Una Makris, M.D.

Una Makris, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Division of Rheumatic Diseases.

Originally from Los Angeles, Dr. Makris holds a bachelor's degree in microbiology from the University of California-San Diego. She earned her medical degree at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. She then completed internal medicine residency training at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. She then completed advanced training through a fellowship in rheumatology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. She was a postdoctoral research fellow in clinical epidemiology and aging research at Yale University School of Medicine, and later completed a master's in clinical sciences with distinction at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Rheumatology, Dr. Makris joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2011 as an Assistant Professor. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. She is currently a rheumatologist at the North Texas VA Health Care System in Dallas.

At UT Southwestern, Dr. Makris is a Writing Accountability Group Leader and a mentor to rheumatology residents, fellows, and faculty. She is also a member of the diversity equity and inclusion committee for rheumatology and a Wellness Champion for the Department of Internal Medicine.

Personal Note

Outside of medicine, Dr. Makris enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, enjoying the outdoors, and traveling to visit extended family in California, Greece, and Serbia. 

Undergraduate

University of California-San D (2000), Microbiology

Medical School

George Washington University (2004)

• Behavioral interventions to improve physical activity among older adults with MSK pain and mental health conditions
• Epidemiology of back pain in older adults
• Health coaching and motivational interviewing
• Health services and outcomes research
• Improving outcomes in medically complex older adults with chronic back pain
• Patient-reported outcomes for degenerative musculoskeletal conditions in older adults

Featured Publications

Management of persistent pain in the older patient: a clinical review.

Makris UE, Abrams RC, Gurland B, Reid MC JAMA 2014 Aug 312 8 825-36

Musculoskeletal Pain in Older Adults: A Clinical Review.

Welsh TP, Yang AE, Makris UE, Med Clin North Am 2020 Sep 104 5 855-872

Ethnic Disparities in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Prevalence Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in the United States: a Systematic Review.

Daniel CM, Davila L, Makris UE, Mayo H, Caplan L, Davis L, Solow EB, ACR Open Rheumatol 2020 Sep 2 9 525-532

Comparison of patient-reported outcomes measurement information system and legacy instruments in multiple domains among older veterans with chronic back pain.

Nayfe R, Chansard M, Hynan LS, Mortensen EM, Annaswamy T, Fraenkel L, Makris UE, BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2020 Sep 21 1 598

Time to Completed Visit and Healthcare Utilization among Young Adults Transferring from Pediatric to Adult Rheumatologic Care in a Safety-Net Hospital.

Bitencourt N, Bermas BL, Makris UE, Wright T, Reisch J, Solow EB, Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2020 Sep

Adalimumab-associated psoriasiform rash in an African-American patient.

Chao Y, Hutto J, Keshvani N, Makris UE, BMJ Case Rep 2020 Sep 13 9

Clinical Team Perspectives on the Psychosocial Aspects of Transition to Adult Care for Patients with Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Bitencourt N, Kramer J, Bermas BL, Solow EB, Wright T, Makris UE, Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2020 Sep

Association of Breast Implants with Non-specific Symptoms, Connective Tissue Diseases, and Allergic Reactions: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Barbosa MR, Makris UE, Mansi IA, Plast Reconstr Surg 2020 Sep

Caring for older veterans with chronic low back pain using a geriatric syndrome approach: Rationale and methods for the aging back clinics (ABC) trial.

Weiner DK, Gentili A, Fang MA, Garay E, Annaswamy T, Castle S, Joseph L, Lawson L, Lee CC, Makris UE, Rossi MI, Thorn B, Clemens K, Newman D, Perera S, Contemp Clin Trials 2020 Aug 95 106077

Do Decision Aids Benefit Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain? A Systematic Review.

Bowen E, Nayfe R, Milburn N, Mayo H, Reid MC, Fraenkel L, Weiner D, Halm EA, Makris UE, Pain Med 2019 Dec

 Featured Books

Back Pain in the Older Adult. In Current Geriatrics Diagnosis and Treatment, 2nd Ed.

Makris UE and Cooney LM (2014). New York, NY, McGraw-Hill

Rheumatologic Disease. In Geriatrics Review Syllabus: A Core Curriculum in Geriatric Medicine

Makris UE, Gangavati A (2020). New York, NY, American Geriatrics Society

Back Pain and Spinal Stenosis. In Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, 7th ed.

Makris UE and Reid MC (2016). New York, NY, McGraw-Hill

• UT Southwestern 2020 Leaders in Clinical Excellence Awards
  Mentoring Award (2020)
• Wellness Champion for Department of Medicine, UTSW Office of Faculty Wellness
  Promoting wellness and structural change at UTSW (2019)
• UCSF Tideswell 2018-2019 Emerging Leaders in Aging Scholars Program
  (2018-2019)
• Co-Chair AGS Subspecialty Section at American Geriatrics Society
  Integrating aging and geriatric principles among medical and surgical specialists (2017)
• Rheumatology Research Foundation (RRF) Study Section Member/Reviewer
  Reviewing career development grant applications- clinical (2017-2019)
• Fellow, Summer Institute on Randomized Behavioral Clinical Trials
  NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (2015)
• New Investigator Award
  American Geratrics Society (2015)
• Junior Scholar Travel Grant
  American Geriatrics Society, Comparative Effectiveness Research Conference (2010)
• Young Investigators Initiative Award
  The Grant Mentoring Workshop Program of the United States Bone and Joint Decade (2010)
• Scholar in Autoimmunity Award
  Bristol Meyers Squibb (2009)
• Technical Assistance Workshop Scholarship
  National Institute on Aging (2008)
• Graduated "With Distinction"
  George Washington University School of Medicine (2004)
• Dean's List
  George Washington University School of Medicine (2001-2004)
• Graduated "Cum Laude"
  University of California at San Diego (1999)

• American Geriatrics Society (2010)
• American College of Rheumatology (2007)
• American College of Physicians (2004)