April 2026

In this issue, we take a moment to recognize the Giants in our field who will soon be retiring, celebrate the well-deserved accolades of our faculty and staff who continue to set the gold standard for patient care. We are also excited to introduce several new faces who have joined our mission, bringing fresh perspectives to our hallways and labs. Beyond our clinical walls, we are shining a spotlight on our recent collaborative efforts to enhance patient education and accessibility—initiatives that remind us why we do what we do every single day.

As we look toward the busier months ahead, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your unwavering commitment and friendship. It is the strength of our community that allows us to tackle the complexities of rheumatic disease with such passion and innovation. We hope you enjoy catching up on our collective milestones, and we wish you a vibrant, healthy, and successful spring season.

Best wishes,

Christine Pham, MD
Guy and Ella Mae Magness Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Rheumatology

John P. Atkinson MD, Samuel B. Grant Professor of Medicine, has announced his intention to retire, effective July 1, 2026.

Dr. Atkinson has served as a cornerstone of our institution for 5 decades, providing invaluable leadership as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology (1976-1992 and 2007-2018), Physician-in-Chief at Barnes Hospital and Adolphus Busch Professor and Chair of John Milliken Department of Medicine (1992-1997).

Dr. Atkinson is a leading expert on the role of the complement system in infectious, autoimmune and other inflammatory diseases. In recent years, Dr. Atkinson has helped unveil the causes and pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases such as lupus and degenerative conditions such as age-related macular degeneration. He was also instrumental in the discovery and identification of a mutation in a rare, genetic, microvascular disease known as retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestation (RVCL-S). He co-directs the RVCL Research Center at WashU. For all his achievements, Dr. Atkinson received numerous awards; a few are listed here: he was elected to ASCI in 1981, AAP in 1985, and the National Academy of Medicine in 1996. He received the 1998 ACR Distinguished Investigator Award, the Lee C Howley Award from the Arthritis Foundation in 1991 and the Research/Medical Hero Award from the Arthritis Foundation in 2012. In 2019 he received the ACR Presidential Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed by the ACR, and most recently, the 2022 Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award that is presented annually to a faculty for their outstanding achievement in research, scholarship, and service and dedication for the betterment of WashU.

But more than his scientific accomplishments, Dr. Atkinson will also be remembered for his deep and long-lasting impact on the training of several generations of rheumatologists and immunologists. Over the years he has helped train more than 3 generations of clinical rheumatologists and academic physician-scientists, 11 of whom has served or currently serve as division/section chiefs as well as many distinguished professors and administrators in government and the pharmaceutical industry. Over the years, students at WashU have honored him 16 times with a Distinguished Service Teaching Award. In 2015 he received the NIH Clinical Center Distinguished Clinical Research Scholar and Educator in Residence, Contemporary Clinical Medicine – Great Teacher Award.

In 2015, Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association presented its Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Atkinson. The certificate states: “A renowned expert in the field of Rheumatology, Dr. Atkinson has made a major impact on the School of Medicine for more than 40 years as an exemplary researcher, educator, and clinician. His discoveries in the lab and his delivery of exceptional clinical care have improved the lives of countless patients, and he has trained the next generation of clinicians and physician-scientists to succeed in their endeavors.” 

Dr. Atkinson will be honored with an Emeritus status upon retirement, recognizing an extraordinarily meritorious career. We all join in congratulating Dr. Atkinson on his well-deserved retirement and thanking him for his lasting impact.

He and Dr. Atkinson, who was then the director of rheumatology at Barnes Hospital, combined forces to co-direct divisional activities until Dr. Schwartz departed for Monsanto in 1991. Prior to leaving, Dr. Schwartz ran a successful research program as a Howard Hughes investigator focusing on the understanding of histocompatibility antigens on lymphoid cells and the molecular structure of HLA molecules. But also equally important, Dr. Schwartz was an outstanding mentor and has influenced the career trajectory of several notable investigators, including our favorite alumnus, Dr. Andy Chan who was an MSTP at WashU under Dr. Atkinson’s mentorship. The Benjamin D. Schwartz, MD PhD distinguished fellow award in rheumatology was established through a generous endowed fund from the Chan's in recognition of Dr. Schwartz’s mentorship and insightful career advice. The award recognizes a rheumatology fellow who has distinguished themselves in patient care and teaching throughout their training. 

We all join in congratulating Dr. Schwartz on his well-deserved retirement and thanking him for his lasting impact.

M. Kathryn Liszewski, Assistant Professor of Medicine, has been affiliated with the Division of Rheumatology for more than four decades. Although her research primarily focuses on the complement system, in collaboration with Dr. John Atkinson and other researchers, Kathy has critically contributed, in an interdisciplinary approach to a range of disease mechanisms, from RVCL-S to COVID-19. She is a prolific writer, authoring and co-authoring more than 300 publications, generating more than 10,000 citations.  We have been fortunate to have Kathy as an outstanding research team member in the Division of Rheumatology. We join in thanking Kathy for her valuable contribution and congratulate her on her well-earned retirement. 

Wayne Yokoyama, MD received an endowed gift from Dr. Andrew Chee-Yuen Chan, MD, PhD, and Dr. Mary Finnorn Chan, MD to support the Division of Physician-Scientists, in the Department of Medicine, with a lecture, educational resources, and research training initiatives aimed at encouraging and inspiring patient-facing physicians interested in pursuing research.

Deborah Parks, MD was named a recipient of the 2026 Department of Medicine Dean’s Impact Award. The award honors Dr. Parks for her excellence through sustained commitment to patient care. Dr. Parks has provided more than 35 years of superlative care and service to WashU Medicine and BJC as a respected, brilliant, and empathetic physician.

Joy Um, MD was named a Dean’s Scholar 2026. The Dean’s Scholars program supports outstanding MD-only individuals committed to a career as a physician-scientist. 

Riya Madan, MD – Riya completed her Rheum fellowship at UPenn. She joins WashU as an assistant professor on the clinician track.

Joy Um, MD – Joy completed her Med-Peds Rheum fellowship at WashU. She will hold a joint adult-peds instructor position and will continue her research in Dr. Michael Paley’s laboratory focusing on spondyloarthritis.

Intelly Lee, MD PhD – Intelly completed his Rheum fellowship at WashU on the PSTP track. He will join the faculty as an instructor and continue his research in Dr. Steve Van Dyken’s laboratory focusing on understanding pathophysiology of fibrosing disease.

Dr.  Roseanne Zhao completed her Rheum fellowship at WashU on the PSTP track. She has been promoted to assistant professor on the investigator track. Her work examines the role of gut microbiota and barrier in modulating inflammation at distant sites.

Dr. Sana Kang was promoted to Assistant Professor on the Clinician Track. Dr. Kang has been with the Division since 2023 and practices primarily at the South County clinic.

Under the leadership of Dr. Deepali Sen, the multidisciplinary team, Team PHV:  Waleed Ali, MD, Brendan Lally, MSW, LCSW, Andrew Robinson MSW, LCSW, Ashley Poore, Patrice Odom, Jessica Seal, Kelly Nessel MBA, has helped hospitalized patients transition to outpatient care in rheumatology clinic. With the addition of Brendan Lally MSW to the group, the team has been able to provide discharged patients with social work screening and assistance with barriers to care.  Transitional interventions also  included placing a medical assistant call within a week to establish early  follow up. These interventions have shown significant impact, recent analysis show patients who received phone call within 1 week had a four-fold higher chance of follow up within 1 month. Patients who received social work screening  showed higher rates of follow up even at 6 months post intervention. 

Team PHV  helps patients with continuity of care. Long term impact on clinic follow up seen with social work intervention post hospitalization. The rheumatology division has focused on transition care interventions after hospital discharge since 2021.

These interventions have shown significant impact, recent analysis show patients who received phone call within 1 week had a four-fold higher chance of follow up within 1 month. Patients who received social work screening  showed higher rates of follow up even at 6 months post intervention. 

Patient testimonials reveal the impact that the program has on their lives.

 “By being able to get to my doctor appointments I have been able to focus on my overall health both physically and mentally. My experience by having transportation assistance took away the worrying about getting to see my doctors and allows me to focus on my overall health”

“The transportation and case management I have received have helped me so much. The transportation has helped me to make it to my doctor appointments in a timely manner. The case management has helped me to stay healthy and to stay home, and to stay out of the hospital. I am thankful for these services and truly appreciate them.”

On two Saturday mornings, one in December and another in March, Rheumatology faculty, staff, and their families came together to volunteer at Cook and Pack events at Food Outreach in Midtown St. Louis. During these events, volunteers packaged thousands of individual servings of chef-prepared meals for Food Outreach clients.

Participants shared that the experience was both meaningful and enjoyable, offering a chance to give back while also connecting with colleagues on a more personal level. The mornings concluded with great conversation over coffee at Blueprint Coffee.

Those interested in future volunteer opportunities are encouraged to contact Brendan Lally!

We officially welcome Dr. Lisa Zickuhr as the Fellowship Program Director, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Zickuhr has held several education leadership positions, including Director of the medical school’s preclinical Rheumatology Course (2018-2021), Director of Rheumatology Curricula for medical students and internal medicine residents (2021-2026), Associate Director of the Medicine Clerkship (2020-2021), and Director of the Medicine Clerkship (2022-2026).

In recognition of her enthusiasm, creativity, and scholarship in medical education, Dr. Zickuhr was awarded Washington University’s Academy of Educator’s Inaugural 2021 Rising Star Award for her exceptional promise in multiple domains of medical education.  She has also been recognized as the WUSM Internal Medicine Residency Teaching Faculty of the Year (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), WUSM Distinguished Service Teaching Award (2021, 2022), and the Richard Brasington Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Rheumatology Fellows (2020, 2021), and most recently, the 2024 Dean’s Impact Award recognizing outstanding mentorship and sponsorship. In addition, Dr. Zickuhr was selected as the 2024 Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Teaching Fellow, a prestigious fellowship awarded to a faculty committed to clinical excellence and education, and encouraging teaching that excellence to medical students, residents, and fellows.

We thank Dr. Prabha Ranganathan for her leadership as Fellowship Program Director (2018-2026). The fellowship program flourished, expanding from 3 to 4 fellows per year and we filled every fellowship spot during her tenure. She successfully obtained several fellowship awards from Pfizer and the Amgen Fellowship Training Program (offered through the Rheumatology Research Foundation) to support our clinical fellows. A number of fellows received the Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award, nominated by Dr. Ranganathan (Colin Diffie, Can Sungur, Albert Liang, Tinu Aluko, Intelly Lee, and  Alissa Chandler). Please join us in thanking Dr. Ranganathan for her outstanding service to the division.

We hosted the annual virtual rheumatology OSCE with our partners in the Midwest Mountain Rheumatology Collaborative from Northwestern University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Northwestern. Fellows enjoyed meeting colleagues from other programs, receiving feedback on their skills, and learning about systemic sclerosis from keynote speaker and thought leader Carrie Richardson, MD, MHSc.

We also welcomed Bear to our academic offices! Bear is a Bernese mountain dog and therapy dog who often visits patients at St. Louis Children's Hospital. This FUNuary? Bear shared his doggy hugs with the fellows, faculty, and staff in the Divisions of Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases. His visit was a success, and many have already requested a repeat appearance.

The research team, led by Drs. Daphne Lew, Al Kim, and Seth Eisen, is advancing the use of artificial intelligence to better identify and address social risk factors in clinical care. Their project focuses on developing and applying AI-driven Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods to extract information about social risks from both provider notes and patient-reported data.

Using machine learning and NLP within the EPIC electronic health record system, the team will design algorithms to detect key social risk factors and link them with clinical outcomes. This approach will help pinpoint the most effective opportunities for intervention during routine clinical encounters. By automating the identification of social risks, clinicians will be better equipped to connect patients with relevant social services and monitor how these referrals influence health over time.

Ultimately, this work aims to integrate social risk assessment into standard medical care, improving individual health and laying the groundwork for future large-scale interventions that address the social determinants of health more systematically

Mailing Address: 660 S. Euclid Ave.

MSC: 8045-0043-15

St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: 314-286-2635 | Fax: 314-286-2338