John P. Atkinson, MD is among 250 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Founded in 1780, the academy honors exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world. Dr. Atkinson, the Samuel B. Grant Professor in Clinical Medicine and a professor of molecular microbiology, is an internationally recognized rheumatologist and immunologist. His work on the complement system has advanced scientific understanding of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. 

RVCL-S (also called CRV) is a rare fatal genetic disease discovered at Washington University  37 years ago by Dr. Atkinson and colleagues. Since then he and his lab and WU colleagues have been on the forefront of cutting-edge research and helping patient families. One of those families is that of Kim Morey, who recently died of the disease. She and her husband Kevin and their family established the “CURE CRV Research” organization that has provided significant funds for many years to our WU RVCL Research & Treatment Center.

On September 28, 2024 the Morey Family hosted a fundraising night in Bentonville, Arkansas to help raise awareness and funds for RVCL-S. Dr. Atkinson and his wife Andrea as well as his recently retired administrative  assistant (and patient advocate for many years) Madonna Bogacki and her husband John attended. 

Amy Joseph, MD and Deborah Parks, MD will be recognized as Masters of the American College of Rheumatology during ACR Convergence in November 2024. Recognition as an ACR Master is one of the highest honors that the ACR bestows on its distinguished members. Dr. Joseph, Professor of Medicine is being recognized for her decades of distinguished service as Chief of the Rheumatology Section at the St. Louis VA Medical Center as well as her many leadership roles within the VA Health Care System, locally, regionally, and nationally. Dr. Parks, Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Operations, Division of Rheumatology is being recognized for her many educational initiatives which include spearheading the musculoskeletal ultrasound immersion course, initiating the first MSK US workshop at SOTA for fellows-in-training, and establishing the Education of Nurse Practitioners in Rheumatology program, the first NP program of its kind. Dr. Parks has also served in several leadership positions with the BJH system and is currently an ACR Board of Directors Member-at-Large.

In other ACR news, Christine Pham, MD has been appointed to the ACR Division Director Committee (2024-2027) and Reema Syed, MD has been appointed to the ACR Committee on Global Engagement as a Member-at-Large (2024-2027). 

Alissa Chandler, MD has been chosen to receive the 2024 Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award. The Award recognizes and supports fellows and medical residents who exemplify a compassionate spirit combined with outstanding knowledge and skill. Dr. Chandler was honored at the 40th Knowlton Award Dinner Reception along with Dr. Deborah Parks, the first woman recipient in 1985. 

Seth Eisen, MD was selected as Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Program Honoree. The DASP is a prestigious initiative that grants four-year, full-tuition scholarship to four outstanding entering students each year. The Executive Council of the Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association (WUMCAA), with great scrutiny, selects four exceptional members of the School of Medicine faculty or emeritus faculty each year who are also distinguished alumni. These outstanding individuals become the namesakes of the scholarships, honored for their exemplary citizenship and leadership. This year, one of the distinguished faculty honorees of the DASP program is Dr. Seth Eisen, a highly esteemed physician from the Rheumatology Department. Dr. Eisen’s exceptional contributions to the medical field have earned him this prestigious recognition as an outstanding alumni honoree. 

Christine Pham, MD was honored at the 4th International Symposium on Cathepsin C (April 2024) in Tours, France for her work on neutrophil serine and cysteine proteases that lays the foundation for the development of the first-in-class cathepsin C inhibitor that had just completed phase 3 trial with positive topline results for the treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.

The Division of Rheumatology is proud to announce that eight of our faculty have been selected for the 2024 Castle Connolly Top Doctors list. 

We officially welcome Drs. Mohamed Babiker-Mohamed, Alissa Chandler, Andrew Jones, and Jessica Williams to the Division of Rheumatology. 

We welcomed the 2024-2025 class of Rheumatology fellows, Drs. Bjorn Anderson, Ahmad Khalaf, David Thomas, and Jiayi Zheng. We got to know our incoming fellows while learning how to letterpress on the Danforth Campus with the help of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts Printmaking Studio and at a division-wide picnic filled with food, friends, and fun games at the beautiful Tower Grove Park. 

Deborah Parks, MD was appointed the Medical Director of the Medicine Multispecialty Center (MMC) and Infusion Center on Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM) 5. In this capacity Dr. Parks will serve as physician liaison to the Ambulatory Operations Executive Council of the Department of Medicine to optimize MMC clinical operations and quality and safety initiatives at the CAM and Infusion Center. 

We congratulate Colin Diffie, MD who has been selected as the incoming John Cochran VA Medical Center Rheumatology Section Chief. Dr. Diffie succeeds Dr. Amy Joseph who has served with distinction as VA chief since 2000. 

Drs. Mohamed Babiker-Mohamed and Alissa Chandler are staying on at WashU as faculty. Dr. Mohammed Hamid is starting a solo private practice in New Jersey and Dr. Chris Podgorski is joining a private practice in Minneapolis. 

We recognized Dr. Sambhawana “Sam” Bhandari as the 2024 Benjamin D. Schwartz, MD PhD Distinguished Fellow at the graduation ceremony and Dr. Colin Diffie as the 2024 Richard Brasington Teaching Award Recipient, a repeat for Dr. Diffie who also received the award in 2022! 

The Art of Rheumatology, Ray Williams, MA, Director of Education and Academic Affairs at Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin and co-author of Activating the Art Museum:  Designing Experiences for the Health Professions, visited WashU as a guest of the St. Louis Rheumatology Association (STLRA) and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum in June 2024. Mr. Williams conducted an interactive experience at the Kemper Art Museum, where he guided STLRA members through observation and inquiry of the art work The Loading Pier by Alfred Leslie. The exercise activated many skills health care providers apply when delivering care to people with rheumatic diseases, including inspection, interpretation of nonverbal cues, and integration of contextual data. Mr. Williams also inspired attendees to independently repeat the activity in the future and reflect on patient care experiences from the safety of an art museum. The evening concluded with fellowship among the STLRA community, who shared a farm-to-table meal prepared by Farm Spirit Pop Ups and Provisions.

Meeting Our Community. WashU Divisions of Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases, and Nephrology are producing a multi-part “Meeting Our Community” experience for fellows, faculty, and staff to better understand how the geopolitical history of St. Louis influences community health, meet community organizations whose work helps patients overcome social and structural barriers to care, and partner with the organizations to deliver high quality care. In the first installment, Will Ross, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Diversity highlighted historical events that influence healthcare in St. Louis. Next, the group traveled to Affinia Healthcare’s Biddle Street location adjacent to Carr Square Public Housing. Catherine Moore, DO, a family medicine physician at Affinia, discussed the important role of federally qualified health centers (FQHC) in St. Louis’s healthcare network and how WashU specialists can work optimally with FQHCs. Attendees appreciated meeting community partners onsite and learning about social and structural determinants of health as a multidisciplinary and interprofessional group. Additional installments are planned throughout the academic year to meet more community partners and reflect as a group on the experience. “Meeting Our Community” is funded by a Janssen, Inc Continuing Medical Education Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion grant.

 The Division of Rheumatology hosted a "Pizza Party and Board Games" event as part of its Rheumatology Interest Group series. The Division hosts twice yearly events where trainees across campus, including medical students, doctoral candidates, and residents, interested in a potential career in rheumatology can network among rheumatology fellows, faculty, and staff. “Pizza Party and Board Games” recalled childhood memories with raucous games of Uno, stealthy Battleship, and strategic Mancala. Thanks to all the medical students, residents, doctoral candidates, fellows, faculty, and staff who attended! We are looking forward to our next event in Spring 2025! 

Deborah Lenschow, MD PhD was awarded NIH/NIAID R01 “Determining the impact of stromal cell-mediated type I IFN signaling on alphavirus pathogenesis” and NIH/NIAID R01 “Pathogenesis of alphavirus-induced chronic arthritis and myositis”.

Roseanne Zhao, MD PhD was awarded NIH/NIAMS K08 on “Role of the gut barrier in inflammatory arthritis”, which will explore the role of gut microbiota and barrier in modulating inflammation at distal sites.

Iris Lee, MD was admitted to the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) KL2 Career Development Awards Program as a clinical research scholar. She will investigate the role of the complement system in mucosal immune tolerance.

Jessica Williams, MD MPH joined the Division of Rheumatology October 1, 2024. Dr. Williams will launch a clinical research program supported by a Lupus Research Alliance to explore the impact of geography, social determinants of health, and environmental exposure on lupus incidence, outcomes, and research perceptions in rural Missourians.

 Check out the Division of Rheumatology research output on the Becker Library website here.

Friday, November 15, 2024

4:00-6:00 PM ET

Opening Session- Welcome and Presidential Address/ACR Masters Presentation including Dr. Amy Joseph and Dr. Deborah Parks

7:00-10:00 PM ET

WashU Division of Rheumatology Alumni Reception

Cuba Libre

801 9th St NW, Suite A

Washington, DC 20001

Full Itinerary to follow. 

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