Associate Professor of Medicine; Director of the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and Injection Clinic; Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program
Dr. Jemima (“Myma”) Albayda is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She holds several key leadership positions, including Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program and Director of the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and Injection Clinic. Dr. Albayda is a highly respected clinician at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, where she provides expert care for patients with inflammatory muscle diseases.
Dr. Albayda has earned a national and international reputation for her skill and expertise in musculoskeletal ultrasound for rheumatic diseases. She is a graduate of the USSONAR program and serves as a mentor for the organization, actively contributing to the education and training of fellows and physicians in the field. She was a past chair for the American College of Rheumatology Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Education Committee. Her commitment to education and advancing the use of ultrasound in rheumatology is a recognized strength of the fellowship program at Johns Hopkins.
In addition to her clinical and educational leadership, Dr. Albayda is a dedicated researcher with a focus on inflammatory myopathies, particularly inclusion body myositis. Her research explores the use of imaging biomarkers, including muscle ultrasound and MRI, to improve the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of these complex conditions. She is a pioneer in the development of muscle ultrasound for the evaluation of myositis and leads workshops dedicated to advancing this technique for clinical and research use. She was also the Principal Investigator for a clinical trial of Pioglitazone for Inclusion Body Myositis, which demonstrated metabolic alterations in IBM and explored the use of mitochondrial upregulators for this disease. Her work also extends to the study of inflammatory arthritis and the development of machine-learning-based imaging analysis.
Dr. Albayda is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine in Rheumatology and a member of the American College of Rheumatology. She is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Discovery Award and was a Jerome L. Greene Scholar. She is a deeply trusted and highly regarded physician, known for her clinical judgement, compassion and professionalism– qualities reflected in her outstanding patient satisfaction ratings and strong referral base.
Education and Training:
- Fellowship, Rheumatology: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Residency, Internal Medicine: New York Downtown Hospital–Weill Cornell Medical College (Chief Resident)
- Medical Degree: University of Santo Tomas, Philippines (Cum Laude)
- Advanced Training:
- USSONAR (Ultrasound School of North American Rheumatologists) Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Certification
- EULAR (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology) Advanced Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Certification
- Summer School of Myology, Institute de Myologie, Paris
Selected Publications:
1. Albayda J, Pinal-Fernandez I, Huang W, et al. Anti–nuclear matrix protein 2 autoantibodies and clinical features in dermatomyositis. Arthritis Care Res. 2017.
2. Albayda J, Christopher-Stine L, Bingham CO III, et al. Pattern of muscle involvement in inclusion body myositis: a sonographic study. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2018.
3. Albayda J, Dein E, Shah AA, et al. Sonographic findings in immune checkpoint inhibitor–associated arthritis. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2019.
4. Leeuwenberg KE, van Alfen N, Christopher-Stine L, Paik JJ, Tiniakou E, Mecoli C, Doorduin J, Saris CGJ, Albayda J. Ultrasound can differentiate inclusion body myositis from disease mimics. Muscle Nerve. 2020;61(6):783-788.
5. Albayda J, Mecoli C, Casciola-Rosen L, Danoff SK, Lin CT, Hines D, Gutierrez-Alamillo L, Paik JJ, Tiniakou E, Mammen AL, Christopher-Stine L. A north American cohort of anti-SAE dermatomyositis: clinical phenotype testing, and review of cases. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2021;3(5):287-294.
6. Kuchinad K, Nadeem M, Mehta A, Wu DS, Harris CM, Albayda J. Palliative care utilization in inclusion body myositis. J Clin Rheumatol. 2023.
7. Paik JJ, Casciola-Rosen L, Shin JY, Albayda J, et al. Tofacitinib in refractory dermatomyositis (STIR study).Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021.
8. Yoshida T, Inoue M, Kumon Y, Takamatsu N, Nozaki T, Albayda J, Izumi Y. Usefulness of skeletal muscle ultrasound as a screening test for sarcopenia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Int J Rheum Dis. 2024 Jul;27(7):e15257.
Review articles:
1. Albayda J, van Alfen N. Diagnostic value of muscle ultrasound for myopathies and myositis. Curr Rheumatol Rep.2020.
2. Albayda J, Demonceau G, Carlier PG. Muscle imaging in myositis: MRI, US and PET. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2022.
3. Yoshida T, Albayda J. Imaging Modalities in Myositis: A Clinical Review. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2024 Nov;50(4):641-659.
4. Yoshida T, Albayda J. Practical utilization of sonography for the assessment of muscle diseases in rheumatology. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2025 Mar 13:102055. Online head of print
Case reports:
1. Albayda J, Hayes LR, Christopher-Stine L. Dancing muscles: the value of real-time ultrasound evaluation of muscle in myositis and mimics. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021;60(8):e275-e276.
2. Molina E, Albayda, J. Getting under the skin: ultrasound in dermatomyositis. Scand J Rheumatol. 2021;50(6):497-499.
3. Molina E, Christopher-Stine L, *Albayda J. On the nose: anti-MDA-5 dermatomyositis manifesting as perinasal swelling. Case Rep Dermatol 2022;14(1): 1-5.
4. Castillo R and *Albayda J. Refractory alopecia universalis associated with dermatomyositis successfully treated with tofacitinib. Mod Rheumatol Case Rep. 2022;6(2):199-202.
5. Gelber AC, Smith LN, Orbai AM, Son JJ, Albayda J, Zapata R, Wu TD, Lechtzin N. Snap, crackle and pop: From a painful finger to progressive dyspnea to popping neck pain. AM J Med. 2023 Feb;136(2):143-146.
6. Sengupta S, Law B, Sennett R, Jedrych JJ, Albayda J, Kang JK. Ruloxitinib for refractory PL-12 antisynthetase syndrome-associated angioedema-like panniculitis with clonal T-cell receptor gene rearrangement. JAMA Dermatol. 2024 Mar 1;160(3):363-366.
7. Mathias K, Konig MF, Lloyd T, Albayda J. Sarcoid myopathy: an insidious diagnosis that can mimic inclusion body myositis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2024 Sept 1:63(9):e266-e267.
