Division of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Research
The Division of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Research actively engages a four-part mission of clinical care, teaching, research and service.
General rheumatology outpatient clinics are held four days each week, attended by one to three faculty members in addition to fellows and medical residents. The inpatient consult service provides continuous coverage by one of our faculty members and a fellow. The principal special outpatient activity is the Scleroderma Program, which has achieved national and international recognition for both clinical care and research. In addition, researchers in the division have an interest in gout, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.
The division's educational activities include a full range of teaching for medical students in every year of training, medical residents and fellows. Major blocks in the second-year Pathophysiology and Physical Diagnosis Courses are devoted to rheumatology. Medical residents from our program and others in the region have elected a rheumatology rotation, attending clinics and didactic sessions. The division has one fellow in each of two years of training. All recent graduates have attained ABIM certification on their first attempt.
Division faculty members continue to make important research contributions. Recently, 19 peer-reviewed papers and many additional abstracts, reviews and book chapters by division faculty members were published. Two faculty members are principal investigators for NIH grants.
The Scleroderma Program encompasses a comprehensive consultation for systemic sclerosis and related disorders. Referrals from rheumatologists are preferred. Initial consultation scheduling is triaged according to the gravity of illness and protocol eligibility. Multiple clinical research protocols are available, including disease-modifying agents for early diffuse disease, therapies for interstitial lung disease and new agents for severe Raynaud's phenomenon. Other protocols are available for rheumatoid arthritis and other complex disorders.
