A Message from the Physician-in-Chief and Chair, Division of Rheumatology Promoting the Integration of Science and Medicine The Division of Research, directed by Steven R. Goldring, MD, MACR, Chief Scientific Officer, has undergone an important transformation in the past few years, advancing integrative and collaborative programs among our scientists and clinicians and across the Hospital’s disciplines to ensure the effective transfer of new knowledge. We are very fortunate to have a cohort of investigators who are experienced in the basic science of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders and concurrently involved in the care of patients who develop them. Their combined expertise is key to accelerating the application of laboratory discoveries to therapeutic innovations, and their ongoing work continues to inform the development of new treatments and attract competitive funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, the Lupus Research Institute, as well as industry that supports science and medicine. This funding support includes:
Dr. Mary K. Crow
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uring the past year, the Division of Rheumatology at Hospital for Special Surgery continued to build on the strengths of its many clinical and scientific endeavors toward the fundamental goal of improving outcomes for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. With 36 rheumatologists, many who serve in the dual role as physician scientists, the Division takes great pride in the concentration of expertise it is able to bring to bear on the care of patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; those with lupus, vasculitis, progressive systemic sclerosis, and other complex, multisystem diseases; and patients who present with difficult diagnostic challenges. In 2012, our rheumatology practices realized more than 33,000 office visits, an increase of 7 percent over 2011, and another 3,500 clinic visits. The Division recently evaluated the structure of our clinics to determine ways to improve patient access to care. As a result, we initiated a clinic dedicated exclusively to new patients and a primary care rheumatology clinic focused on evaluation of clinical problems typically encountered in the context of primary care medical practices. The new clinic provides timely access to patients referred from the general medicine practices of NewYorkPresbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Members of the rheumatology faculty also provide consultations for inpatients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In addition, our Perioperative Medicine program is responsible for all of the pre- and post-surgical medical care of the more than 26,000 patients who undergo orthopaedic surgery procedures at HSS each year [see article, page 5].
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• An NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grant to Lionel B. Ivashkiv, MD, David H. Koch Chair for Arthritis and Tissue Degeneration Research, to investigate molecular mechanisms of pathological bone damage that occurs in musculoskeletal and inflammatory diseases • An NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases grant, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska, to develop novel nanomedicines to diagnose and treat inflammatory disorders led by Ed Purdue, PhD, and Dr. Steven Goldring • Novel Research Grants from the Lupus Research Institute to Xiaoyu Hu, MD, PhD, for studies to elucidate how interferons are regulated in lupus and identify therapies to limit their production, and to Jane E. Salmon, MD, Collette Kean Research Chair and Director of the HSS Lupus and Antiphospholipid Syndrome Center of Excellence, to determine the mechanisms for kidney damage caused by lupus antibodies • An Arthritis National Research Foundation Grant to George D. Kalliolias, MD, PhD, to study the role of tumor necrosis factor alpha in inducing synovial fibroblast activation
Dr. Lionel B. Ivashkiv
Dr. Steven R. Goldring
Dr. Jane E. Salmon
Hospital for Special Surgery
1/16/14 11:48 AM