Dr. Tamara N. Alliston is the Scientific Director of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal (NIAMS), Skin Diseases Scientific Director of Intramural Research and leads the NIAMS Intramural Research Program (IRP). Along with planning, coordinating and directing the scientific research programs of the NIAMS IRP, her key responsibilities include recruiting and retaining world- class investigators and charting the future direction of IRP research.
Before joining NIAMS, Dr. Alliston was a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She earned a doctoral degree in cell biology from Baylor College of Medicine and pursued her post-doctoral research at UCSF.
At NIAMS, Dr. Tamara Alliston leads an independent research program focused on multi-scale mechanisms of skeletal disease to advance therapeutic strategies. Her lab has uncovered key roles for osteocytes in skeletal fragility and arthritis, particularly in aging and diabetes. She previously directed UCSF’s Musculoskeletal Center and NIH-supported Core Center for Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine. A committed mentor, Dr. Alliston has led NIH training programs and held leadership roles in professional societies. Her contributions have earned her several honors, including the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Adele L. Boskey Award and Orthopaedic Research Society awards for mentoring and women’s leadership.
