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Dr. Denise L. Faustman has worked in the field of autoimmunity for over 15 years and has made some of the key discoveries regarding the role of MHC Class I antigen presentation in immunity. Her earlier research achievements include introducing the concept of modifying antigens on donor tissues to prevent their rejection, a scientific accomplishment that is now in human clinical trials for diverse human diseases treatable with cellular transplants. In 2001, her lab reversed type 1 diabetes in mice with end-stage disease, a project that is now being translated into human clinical trials. Her current research continues to focus on uncovering new treatments for type 1 diabetes, as well as searching for therapies for other autoimmune diseases, including Crohn's disease, lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Faustman is director of the Immunobiology Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. After completing her internship, residency, and fellowships in internal medicine and endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Faustman became an independent investigator at Massachusetts General and Harvard Medical School in 1987.

She is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and serves as a frequent member of the Institute of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr. Faustman received the 2003 Changing the Face of Medicine award from the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine. In 2005, she was given the Oprah Achievement Award, honoring the Top Health Breakthrough by a Female Scientist.  In 2006, Dr. Faustman received the Women in Science Award from the American Medical Women's Association and Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company, for a woman physician who has made exceptional contributions to medical science through basic science publications and through leadership in the field.