2020 RheumNow Live Speakers

Clowse, Megan
Megan Clowse, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University and a leading reproductive rheumatologist. She is the Director of the Duke Autoimmunity in Pregnancy Registry, where she has cared for and studied over 600 pregnancies in women with rheumatic disease over the past decade. She is a member of the Core Leadership team for the development of the inaugural Reproductive Health Guidelines for the American College of Rheumatology. She has developed www.LupusPregnancy.org to improve the ability of rheumatologists to provide effective pregnancy planning and management for women with lupus.
Costner, Melissa Melissa Costner, M.D. is a founding member of the Rheumatologic Dermatology Society, and has passionately cared for and published about her clinical experience with patients with rheumatologic skin disease for the last 25 years.
Cronstein, Bruce 'Dr. Cronstein received his BA in History from Lake Forest College, his MD from the University of Cincinnati and subsequent training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Cronstein’s early work was the first demonstration that adenosine, acting at cellular receptors, inhibits neutrophil function and possesses strong anti-inflammatory effects. In subsequent work he demonstrated that adenosine mediates most of the anti-inflammatory effects of low dose methotrexate, the gold standard drug in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. In other studies Dr. Cronstein first discovered the role of adenosine and its receptors in wound healing, fibrosis and scarring, fatty liver and hepatic cirrhosis and, more recently, the role of adenosine and its A2A receptor in maintaining cartilage homeostasis and treating osteoarthritis. Dr. Cronstein is the 2013 recipient of the Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Research in Arthritis from the Arthritis Foundation, the 2019 recipient of the Distinguished Basic Scientist Award from the American College of Rheumatology and held numerous positions with the American College of Rheumatology, most recently as a member of the Board of Directors. He holds leadership positions at the NYU School of Medicine including as the founding Director of the NYU-HHC Clinical and Translational Science Institute and as the Director of the Division of Translational Medicine of the Department of Medicine.'
Cush, John John J. Cush, MD Professor of Internal Medicine The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas Executive Editor, RheumNow.com John J. Cush, MD, is a professor of internal medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He is a rheumatologist, clinical researcher, and medical educator. Dr. Cush received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his rheumatology training at The University of Texas Health Science Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Dr. Cush’s research has focused on translational immunology and novel drug development. His career interests and expertise are rooted in rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, Still’s disease, drug safety, biologic and novel therapies, pregnancy and spondyloarthritis. His expertise and research in the field of rheumatology is chronicled in over 140 journal articles, and numerous textbook chapters. Dr. Cush has co-authored the medical texts, Rheumatology: Diagnosis and Therapeutics (2nd edition, 2005), Rheumatoid Arthritis: Diagnosis and Treatment (4th edition, 2014) and the free, on-line textbook RheumaKnowledgy.com (2014). He has authored the chapter on “The evaluation of the musculoskeletal complaint” n Harrisons Principals of Internal Medicine from the 11th edition (1987) to the current 20th edition (2018). He is the executive editor of RheumNow.com - a news, information and education network dedicated to rheumatologists. He has served on the Arthritis Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration, held numerous leadership positions for the American College of Rheumatology, and editorial positions for the Journal of Rheumatology, Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism and is past editor of the ACR's Hotline and Drug Safety Quarterly.
Dalbeth, Nicola 'Professor Nicola Dalbeth is a rheumatologist who holds dual appointments at the University of Auckland and at Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand.




She is a principal investigator in the Auckland Bone and Joint Research Group. She leads a research programme focusing on the mechanisms, impact and treatment of crystal arthritis.'
Deodhar, Atul Atul A. Deodhar, MD, MRCP, FACR, FACP




Atul A. Deodhar, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of rheumatology clinics at the Division of Arthritis & Rheumatic Diseases in Oregon Health & Science University, Portland. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology; and is a fellow of the American College of Rheumatology, and also American College of Physicians.




Dr. Deodhar is a past-chair of SPARTAN (Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network), an organization of North American Rheumatologists dedicated to education and research in the field of axial spondyloarthritis. He also serves on the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) treatment guidelines sub-committee, and is the associate editor of the Advanced Rheumatology Course by Association of Health Professionals in Rheumatology (ARHP). He has served the ACR in various other capacities as a vice chair of the annual meeting planning committee, member of the peripheral MRI task force, Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) nominating committee and developer of the ARHP online advanced rheumatology course. Dr. Deodhar serves on the Rheumatology Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)




Dr. Deodhar is a reviewer for Arthritis & Rheumatology, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Annals of Internal Medicine, among several other journals. His research interests are axial spondyloarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. He has authored 3 books, over 150 peer-reviewed articles; several book chapters, and editorials. Dr. Deodhar has been a guest editor for Best Practice and Research Clinical Rheumatology, and Current Opinion in Rheumatology. He has been a principal or co-investigator in more than 100 clinical trials, mostly focused on therapies for ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.




He completed his fellowship in rheumatology at Oregon Health & Science University, and before that, a research fellowship in rheumatology at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, England. He completed his residency in internal medicine and geriatrics at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, as well as in the Sassoon General Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Pune, India. He received his MBBS and MD degrees from the University of Pune, India; and the MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians, London, England.'
Fleischmann, Roy Roy M Fleischmann, MD




Dr Fleischmann is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and co- Medical Director of the Metroplex Clinical Research Center in Dallas. Dr. Fleischmann graduated from Columbia College, received his MD from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center and his fellowship in rheumatology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City. He is board certified in internal medicine with subspecialty certification in rheumatology.




Although in private practice, Dr. Fleischmann has authored over 250 manuscripts which have been published in peer-reviewed journals and has authored over 450 abstracts which have been presented at rheumatology meetings world-wide.




Dr. Fleischmann has helped design, implement and reported the results of studies on virtually every medication approved for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. He has been an invited speaker at many international rheumatology meetings and symposia worldwide in which he has discussed the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Fleischmann was an early proponent of the aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and the importance of measuring disease activity to help guide treatment decisions.




He is a Master of the American College of Rheumatology, an Overseas Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a former President of the Texas Rheumatism Association, and a former President of the Dallas–Fort Worth Rheumatism Association. He has served on the finance committee of the American College of Rheumatology and the Fund-Raising Committee of the Research and Education Foundation of the ACR. He has presented frequently at the ACR and EULAR annual meetings. He is Editor of Rheumatology and Therapy and on the Editorial Board of the Annals of Rheumatic Disease and RMD Open, He was selected as being in the top 5% of reviewers for Arthritis and Rheumatology and the Annals of Internal Medicine.




He has been recognized as an outstanding clinician by D magazine, Texas Monthly and has been selected as one of Americas Best Physician numerous times.
Giles, Jon Jon T Giles, MD MPH
Biographical Snapshot
B.A. (Biochemistry): The University of Virginia
M.D.: Vanderbilt University

M.P.H.: Johns Hopkins University

Residency (Internal Medicine):The University of California, San Diego

Fellowship (Rheumatology):Johns Hopkins University

Current Position:Associate Professor of Medicine

Affiliation: Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons


Dr. Giles’s research interests are centered primarily within the inflammatory arthritides. Current projects center around understanding the inflammatory and non-inflammatory determinants of body composition abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, and their subsequent effects on health outcomes. Other current and past research involve the investigation of accelerated atherosclerosis and myocardial dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis patients, understanding the determinants of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease, and exploring the musculoskeletal side-effects of a class of medications used to suppress estrogen in women with certain forms of breast cancer. He is the recipient of grant support from the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, the Rheumatology Research Foundation, the Marianne Legato Foundation, and the Arthritis National Research Foundation.'
Hausmann, Jonathan 'I am a pediatric and adult rheumatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). I specialize in the care of adolescents and young adults with rheumatic diseases and in treating children and adults with autoinflammatory diseases. My research interests include autoinflammatory diseases, health technology, and medical education.




I graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Amherst College and attended medical school at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.




After completing residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (Med-Peds) at Brigham and Women’s and Boston Children’s Hospital, I pursued a combined pediatric and adult rheumatology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. During my training, I also graduated from the Rabkin Fellowship for Medical Education and from the Harvard Medical School Academy Fellowship in Medical Education Research.




I helped to create and currently Co-Direct the Autoinflammatory Diseases Clinics at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and at Boston Children’s Hospital. I am also the Director of the Latino Rheumatology Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare in Chelsea.




I am interested in the use of social media for medical education and personal development. I am exploring health-related social media use by patients, parents, and physicians. I have a personal blog (autoinflammatorydiseases.org) and I’m active on Twitter (@hausmannMD).'
Hoffman, Hal Dr. Hoffman is Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. Dr. Hoffman graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch and completed residency in pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina. He did fellowship training in allergy and immunology at UCSD and joined the faculty in 1998. He practices at Rady Children’s Hospital and specializes in the care of children with rare inflammatory and immunologic disorders. He has published more than 100 papers and chapters and given invited lectures in more than 20 countries. Dr. Hoffman’s main research interests are genetics and inflammation and he has used a combination of positional cloning of human disease genes and mouse transgenic technology to identify the function of genes involved in rare human diseases. His group has identified 5 rare disease genes using a variety of genetic techniques and he has been involved in the approval of 3 novel drugs for several orphan diseases.
Kastner, Dan
NIH Distinguished Investigator, Inflammatory Disease Section, Kastner, Daniel Lindsley National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)



Scientific Director, Division of Intramural Research, NHGRI



EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, and include postdoctoral training.)












Bio sent under separate cover' to 'BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH



NAME POSITION TITLE



NIH Distinguished Investigator, Inflammatory Disease Section, Kastner, Daniel Lindsley National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)



Scientific Director, Division of Intramural Research, NHGRI



EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, and include postdoctoral training.)


INSTITUTION AND LOCATION



Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX



Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX



A. PERSONAL STATEMENT



A.B., summa cum laude 1973 Philosophy



Ph.D. 1979



Microbiology and



M.D., with honor



Immunology 1982 Medicine




For over three decades the overarching goal of my research has been to use genetic and genomic strategies to elucidate the molecular basis, pathophysiology, and treatment of human inflammatory diseases, oftentimes stimulated by patients we see in the clinic. This work began with the linkage mapping and positional cloning of MEFV, the gene mutated in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), which encodes what was then a novel protein (pyrin) that is the prototype for an eponymous domain found in 20 proteins involved in inflammation and cell death. Our group went on to discover mutations in the p55 tumor necrosis factor receptor in a dominantly inherited periodic fever syndrome we named TRAPS (TNF receptor- associated periodic syndrome), prompting our proposal of the now widely accepted concept of autoinflammatory disease to denote a broad group of innate immune disorders. Soon thereafter we discovered activating mutations in NLRP3 as the cause of neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID), and demonstrated that anakinra, a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist, dramatically attenuates inflammation and improves outcomes in NOMID. We have subsequently utilized genomic sequencing to discover several other monogenic inflammatory diseases, such as the deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2), an autosomal recessive disorder manifesting recurrent fevers, early-onset strokes, and/or polyarteritis nodosa, the first monogenic form of vasculitis to be genetically characterized. We have also used genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to elucidate loci underlying genetically complex disorders, such as Behçet’s disease, a vasculitis that is unique in its involvement of both the arterial and venous circulation. We have developed animal models and biochemical or immunologic assays of patients’ leukocytes to explore the pathophysiology of several disorders, and we have investigated the use of targeted therapies, both to test hypotheses generated by functional studies and to improve the lives of patients with, in many cases, previously untreatable illnesses. I am a member of the US National Academy of Sciences (2010) and the National Academy of Medicine (2012). H index (Web of Science, 2/1/20) = 78.




B. POSITIONS AND HONORS Employment




1982-1985 1985-1987




1987-1990



1990-1993 1993-2001 2001-2009 2009-2010 2005-2010 2008-2011 2010-present 2019



Medical Residency, Chief Residency, Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine



Medical Staff Fellow in Rheumatology, National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Bethesda MD



Arthritis Foundation Fellow, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Bethesda, MD



Senior Staff Fellow, Arthritis and Rheumatism Branch (ARB), NIAMS, NIH



Senior Investigator, ARB, NIAMS, NIH



Chief, Genetics and Genomics Branch, NIAMS, NIH



Chief, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, NIAMS, NIH



Clinical Director and Director of Translational Research, NIAMS, NIH



Deputy Director for Intramural Clinical Research, NIH



ScientificDirector,NHGRI



Acting Clinical Director, NHGRI


Other Experience and Professional Memberships (selected)



1983



1985



1988



1989



1990 1990-19
Kavanaugh, Artie Arthur Kavanaugh MD is Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. In addition, he is the Director of the Center for Innovative Therapy in the UCSD Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology. Dr. Kavanaugh earned his BS in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and his MD at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Missouri. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and then a fellowship in Clinical Immunology/Allergy at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. Dr Kavanaugh also completed a Rheumatology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. In 1990, he joined the faculty at UT Southwestern before joining the Rheumatology, Allergy, Immunology Division at UCSD, where he has been since 1999. Dr. Kavanaugh has authored more than 500 publications. He is on the editorial board for several journals, and has served as peer reviewer for more than a dozen scientific journals. Dr Kavanaugh is a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). He has been a member of and chaired a number of committees in these organizations. Dr Kavanaugh’s main research interest has been in clinical research, particularly translational aspects of rheumatology research. This has included work delineating the pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases as well as defining changes associated with novel immunomodulatory therapies. The focus of many clinical projects has been rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, but Dr Kavanaugh has conducted many studies in other autoimmune conditions, including systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and others. In addition, he has performed studies focusing on novel imaging methods and also clinical outcomes. Dr Kavanaugh has been involved with helping to create guidelines for the treatment and optimal care of patients with rheumatic diseases. Dr Kavanaugh was involved with the formation of GRAPPA (group for research and assessment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis) and remains on the steering committee. He has been a board member of CORRONA (consortium of rheumatology researchers of north America) since its inception.
Lindsay, Christine

Christine Lindsay currently splits her time between biotech consulting and being an active Patient Research Partner (PRP) for GRAPPA and OMERACT. Born in British Columbia, Chris trained as a Clinical Pharmacist who specialized in pediatric critical care and infectious disease, working in both Houston and Dallas, TX. In 1997 she left practice and headed to California to work in Professional Relations at Amgen. Her 22-year biotech career focused on inflammation and immunology, including Rheumatology and Dermatology. Her career also took her to Europe for the launch of Kineret, and between both medical affairs and marketing roles. She spent over 14 years working in the advocacy space, bridging the company and both patient and professional organizations. Her most recent position prior to retirement was Director of Lifecycle Management and Global Marketing Lead, Enbrel.




Ironically, Chris was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis in 2006. She joined the GRAPPA PRPs to give back, most notably by engaging in the development of the GRAPPA Core Domain Set for Psoriatic Arthritis. She is also currently on the planning committee for OMERACT 2020.

In 2019, Chris founded Double X Management, a biopharmaceutical consulting company. In addition to working and volunteering as a PRP, she enjoys walking, kayaking, swimming, soap- and card-making and splits her time between Texas and Denman Island, British Columbia. She has two adult daughters and lives with her loving husband Tom and (her children’s) two cats and a dog!

Maksymowych, Walter Walter P. Maksymowych, MD F.R.C.P. (C) F.A.C.P., is a Professor and Medical Scientist in the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology at the University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada. He is the 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Canadian Rheumatology Association. He is also Chair of the International OMERACT Soluble Biomarker Working Group, the Scientific Chair of the Alberta Rheumatoid Arthritis and Pharmacovigilance Program and Outcomes Research in Therapeutics (RAPPORT) committee. He is past-Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Canadian Rheumatology Association. He founded CaRE Arthritis Limited, an Alberta company focused on the development of personalized medicine strategies for patients with arthritis, and now serves as Chief Medical Officer.




Dr. Maksymowych graduated from the University of Manchester School of Medicine, United Kingdom, in 1981 and completed his postgraduate training at the University of Alberta and the Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds Fellowships in the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and the American College of Physicians. His primary research interests are the imaging and treatment of spondyloarthritis, and the clinical validation of biomarker technologies for rheumatic diseases. He has published over 350 research articles and is a member of numerous international societies related to arthritis research. His research activities involve a global network of investigators and major partners in the pharmaceutical, imaging, and biomarker industries. He has spearheaded numerous international collaborative networks that have culminated in the development of multiple scoring systems based on imaging and biomarker technologies for use in both diagnostic and therapeutic settings as well as clinical trials research. Most recently, he co-invented the 14-3-3 biomarker platform which has recently been licensed for diagnostic testing of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Menter, Alan Dr. Alan Menter was born in England and is a graduate of the Medical School of the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He completed his dermatology residency at Pretoria General Hospital at the University of Pretoria, also in South Africa, and two fellowships in London at Guy's Hospital and St. John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin.




A fellowship with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas brought Menter to the United States in 1975. Since then, he has held several positions within the UT and Baylor University Dallas systems. In 1992, he was appointed chairman of the Division of Dermatology at Baylor University Medical Center and still holds that position. In 2007, he was appointed director of the Baylor Research Center and in 2010, Program Director of the newly formed Dermatology Residency Program at Baylor University Medical Center.



Committed to patients



Dr. Menter has a long-held interest in psoriasis and psoriatic disease research. In 1994, he co-authored the first gene discovery for psoriasis, published in Science in 1994. His research on psoriasis has examined everything from ultraviolet phototherapy, new biologic therapy to the mapping of genetic patterns to predict if a person is at risk of developing psoriasis pharmacogenomics.




In August 2004, Dr. Menter helped found the International Psoriasis Council to raise international awareness of psoriasis as a serious autoimmune disease that can significantly impact quality of life. His clinical practice includes more than 1,800 patients on systemic and biologic therapy.



Dedicated to research



Dr. Menter held the position of clinical director of the National Psoriasis Foundation Gene Bank from 1996 to 2002. His resume lists some 385+ articles, 6 books and 21 book chapters. He serves as a member of the editorial board for several medical journals, including the Journal of Clinical Dermatology and Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. He is Dermatology Chair at Baylor Scott & White, Dallas and Program Director our Dermatology Residency Program as well as clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine.



Other accomplishments



Dr. Menter has been listed in the Best Doctors in America since 1994 and Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare since 1996. He also represented the South African National Rugby team, the Springboks, in 1968. In 2013, Dr. Menter received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Psoriasis Foundation. In March 2015, he received the Dermatology Foundation annual Clark W. Finnerud award at the AAD meeting in San Francisco. Dr. Menter also received the Preseidential Citation March 2016 and 2018 at the AAD meetings.
Brown, Tena Tena is a passionate and unforgettable inspirational speaker, patient advocate, psoriasis consultant, and Empathy Coach. For more than 20 years she has motivated professionals and individuals alike with her insightful approach to the patient experience. Tena’s personal health experience places her in a unique position to elevate patient care.

Tena has created and conducted training for thousands of dermatologists, dermatology nurses and medical students, speaking at institutions such as the FDA, Mayo Clinic, Geisinger Clinic and other medical schools around the country. She has also presented at numerous residency programs. In fact, she is the only professional patient advocate to regularly deliver workshops at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) national conferences. Her AAD workshop, “How to Have a Positively Unforgettable Office Visit”, has been one of the most highly rated and attended offerings at the conference for the past 12 years.

Her personal healthcare journey has given her a rare perspective that is informative, entertaining and always uplifting. Her presentation is guaranteed to touch your heart as well as prompt you to consider the “what if” in your life and will inspire you to become a positively unforgettable practitioner.

Merrill, Joan Joan T Merrill, M.D. is the Director of Clinical Projects at the Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, OMRF Professor of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at New York University. She is also the Chief Advisor for Clinical Development for the Lupus Foundation of America. She has worked for over 30 years in the diagnosis and treatment of a life threatening condition: lupus clinical trials. Recently the patient has entered an early recovery phase and the field has advanced to the point where we may obtain interpretable results by ensuring quality data management, a better understanding of patient subsets and tapering steroids. This even appears to be the case for nephritis!
Putman, Michael Dr. Michael Putman completed medical school and residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago. After serving as an internal medicine chief resident at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, he jointed Northwestern Memorial Hospital as a rheumatology fellow. While there he trained under an NIH T32 training grant in vasculitis research and clinical care. He currently serves as a clinical instructor of rheumatology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he maintains an active vasculitis clinic. His research interests include large vessel vasculitis and meta-research. He also founded and hosts the Evidence Based Rheumatology Podcast.
ritchlin, christopher I am professor of medicine and chief of the Allergy Immunology & Rheumatology Division at the University of Rochester Medical Center. I perform investigation in the the mechanisms that underlie joint inflammation and bone damage in psoriatic arthritis. I am also engaged in the study of mechanisms that lead to flare of inflammatory arthritis with focus on the lymphatic system. I co-direct a large combined Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis Clinic and I am a founding member of GRAPPA and the IPART Registry. My research is supported by the NIH, the NPF nd pharmaceutic companies.
Scher, Jose Positions




• Associate Professor, Department of Medicine



• Director, Arthritis Clinic, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital



• Director, Microbiome Center for Rheumatology and Autoimmunity-MiCRA



• Director, Psoriatic Arthritis Center



Board Certifications



• American Board of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology), 2010



Education and Training



• Fellowship, New York University, Rheumatology, 2009



• Residency, New York University, Internal Medicine, 2007



• MD from Universidad Maimonides, 2000
Wells, Alvin Dr. Wells is the director of the Aurora Rheumatology and Immunotherapy Center in Franklin,WI
Winthrop, Kevin Kevin L. Winthrop is Professor of Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology at the School of Medicine and a Professor of Public Health at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR, USA.




Dr. Winthrop received his undergraduate degree in biology from Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA and his MD from OHSU. He completed his internal medicine residency training at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Portland, OR. He then completed an infectious disease epidemiology fellowship at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2003, Dr. Winthrop was conferred a Master in Public Health from the University of California, Berkley, CA, USA. In 2006, Dr. Winthrop returned to OHSU as Assistant Professor before progressing to his current appointment in 2012.




A former infectious disease epidemiologist in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr Winthrop has co-authored over 250 publications, many regarding the epidemiologic and clinical aspects of opportunistic infections associated with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, particularly those related to biologic immunosuppressive therapies.




As a primary or senior investigator in many clinical or epidemiologic studies in these fields, he has collaborated closely with the rheumatology community in the evaluation and prevention of opportunistic infections in that setting. In addition, he is also a member of the graduate faculty at OHSU where he mentors public health students, medical students, and physicians in post-graduate training.