Wambui Machua, MD

Dr. Wambui Machua’s journey to becoming a champion for patients with lupus began with a diagnosis of her own. Inspired as a teenager in Kenya by a local pediatrician, Dr. Machua set her sights on medicine. But during medical school, everything changed — she was diagnosed with lupus, endured heart failure and even slipped into a coma. Waking up from that coma, Dr. Machua found a new calling: to become a rheumatologist and transform care for patients like herself.

When Dr. Machua began practicing in Atlanta, she quickly realized that access to rheumatology care — and to clinical trials — was almost nonexistent for many patients in the community beyond the academic medical setting. Determined to change this, she joined one of the largest health systems in the region and set out to bring clinical research to a practice that had never hosted a trial in its 30-year history. With mentorship from a renowned lupus researcher, Dr. Machua negotiated with sponsors, built infrastructure from scratch and launched clinical studies that opened doors for patients who had never had access before.

Over the past decade, Dr. Machua has led more than 20 clinical studies in lupus and rheumatic diseases, always with a focus on reaching minority and underserved populations. Even in 2025, she notes, many patients remain wary of clinical research — a challenge that inspired her to create a patient registry and return data directly to the community. “The registry is more than just a database — it’s a bridge between patients and research. By sharing back what we learn, we empower patients to understand their disease, ask better questions and become true partners in their care.”

Education is central to Dr. Machua’s mission. She organizes patient symposia, connects individuals to the treatment resources and builds platforms for information exchange — helping patients understand symptoms, treatment options and the importance of advocacy. “Too many patients don’t know the basics about their disease,” she says. “We have to meet them where they are and give them the tools to be their own advocates.”

A pivotal moment in Dr. Machua’s career came with a grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, an independent charitable organization which supported her work to expand clinical research in underserved communities. This support allowed her to dedicate more time to community outreach, data analysis and the development of informatics tools to predict high-risk patients.

Dr. Machua’s story is one of resilience, innovation and unwavering commitment to equity. By bridging the gap between patient and physician, research and real life, she is building a future where every patient has a voice — and a champion — in their corner.