Ioannis Parodis

Ioannis Parodis

Adjunct Lecturer | Docent

Associate Professor at KI and Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital. Research in lupus and medical pedagogy, with broad engagement in education and curriculum development.

Visiting address: D2:01, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, 17177 Stockholm
Postal address: K2 Medicin, Solna, K2 Reuma Jakobsson P Parodis I, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • MD PhD

    Senior consultant rheumatologist | Associate Professor of Rheumatology

    I studied medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and graduated in 2006. I am Associate Professor of Rheumatology at Karolinska Institutet and Senior Consultant Rheumatologist at Karolinska University Hospital.

    My work combines clinical and translational research in inflammation and autoimmunity with a broad commitment to medical education and pedagogy. My research focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis, with particular emphasis on biomarkers, treatment response, long-term outcomes, and precision medicine approaches.

    At Karolinska Institutet, I serve as Coordinator for the Elective Courses of the Medical Programme and as Assistant Course Coordinator and Examiner in clinical medicine. At Karolinska University Hospital, I am Coordinator for Education at the Unit of Gastroenterology, Dermatology and Rheumatology.

    My educational work spans course leadership, curriculum development, internationalisation, interprofessional learning, and collaboration between the university and healthcare services.

    I am also engaged in medical education research, including the development and evaluation of new pedagogical modalities such as virtual patients supported by artificial intelligence and social robotics, with the aim of strengthening clinical reasoning, communication skills, and interprofessional learning.

Research

  • My research aims to improve the follow-up, treatment, and long-term outcomes of people living with systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis. We focus on identifying biomarkers that reflect disease activity and predict flares, treatment response or non-response, and long-term prognosis. Particular emphasis is placed on B-cell biology, targeted therapies, and molecular stratification in autoimmune disease.

    Our work integrates data from local and international cohorts, clinical trials, and multi-omics platforms to support more precise diagnostics, prognostication, and treatment decisions in SLE and lupus nephritis. Patient-reported health and patient participation are also important components of our work.

    In parallel, I lead projects in medical pedagogy. These include the development and scientific evaluation of novel virtual patient modalities combining AI and social robotics to support clinical reasoning, communication, and interprofessional learning in healthcare education.

Teaching

  • At Karolinska Institutet, I am Coordinator for the Elective Courses of the Medical Programme and engage in course coordination of several courses within clinical medicine. I previously served as Director of Studies for the elective curriculum in the former 5.5-year medical programme and have also held roles in curriculum development and internationalisation.

    My teaching and leadership experience includes course coordination and examination in internal medicine, curriculum implementation, and development of elective and clinical courses. I have served in the Curriculum Committee of the six-year medical programme, contributed to the PIL committee for alternative selection to the medical programme, and take part in the LINK committee in relation to international exchange opportunities.

    At Karolinska University Hospital, I am Coordinator for Education at the Unit of Gastroenterology, Dermatology and Rheumatology. I work actively to strengthen collaboration between KI, healthcare services, and external partners, including interprofessional learning and clinical placements. I have also been engaged in national and international educational development, including work on clinical reasoning within the European DID-ACT consortium.

    Doctoral supervision

    Completed doctoral students

    Serving as main supervisor:

    • Shahrzad Kia Komujuni (Karolinska Institutet)
    • Alvaro Gomez Gonzalez (Karolinska Institutet)
    • Julius Lindblom (Karolinska Institutet)
    • Alexander Borg (Karolinska Institutet)

    Ongoing doctoral students

    Serving as main supervisor:

    • Sandra Jägerback (Karolinska Institutet)
    • Denis Lagutkin (Karolinska Institutet)
    • Alexander Tsoi (Karolinska Institutet)

    Serving as co-supervisor:

    • Tomas Walhelm (Linköping University)
    • Kinza Degerlund Maldi (Karolinska Institutet)
    • Islam Metwally (University of Eastern Finland)

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2026 - 31 December 2028
    Autoimmune diseases are chronic incurable diseases caused by the interplay of genetic and environmental factors which result in a dysregulation of the immune system, where B cells contribute by presenting autoantigens to T cells and by producing autoantibodies.  This has made B-cell depletion treatment (BCTD) a suitable therapeutic strategy for autoimmunity. Today, new modalities of BCTD using engineered T cells (CAR T) and T-cell engagers may offer advantages over protein-based approaches used in the last decades (eg, monoclonal antibodies) ensuring a deeper tissue-level depletion correlating with a better clinical response. This study, conducted at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, aims to investigate the mechanistic process of immune resetting following BCTD in systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and systemic sclerosis. Cellular and molecular analyses of blood and lymph node tissues before and after treatment comparing three BCDT modalities (CAR T, T-cell engagers, monoclonal antibodies against B cells) will be performed in relation to the clinical effects of these treatments, using immune phenotyping, single cell transcriptomics, and spatial proteomic characterization. The knowledge generated from this project will ultimately help in personalized medicine, to make clinically relevant decisions based on molecular characterization of each patient’s disease phenotype.
  • European Commission
    1 March 2024 - 28 February 2027
    Almost all current healthcare systems are based on treating individuals who are already ill, relying on periodic interventions when health is compromised, and health problems hinder normal functioning. This approach is becoming increasingly financially unsustainable, and healthcare funding is in a continuous crisis at a global level. In the field of health promotion, glycans (complex oligosaccharides) have the highest biomarker potential since they integrate genetic, epigenetic and lifestyle factors, making them more similar to complex diseases than any other class of molecules. Researchers in Genos pioneered high-throughput glycomics 15 years ago, which enabled glycomics to become integrated in multiple large epidemiological and clinical studies. Through active participation in multiple EU-funded projects, including 3TR and SYSCID that are formal requirement for this application, researchers in Genos analysed over 200,000 individual glycomes and identified several potential glycan biomarkers. General objective of the SynHealth project is to valorise the potential of these research discoveries (glycan biomarkers) and prepare them for ERDF funding and subsequent exploitation in two Croatian and one Slovenian regions together with the University of Maribor. This will be achieved with the support of past Horizon partners Karolinska Institute and University of Liege. Innovation capacity and technology uptake will be further supported by the dedicated innovation management and technology transfer partner F6S, and GlycanAge SME partner that actively commercialises glycan biomarkers in the general health and wellness sector. Adoption of glycan biomarkers for personalised preventive healthcare will be demonstrated in real world setting and supported through a network of partners in the region. This will all prepare discoveries from past Horizon projects (glycan biomarkers) for future translation into clinical diagnostic biomarkers through support of ERDF funding.

Employments

  • Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-2028

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2021
  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 2017

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