCID: PMC9245256
  • Bittar M, Yong WC, Magrey M, Khan MA. Worldwide Differences in Clinical Phenotype of Axial Spondyloarthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2021 Sep 29;23(10):76. doi: 10.1007/s11926-021-01043-5. PMID: 34586533
  • Kumthekar A, Bittar M, Dubreuil M. Educational needs and challenges in axial spondyloarthritis. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2021 Jul 1;33(4):313-318. doi:10.1097/BOR.0000000000000806. PMID: 33973547
  • Bittar M., Agarwal S. Sacroiliac involvement in Blau Syndrome. Joint Bone Spine. 2020 Nov7;88(2):105103. doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2020.105103. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33445131
  • S. Kim, M. Bittar, H. Kim, S. Neelapu, A. Zurita, R. Nurieva, M. Suarez-Almazor. Recurrent pseudogout after therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a case report with immunoprofiling of synovial fluid at each flare. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. (2019)7:126
  • M. Fischer, M. Bittar, E. Papa, Z. Kassam, M. Smith. Can you cause inflammatory bowel disease with fecal transplantation? A 31-patient case-series of fecal transplantation using stool from a donor who later developed Crohn's disease, Gut Microbes. 2017; Vol. 8, Iss. 3,2017
  • M. Bittar, I. Uthman. Antiphospholipid Syndrome Novel Therapies, EMJ Rheumatol.2014;1:113-121

Publications