How can physicians help patients with rheumatoid arthritis when methotrexate fails? It was hoped that a new class of oral medication held the answer, but the FDA issued a black box warning for JAK inhibitors last year citing major adverse cardiac events and cancer as safety concerns. UAB’s Dr. Jasvinder Singh is seeking a definitive answer.
Dr. Jeffrey Curtis wants to use virtual reality to help patients with rheumatoid arthritis experience how the disease may worsen over time in the future to improve shared decision making about their treatment choices in the present.
Associate Professor Maria Danila, MD, MSc, MSPH has received an Innovative Research Award from the Rheumatology Research Foundation. She will investigate how increased tele-rheumatology due to COVID-19 impacts the health outcomes of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
According to a 2019 Pew Research Study, about one in five U.S. adults regularly wears a smart watch or wearable fitness tracker. This trend is producing a wealth of health data that can be leveraged to improve medial practice and scientific research.
The Building and InteGrating Digital heAlth Technology and Analytics (BIGDATA) Core Center for Clinical Research (CCRCR) at UAB is an NIH-funded center that aims to harness these technologies—and the data they generate—and make them available to support a broad base of investigations. The Center is composed of three distinct cores, each of which brings innovative tools, expertise and methods to the research community to effectively advance rheumatologic, musculoskeletal, and skin diseases research.
Professor Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, is the principal investigator of this four-year, $3 million grant.
BIGDATA: 3 Synergistic Cores
Aim 1: Promote outstanding, innovative, and synergistic disease-focused research and expedite clinical, translational and informatics-related projects through the utilization of our Methodologic Core composed of a diverse team with expertise in biostatistics, bioinformatics, clinical informatics, statistical genetics, epidemiology, computer science, health economics, and implementation science. David Redden, PhD, directs the Methodologic Core with Associate Director Lloyd Edwards, PhD.
Aim 2: Foster the development, refinement, and application of existing and de novo digital technology data capture and analysis tools integrated with traditional data sources to advance research in rheumatologic and musculoskeletal diseases through our Data Capture and Integration Core. James Willig, MD, MSPH directs the DCI Core with Associate Director Maria Danila, MD.
Aim 3: Promote the training of both junior and established clinical and translational investigators in the current methods of clinical informatics and digital health tools through diverse enrichment activities overseen by our Administrative Core. Jeff Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, directs the Administrative Core with Associate Director Huifeng Yun, PhD.
BIGDATA CCCR is funded by a P30 grant from NIAMS.
Dr. Tony MerrimanProfessor Tony Merriman, PhD, FRSNZ, joins our faculty from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Dr. Merriman is an internationally recognized scientist and leader in the genetic basis of gout and rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr. Merriman's research interests also include outcomes in gout, especially severity and drug response. He also applies genetic epidemiological techniques to understanding the causal relationships in gout, specifically of diet to hyperuricemia, and of gout to related co-morbidities. These approaches have both immediate impact on clinical practice, such as the role of diet in management approaches, as well as implications for longer term management of gout by potentially identifying drug targets. As part of his research, Dr. Merriman has demonstrated a commitment to inclusion of minority groups in genetic studies.
Dr. Merriman obtained a PhD in bacterial genetics from the University of Otago in 1993. This was followed by four years post-doctoral training in the genetics of type 1 diabetes at the University of Oxford. In 1998, he returned to New Zealand, where he first developed a program in genetics of rheumatoid arthritis which developed into his current research program.
In 2020, Dr. Merriman joined the facuty at UAB, to join the division in its world-leading clinical research in gout.
Dr. Merriman retains his faculty appointment at the University of Otago.
Dr. Troy Randall with cytometry equipment.
The idea that cells are the unit of life began when Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek looked under a microscope. He was the first to observe that tissues were composed of tiny chambers—cells—that worked together to make a functional organ. Three hundred years later, this knowledge underpins all of modern biology.
We are delighted to welcome Amanda Schnell, MD, to the Division. Dr. Schnell has been appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine and will see patients in the Rheumatology Clinic at The Kirklin Clinic.
As a clinician-educator, Dr. Schnell brings both compassion and expertise to her general rheumatology practice, which includes ultrasound-guided procedures and diagnosis. She will build upon her recent fellowship experience in our program to the continued training of our rheumatology fellows as an Associate Program Director.
One special area of patient care for Dr. Schnell will be building the UAB scleroderma program in collaboration with the Department of Dermatology and the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine. As a designated Scleroderma Center of Excellence, UAB has been recognized by the Scleroderma Foundation’s National Medical Advisory Board for demonstrating expertise in scleroderma including clinical and laboratory-based research, conducting clinical trials and educational activities about scleroderma, and providing information about the advances in the care and treatment of patients with scleroderma to health care professionals and the public.
“One of the simplest ways we can support scleroderma patients is providing warm gloves for patients who cannot afford them. It is an act of kindness that provides a tremendous impact on people who are struggling with this chronic condition. Finding ways to alleviate their pain motivates me to pursue research that can ultimately cure scleroderma for good,” Schnell comments.
Dr. Schnell received her medical doctorate from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 2013. She completed her residency training, including a year as Chief Resident, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2017. She is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology. Dr. Schnell is also active on the American College of Rheumatology Government Affairs committee, where she is committed to advocacy for all her patients.
Welcome to UAB and the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Dr. Schnell!
Maggie Guthrie, MD, Lesley Jackson, MD, Amanda Schnell, MD, Kenneth G. Saag, MD, MSc, Courtney Crayne, MD, Nitasha Khullar, MD, and S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, Ph.D. were part of group of more than 100 patient advocates and individuals from The American College of Rheumatology Advocacy Center who visited Washington, D.C. earlier this month, to urge federal lawmakers to support the Safe Step Act, Empower for Health Act, and the REDI Act. The team of UAB advocates met with Sen. Doug Jones (AL) who has supported the Safe Step bill.
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Borrowing from principles used in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis management, current guidelines recommend that the overarching goal in the treatment of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis be the achievement of remission or minimal disease activity in a treat-to-target approach. To aid in achieving this goal, a wide range of new therapies with good clinical efficacy and safety have been, and continue to be, developed. There is a need for clinician education to improve the knowledge of the efficacy and safety profiles of these new and emerging agents, as well as how to approach treatment selection for patients with comorbidities.
Please click on the image below to access the brochure
For more information or to register, please contact:
Stephanie Ledbetter
Phone: (205) 934-7423
Email: sledbetter@uabmc.edu
Cancellation
There will be a $50 cancellation fee for cancellations received prior to September 15, 2018, after which time there are no refunds. UAB reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the conference due to unforeseen circumstances.
CME Certification/PRA Credit- Physicians
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School Of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine designates this education activity for a maximum of 6.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Participants should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Division Faculty Named Best Doctors in America
Twelve of our faculty members were included on the 2017-2018 Best Doctors in America List. The list recognizes 350 UAB physicians in 39 specialties and 179 subspecialties who are among the top 4 percent of clinicians in the United States, as voted by their peers. Best Doctors is an independent, knowledge-based medical referral service whose surveys ask peer physicians, “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty or a related specialty, to whom would you refer them?” Rheumatology faculty on the list include: Angelo Gaffo,MD, MSPH; Archana Jain, MD; David M. Spalding, MD; Jasvinder Singh, MD, MPH; Jeffrey R. Curtis, MD, MPH; Kenneth G. Saag, MD, MSc; Laura B. Hughes, MD, MSPH; Maria I. Danila, MD, MSc, MSPH; Robert P. Kimberly, MD; S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, PhD; Harry Schroeder, MD, PhD (Allergy Immunology) and Sarah Morgan MD, MS, RD, FADA, FACP, CCD (Internal Medicine). Read more here.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This symposium will consist of nine sessions presenting updates on the most recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and their relevance to patient care. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with a nationally and internationally renowned group of rheumatology and dermatology faculty.
UAB Rheumatology Ranks Among Nation's Best
UAB Rheumatology ranks No. 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s 20172018 Best Hospitals list, one of the ten UAB Medicine specialties that appear on this year’s list.
Faculty Spotlight: Kenneth Saag
- NIH awards 5-year, $6.5M grant to Center of Research Translation for gout studies
- New drug shown to lower risk if fractures in women with osteoporosis
- Saag co-authors gout guidelines article in Nature Reviews Rheumatology
- President of the National Otsoporosis Foundation Board of Trustees
ACR Honors Two UAB Faculty at 2017 Annual Session
The American College of Rheumatology, at its annual meeting held in November, recognized two faculty members at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with prestigious designations for their contributions in the field of rheumatology.
Singh Helps Develop New Guidelines for Perioperative Management of Anti-Rheumatic Medication
In collaboration with the American College of Rheumatology and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, UAB Medicine’s Jasvinder Singh, MD, developed evidencebased guidelines for the perioperative management of antirheumatic drug therapy for adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), and those undergoing elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty.
Bridges Featured as Guest Editor in Rheumatic Disease Clinics
The August 2017 issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics — published as Genomics in Rheumatic Diseases — featured S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD, and Carl Langefeld, PhD, as guest editors.
Spotlight on UAB fellowship program and new fellowsUAB Medicine’s rheumatology fellowship program emphasizes the development of academic rheumatologists and is tailored to help ensure their success. |
Annual conference hosts first multiinstitutional ROSKIThe Lowe Conference is an annual retreat that provides an informal venue in which participants present and discuss ongoing research and clinical care of rheumatic diseases. |
New Rheumatology Education from UAB MedicineYou will find a variety of free online Rheumatology CME courses. Please check back regularly or subscribe to receive emails, as we are continually adding exciting new content to keep you informed and engaged. |
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Archived Newsletters
Spring 2018 Division Newsletter
Winter 2018 Division Newsletter
Spring 2017 Division Newsletter
Winter 2016 Division Newsletter
Summer 2016 Division Newsletter
Spring 2016 Division Newsletter
Winter 2015 Division Newsletter
Summer 2015 Division Newsletter
Spring 2015 Division Newsletter
- BioMark real-time PCR result analysis software: This software analyzes the raw data and gives you amplification curves, color-coded heat maps and Ct values. To download, go to https://www.fluidigm.com/software and select BioMark & EP1 Software-Digital PCR Analysis. Click “download” and install the software. The Manual for setting up BioMark real-time PCR assays and analyzing data using this software are at https://www.fluidigm.com/documents. Select Real-Time PCR Analysis User Guide
- Singular Analysis Software. This is a free to download statistical analysis software for the analtsis of Ct data derived from the BioMark Real-Time PCR Analysis software. Singular is established on the “R” system. To use Singular, you will need to install “R” software. First, follow instructions in the User Guide for Singular, entitled Singular Analysis Toolset 3.5 Practice Sets Instructions at https://www.fluidigm.com/documents. Then, install the Singular Analysis Toolset from the Fluidigm website at https://www.fluidigm.com/software
- ClustVis: a web tool for visualizing clustering of multivariate data (BETA) (http://biit.cs.ut.ee/clustvis/). This is an online tool to enable users to directly upload their own data and create Principal Component Analysis (PCA) plots and heatmaps. For details, consult: Metsalu, Tauno and Vilo, Jaak. Clustvis: a web tool for visualizing clustering of multivariate data using Principal Component Analysis and heatmap. Nucleic Acids Research, 43(W1):W566–W570, 2015. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkv468
Jasvinder A. Singh, MD, MPH has been named recipient of the 2016 ACR Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award. This is awarded to a young physician scientist, age 45 or younger, who has made outstanding and promising independent contributions to basic or clinical research in the field of rheumatology. Dr. Singh will be honored at the ACR Annual Session in Washington, DC in November. The UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology will also honor him at the UAB Reception at the ACR meeting on Monday, November 14, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington, DC
John D. Mountz, MD, PhD has been named recipient of the 2016 ACR Distinguished Basic Investigator Award, a prestigious, highly competitive awards by the American College of Rheumatology. The Distinguished Basic Investigator Award is awarded to a basic scientist making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology. Dr. Mountz will be honored at the ACR Annual Session in Washington, DC in November. The UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology will also honor him at the UAB Reception at the ACR meeting on Monday, November 14, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington, DC