Faculty & Scientific Staff

Dr. Lord earned his doctorate in immunology from the University of Washington (UW), conducting research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and BRI. He subsequently earned his medical degree at UW, where he completed an internal medicine residency and advanced training in gastroenterology through a clinical research fellowship.

As part of that training, he returned to BRI, where he studied the role of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the lab of Steven Ziegler, PhD. In 2010, he joined Virginia Mason Medical Center as a gastroenterologist and currently specializes in the care of people with the disease at the Center for Digestive Health.

Dr. Lord’s work is focused on understanding the mucosal immune system and the processes that contribute to IBD. Since 2006, he has developed an extensive collection of blood and intestinal tissue samples and associated data from individuals with and without the disease. He uses these resources to compare circulating and intestinal immune cells and to investigate how their characteristics relate to clinical features and genetic risk factors. 

He also examines the molecules and signaling pathways that regulate immune cell function, including interactions between Tregs and other mucosal immune cells such as dendritic cells. Through this research, Dr. Lord seeks to better understand the immune mechanisms underlying IBD.