Rheumatology
Section Summary
Research Activities
The Rheumatology Section includes eight full-time MD and PhD faculty and five part-time clinical faculty, two rheumatology fellows in each of two years of the fellowship program, as well as 3rd or 4th year fellows, three post-doctoral research fellows, two clinical trial coordinators and five administrative staff members.
Rheumatology faculty have achieved widespread national recognition for both their research programs and their clinical expertise. They serve on advisory boards for the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, the Scleroderma Foundation and for a variety of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. They have played an important role in the development of clinical trials and the evaluation of the results of clinical trials, particularly in scleroderma, vasculitis, osteoarthritis and amyloidosis.
Teaching/Medical School
The faculty of the Rheumatology Section conducts the musculoskeletal Biology of Disease course for 2nd year students. Rheumatology faculty provide medical education for 3rd and 4th year students as part of the rheumatology elective.
Residents: Our rotation provides extensive inpatient and outpatient rheumatology experience for both Internal Medicine residents and Orthopedic residents.
Fellows: Our fellowship program has two positions available annually for the two-year program, which is a fully accredited and internationally recognized program for both clinical training and research.
Research
The research efforts of the Rheumatology Section relate to basic biologic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of scleroderma, vasculitis, amyloidosis, osteoarthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. There are concordant research efforts in clinical investigation of these disorders, including testing of novel therapies. Finally, there are studies on epidemiology and outcomes of these diseases, both within the Section of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Center.
The scleroderma laboratory research program, directed by Dr. Robert Lafyatis, includes Drs. Mike York and Alessandra Farina, and has been focused on understanding fibroblast biology and the molecular and cellular basis of fibrosis as well as endothelial cell interactions. Collaborative efforts include those with Dr. Harrison Farber in the Pulmonary Section, Dr. Ian Rifkin in the Renal Section, and Dr. Ann Marshak-Rothstein in the Department of Microbiology.
The clinical trials program in the Section continues to grow and there are currently active clinical trials in both scleroderma and in vasculitis. Section investigators are participating in four NIH-sponsored clinical trials, three in scleroderma and one in vasculitis. In one NIH-sponsored scleroderma trial featuring innovative therapy involving stem-cell transplantation Rheumatology Section investigators, headed by Dr. Simms, form one of six nationally identified transplant sites and the only one in the Northeast region. The vasculitis program was developed by Dr. Peter Merkel, the PI of the NIH-sponsored Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium.
The Rheumatology Section has over 50 original full-length publications in the past two years, including text chapters and invited reviews .
Clinical Activities
The clinical program in the Rheumatology Section represents an important focus of the Section, especially in the evaluation and treatment of diseases such as scleroderma, vasculitis, osteoarthritis and amyloidosis. The Section is an internationally recognized referral center for these conditions. The total clinical volume has continued to grow, with over 7,000 annual outpatient visits in addition to several hundred inpatient consultations each year.
In summary, the Boston University Rheumatology Section is an internationally recognized center in research, patient care, and education.
