Volunteering is a great way to give back and can be truly meaningful. Myriad worthwhile causes exist, so it can be hard to choose among them, but donating time to ACR and ARP committees helps promote rheumatology practice and brings awareness to rheumatic diseases. The College relies on volunteers to help achieve strategic priorities, promote and disseminate educational material, and lobby for the profession and its professionals. More than a dozen committees welcomed many new volunteers in 2019. The newcomers are ready to contribute toward the College’s exciting and worthwhile projects in coming years (see the blue box at the bottom of this page).
Motivational Drivers
The reasons people volunteer vary, but choosing to volunteer for an organization like the ACR or the ARP can be both personally and professionally rewarding.
“The ACR is such an important organization in so many ways,” says Rebecca Manno, MD, MHS, adjunct assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and a member of the Committee on Education. “It is the largest professional organization for rheumatologists, and for many rheumatologists it is the central place where we obtain information necessary to care for patients.” She also stresses the importance of the College’s advocacy for the specialty and the education it offers. “This is critical, not only for ourselves but also for our trainees.”
“As a trainee, I always thought my role as a rheumatologist in the community would be purely clinical,” says Mohammad A. Ursani, MD, RhMSUS, a rheumatologist with the Millennium Physicians Association, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Houston School of Medicine in The Woodlands, Texas, and a member of the Committee on Communications & Marketing. “But as I advance in my practice and career, I now realize that our role as clinicians must expand to also advocating for our patients outside of the office or hospital.”
Karen Brandt Onel, MD, chief of pediatric rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, grew up with parents who were active volunteers and recalls them holding Vietnam rallies in her home when she was a child. Dr. Onel’s parents instilled in her a sense of duty to volunteer and pride in doing good.
As a pediatric rheumatologist, Dr. Onel decided to dedicate her volunteer efforts as chair of the Committee on Ethics & Conflict of Interest. “In many ways, the ethical issues we encounter while participating in research and conflicts of interest in how we interact with different communities strike me as even more critical [in pediatrics],” she says.
Brian Loggins, BA, BS, an ARP member and a practice administrator at Arthritis Associates, San Antonio, Texas, joined the Government Affairs Committee as a result of encouragement from his professional colleagues. “A few of the physicians in our practice have been involved with the ACR, and I have been very involved with our state rheumatology society, … so [volunteering] seemed like a natural transition,” he says. Although not a physician, he is “very interested in the processes of federal legislation and patient and physician advocacy” and says, “[The Government Affairs Committee] seemed like a great fit for me.”
Working on an ACR/ARP committee not only benefits the community but can also be an opportunity for professional growth and development. William F. Harvey, MD, MSc, FACR, who serves on the Registries & Health Information Technology (RHIT) Committee, learned new skills through volunteering that contributed positively to his work as an associate professor of medicine, clinical director of the Arthritis Treatment Center and chief medical information officer at Tufts Medical Center, Boston.
“Volunteering with the ACR is a way to serve the community that trained me and helped me get established in the field,” he says. “It is also an important way to broaden my impact by helping to advance rheumatology nationally.”
Getting Strategic
To accomplish the strategic goals of the ACR, activities and projects are delegated to committees comprising ACR/ARP members. The committees bring healthcare providers from different backgrounds and settings together, and this diversity contributes to their efficacy and success.
For this reason, Dr. Manno says it’s important for providers from all over the world to participate. She is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University but lives in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, in a small, underserved community. The perspective she and others from different settings bring to the committees is important, she says, to effectively represent the profession.
“Many readers of The Rheumatologist are practicing in the community, and they may think committee work is just for those in academia, … but it is important to highlight that diversity on the committees is key to their success, and volunteers are always needed,” she says.
“In general, the committees of the ACR are truly the effector arm of the College and have been able to accomplish many of the College’s goals over the years,” Dr. Harvey says. “Specifically, RHIT helps the ACR become a data-driven organization and gives the ACR a tool to support rheumatology practices.”
Committee work not only helps the College become more data driven, but also helps it evolve with changing technologies and communication methods.
“I grew up in the age of the invention of social media, and I witnessed it rapidly develop into the giant that it is now,” Dr. Ursani says. “Many of our patients have integrated social media into their lives as one of the main forms of communication and research. I believe that providing accurate and succinct information will help individuals navigate the complex field of rheumatology and autoimmunity.”
Face-to-face communication and direct outreach are hardly passé and so remain in the committees’ toolbox for communication efforts, too. “I especially enjoy the spring and fall Washington, D.C., advocacy fly-ins,” Mr. Loggins says. “[They allow] you to see how the wheels of federal legislation turn and how we all can influence Congress.”
He looks forward to helping pass laws that will benefit rheumatology patients and physicians during his term on the committee. “The Government Affairs Committee advances the goals of ACR/ARP through direct congressional lobbying efforts, RheumPAC contributions and face-to-face meetings with congressional representatives.”
Awareness is an important goal of the Communications & Marketing Committee, Dr. Ursani notes. This committee “helps increase awareness for rheumatic conditions, and the more aware the greater society is, the more pull the ACR/ARP has with forming policy regarding healthcare and research funding aimed at autoimmunity and rheumatic disease, ultimately improving long-term outcomes,” he says.
Project Work
During the course of their terms, and in pursuit of supporting the strategic goals of the ACR/ARP, the committees plan and implement specific projects. In the coming years, the ACR/ARP committees will seek to accomplish numerous priorities and complete many innovative and ongoing projects.
The RHIT Committee works on a number of projects, “but the most exciting is the RISE [Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness] registry,” Dr. Harvey says. “RISE provides an unparalleled opportunity to use real-world data to better understand the practice of rheumatology and the efficacy of our treatments. It can be both a powerful research tool to answer scientific questions and also provide data to inform health policy and practice advocacy work the ACR does.”
Dr. Ursani looks forward to working on promotions and activities related to the now recognized Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month. The awareness month, held annually in September since 2016, “has been gaining popularity and recognition,” he says. “It is encouraging to have certain celebrities and athletes with rheumatic disease agree to be [ambassadors] for our platform.”
Part of the ACR’s commitment to education involves improving educational offerings, Dr. Manno says, so projects the Education Committee is undertaking include getting creative with different delivery methods, such as online resources, interactive webinars and live streaming. These new methodologies will be visible in the committee’s work putting together content for the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting and other events, including the State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, the Winter Rheumatology Symposium and other educational endeavors.
“It’s so exciting and important to bring rheumatology education into 2020 with innovation and creativity, and it is a privilege to be a part of it. … Attendees of the Annual Meeting will start seeing this more—not just the traditional didactic sessions but more TED-style talks, shorter talks, high-impact talks, more networking events, all of these things that are changing the format of education to respond to the needs of all learners. This is an incredible commitment the ACR has made to its members,” Dr. Manno says.
A project that Dr. Onel and the Ethics Committee members have taken on is revising policies on ethics and conflicts of interest. “These policies are moving targets; times change, and the things we need to address change,” she says. “It’s really a living document we’re writing to reflect the issues of our times. … The ability to create that living document is really a remarkable opportunity.”
Being in the Room
Participating on an ACR/ARP committee involves dedication and sometimes hard work, but it’s worthwhile in the end because of the sense of accomplishment and pride in the projects. Committee work also offers a unique view behind the scenes of the associations.
“Committee work is exciting because you get to see the inner workings of the ACR,” Dr. Manno says. “It’s one thing to see the Annual Meeting as an attendee, but it’s another level of commitment and investment if you’re attending the Annual Meeting and you’ve been part of the planning process.”
“It’s really an exciting thing to be a part of the community, to have the opportunity to be a committee chair,” Dr. Onel says. Working with the other volunteers and the ACR Board reminds her of the line in Hamilton about being “in the room where it happens,” she adds. “It’s exciting to have exposure to the leadership and see how the organization works, how the pieces come together, to think about ways in which things happen behind the scenes and appreciate the fact that we do all we do every year. … I’m a rheumatologist first and foremost, and since I care about rheumatology and rheumatology patients, there’s no better place for me to be.”
Committee appointments are made each year in conjunction with the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. Most elected terms are for three years beginning at the time of the Annual Meeting. Learn more about the College’s enduring committees and their members. ACR/ARP members interested in volunteering can find more information here.
The 2019–20 ACR & ARP Committees
The standing committees of the ACR/ARP endure from year to year, and additional ad hoc committees or task forces are put together as needed. The following is the current list of the ACR/ARP committees. All committees are subject to the authority and responsibilities outlined in the ACR bylaws and report to the ACR board of directors. More information is available at https://www.rheumatology.org/About-Us/Leadership/Committees.
ACR Committees
Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC)
The AMPC is charged with developing an annual meeting of high value that anticipates and fulfills member and audience expectations and maintains ACCME accreditation of the ACR as a CME accrediting organization.
Committee Members
- Chair: Victoria Shanmugam
- Chair: Swamy Venuturupalli
- Chair-Elect: Sharon Kolasinski
- Sub-Chair: Diane Kamen
- Sub-Chair: Maureen McMahon
- Sub-Chair: Eyal Muscal
- Sub-Chair: Susan Murphy
- Sub-Chair: Gregg Silverman
- Abstract Sub-Chair: Michael LaValley
- Abstract Selection: Jennifer Anolik
- Abstract Selection: Shervin Assassi
- RHIT-Quality, CORC: Linda Russell
- A&R Editor: Daniel Solomon
- Fellows Rep: Reem Alkilany
- Govt. Affairs: Ethan Craig
- Research: Richard Loeser
- Research: Cong-Qiu Chu
- T&W: Tracey Wright
- Trainee: Elizabeth Wellsandt
- Amanda Myers
- Saira Sheikh
- Gordon Starkebaum
- Matthew Bunyard
- Michael Feely
- Arundathi Jayatilleke
- Elizabeth Wahl
- Sonali Khandelwal
- Tina Mahajan
- Christie Bartels
- Bharat Kumar
- Katina Tsagaris
- Mark Hwang
- Luke Barre
- Kristine Kuhn
- Jerry Molitor
- Lisa Christopher-Stine
- Minna Kohler
- Sara Schoenfeld
- Rebecca Manno
- Venkataraman Krishnamurthy
- Vinicius Domingues
- Dan Mandel
- Jennifer Cooper
- Elaine Flanagan (Ramsay)
- Linda Hiraki
- Madeline Beard
- Caitlyn Bednarek
- Ann Biehl
- Jill Blitz
- Linda Rodamaker
- Julie Schwartzman-Morris
- Nadine Spring
- Priscilla Toral
- Aimee Wiener
- Nancy Lane
- Adam Mor
- Michael Ombrello
- Harris Perlman
- Alessandra Pernis
- Deepak Rao
Collaborative Initiatives Special Committee (COIN)
This committee concerns itself with strategic, collaborative activities, including piloting innovative projects that support the ACR mission and advance health equity. The committee reviews and makes recommendations regarding partnerships and funding opportunities to advance these aims.
Committee Members
- S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH
- Mary Abraham, MD
- Christie Bartels, MD, MS
- Ashira Blazer, MD
- Eric Dein, MD
- Linda Ehrlich-Jones, PhD, RN
- Cianna Leatherwood, MD
- Wambui Machua, MD
- Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, MD
- Edith Williams, PhD
- George Tsokos, MD
Committee on Communications & Marketing
This committee presents the communications and marketing priorities and plan to the board of directors, initiates or supports all internal and external communications and marketing efforts, is responsible for managing the websites and developing content, serves as the committee that oversees The Rheumatologist and monitors communications policies.
Committee Members
- Chair: Suleman Bhana, MD
- Senada Arabelovic, DO
- Marcy Bolster, MD
- Jonathan Hausmann, MD
- Chris Mecoli, MD
- Kanika Monga, MD
- Bob Richardson, PT, MEd, FAPTA
- Elizabeth Roth-Wojcicki, RN, MS, CPNP
- Vaneet Sandhu, MD
- Mohammad Ursani, MD
- Angus Worthing, MD
Committee on Corporate Relations
This committee ensures alignment with the ACR guiding principles and avoids overlap with other projects for all College-wide corporate initiatives, as well as oversees and vets the procedures related to negotiation and acceptance of all external corporate funding.
Committee Members
- Chair: Kenneth Saag, MD, MSc
- Nancy Baker, OT, ScD
- Juliana Chang, MD
- Jonathan Cheah, MBBS
- L Douglas Graham, MD
- Lisa Imundo, MD
- Stuart Kassan, MD
- Margaret Tsai, MD
Division Directors Special Committee
This committee helps advance academic rheumatology, and thereby rheumatology as a whole, through support of clinical care, research, education and advocacy.
Committee Members
- Chair: Leslie Crofford, MD
- Hermine Brunner, MD, MBA, MSc
- Robert Colbert, MD, PhD
- Wael Jarjour, MD
- Kent Kwoh, MD
- Kris Lohr, MD, MS
- Joanna Marco, MD
- Jim Oates, MD
- Nora Singer, MD
- Kenneth Warrington, MD
- Dan Battafarano, DO
Committee on Education (COE)
This committee handles policies and/or guidelines for continuing medical education (CME) programs, oversees the development and provides final approval for any meetings or programs for which CME credit is granted by the ACR, and oversees the development of any ACR educational products or materials.
Committee Members
- Chair: Swamy Venuturupalli, MD
- Elana Bernstein, MD
- Angelo Gaffo, MD
- Sobia Hassan, MBBS, MRCP
- Ronald Laxer, MD, FRCP
- Aileen Ledingham, PT, MS, PhD
- Rebecca Manno, MD
- Luc Nguyen, MD
- Linda Rodamaker, ANP
- Victoria K. Shanmugam, MBBS, MRCP
- Milena Vukelic, MD
- Anne Bass, MD
CME Oversight Subcommittee
The CME Oversight subcommittee ensures the ACR meets and/or exceeds all requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), with focus on ensuring CME content is evidence based and free of commercial bias. The subcommittee provides a review and unbiased evaluation of the ACR’s CME activities and makes recommendations to the COE to continuously improve the educational activities to ensure they continue to meet the ACR’s CME mission.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Sobia Hassan, MD
- Mary Beth F. Son, MD
- Jane S. Kang, MD
Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
The CPD subcommittee is involved in all of the maintenance of certification (MOC) programs and products the ACR offers throughout the year. These include, but are not limited to, CARE, CARE MOC sessions (online and live at the Annual Meeting) and recently, MOC added to the ACR’s professional meetings.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Luc Nguyen
- Amy C. Cannella, MD, RhMSUS
- Eli Miloslavsky, MD
- Christopher Wise, MD
CARE Development Group
CARE is a working group under the CPD subcommittee CARE Development Group. This group comprises question writers, section chiefs and a chair who work together to develop the annual Continuing Assessment, Review, and Evaluation (CARE) program. CARE is an online self-assessment tool designed to help rheumatologists identify and address important gaps in their knowledge of rheumatology.
Group Members
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-
- Chair: Amy C. Cannella, MD, RhMSUS
- Section Chief: Alan Erickson, MD
- Section Chief: Rumey Ishizawar, MD, PhD
- Section Chief: Mark Fisher, MD, MPH
- Section Chief: Joel Hirsh, MD
- Section Chief: Deana Lazaro, MD
- Section Chief: Angela Robinson, MD, MPH
- Section Chief: Mathilde Pioro, MD
- Section Chief: Nina Ramessar, MD
- Section Chief: Beth Rubinstein, MD
- Section Chief: Amanda Sammut, MD
- Section Chief: Rodney Tehrani, MD
- Section Chief: Anisha Dua, MD
- Question Writer: Bryant England, MD
- Question Writer: Arundhati Jayatilleke, MD
- Question Writer: Irene Tan, MD
- Question Writer: Matthew Carroll, MD
- Question Writer: Jonathan Cheah, MBBS
- Question Writer: Richa Dhawan, MD
- Question Writer: Lisa Davis, MD
- Question Writer: Justus Fiechtner, MD, MPH
- Question Writer: Prateek Gandiga, MD, FACP
- Question Writer: Vikram Garg, MS, MD
- Question Writer: Jennifer Medlin, MD
- Question Writer: Luc Nguyen, MD
- Question Writer: Jean Park, MD
- Question Writer: Chokkalingam Siva, MD, MS
- Question Writer: Huzaefah Syed, MD
- Question Writer: Jennifer Stichman, MD
- Question Writer: Kai Sun, MD
- Question Writer: Nicole Walton, DO
- Question Writer: Abhishek Nandan, MD
- Question Writer: Fotios Koumpouras, MD
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Curriculum Subcommittee
The Curriculum Subcommittee ensures the core curriculum outline remains current and curates the educational materials and resources posted to the rheumatology educator webpage.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Lisa Criscione-Schreiber, MD
- Narender Annapurreddy, MD
- Adam Berlinberg, MD
- Christopher Collins, MD
- Chase Correia, MD
- Sam Dalvi, MD
- Sharon Dowell, MD
- Evelyn Hsieh, MD, MPH
- Kabita Nanda, MD
- Rochelle Ostrowski, MD
- Lisa Zickuhr, MD
Educational Meetings Planning Committees
These committees comprise rheumatology experts who oversee the development and implementation of the State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium (Professional Meetings Committee), Winter Rheumatology Symposium (Winter Rheumatology Symposium Planning Committee) and the Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium (Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium Planning Committee). During their planning meeting, held approximately 12 months from the start of the next program, the committee carefully considers the topics to be presented by referencing previous attendee evaluations, perceived and expressed learning gaps, and current literature available, discussing rheumatologic topics as depicted by ABIM’s 13 Rheumatology Blueprint categories (i.e., ABP’s Pediatric Rheumatology Blueprint for PRSYM). Through this process, they identify the educational needs and developed learning objectives for the activity overall, and for individual meeting components.
Committee Members
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- Chair: Rebecca Manno, MD
- Chair Elect: Narender Annapureddy, MD, MS
- Meenakshi Jolly, MD, MS
- Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH
- Lianne Gensler, MD
- Manjari Malkani, MD
- Rohit Aggarwal, MD
- Aman Kugasia
- Sobia Hassan, RhMSUS, MRCP, MBBS
- Jeanie Lee, MD
Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course Planning Committee
This committee comprises RhMSUS-certified experts who oversee the development and implementation of the Rheumatology Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course—Fundamentals and Rheumatology Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course—Advanced. The planning committee recognizes the need for additional education in ultrasound education within rheumatology and works to close the experience and knowledge gap by planning hands-on educational experiences between the fundamentals-level and advanced-level courses offered as Annual Meeting preconference programs annually.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Veronika Sharp, MD, RhMSUSTM
- Karina Torralba, MD, MMED, RhMSUSTM
- Nicole Bitencourt, MD, RhMSUSTM
- Jemima Albayda, MD, RhMSUSTM
- Narandra Bethina, MD, RhMSUSTM
- Patricia Vega-Fernandez, MD, RhMSUSTM
Committee on Ethics & Conflict of Interest
This committee addresses and responds to questions regarding conflict of interest, reviews and proposes modifications to the Code of Ethics and Disclosure Policy and Statement, reviews charges alleging professional misconduct by members, provides guidance to the Board of Directors on matters involving ethics and conflict of interest and develops educational information for the membership.
Committee Members
- Chair: Karen Onel, MD
- Donica Baker, MD
- Anne Eberhard, MBBS, MSc
- Eric Gapud, MD, PhD
- Adam Goode, PhD, PT, DPT
- Bernard Hildebrand, MD
- Jill Johnson, MD
- Christine Pellegrini, PhD
- Christina Schutt, DO
- Athan N. Tiliakos, DO
- Kent Kwas Huston, MD
Committee on Finance
This committee has authority to monitor the financial policies, investments and expenditures of the ACR and develops the financial resources needed to carry out the programs of the ACR.
Committee Members
- Chair: Douglas White, MD, PhD
- Deborah Dyett Desir, MD
- Kori Dewing, DNP, ARNP
- Robert C. Fuhlbrigge, MD, PhD
- Zsuzsanna McMahan, MD, MHS
- Sreelakshmi Panginikkod, MD
- Jan Richardson, PT, PhD
- William Robinson, MD, PhD
- Robert Roubey, MD
- Irene Tan, MD
Committee on Journal Publications
This committee oversees the operations of the ACR’s three peer-reviewed journals, Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Care & Research and ACR Open Rheumatology, including monitoring relations with and the performance of the journals’ common publishers, developing and reviewing policies on matters that affect the journals and reporting to the ACR Board of Directors on the journals’ behalf.
Committee Members
- Chair: Shervin Assassi, MD, MS
- Vivian Bykerk, MD, FRCPC
- Kristin D’Silva, MD
- Debbie Feldman, PhD, PT
- Meenakshi Jolly, MD, MS
- Linda C. Li, PT, MSc, PhD
- UyenSa Nguyen, DSc, MPH
- Robert Scofield, MD
- John Varga, MD
- Richard Bucala, MD, PhD (Editor of A&R)
- Marian Hannan, DSc, MPH (Editor of AC&R)
- Patricia Katz, PhD (Co-Editor of ACROR)
- Edward Yelin, PhD (Co-Editor of ACROR)
Committee on Nominations & Appointments
This committee makes nominations for positions on the board of directors and makes recommendations regarding application for membership, the ACR Awards of Distinction and other ACR awards.
Committee Members
- Chair: Paula Marchetta, MD, MBA
- Stacy Ardoin, MD
- Joel Block, MD
- Hazel Breland, PhD, OT, FAOTA
- Gary Firestein, MD
- Ellen Gravallese, MD
- Edward Herzig, MD
- V. Michael Holers, MD
- David Karp, MD, PhD
- Elizabeth Perkins, MD
- Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH
- Janet Poole, PhD, OT, FAOTA (invited guest)
Committee on Pediatric Rheumatology
This committee implements initiatives designed to improve the recruitment of pediatricians into the field of rheumatology, initiates or supports communication efforts to ACR pediatric members and supports the practice needs of pediatric rheumatologists through contributions to activities of the ACR standing committees.
Committee Members
- Chair: Jay Mehta, MD
- Hana Conlon, RN, CPNP
- Ashley Cooper, MD
- Colleen Correll, MD, MPH
- Catherine A. Figueroa, RN, BSN
- Mileka Gilbert, MD, PhD
- Linda T. Hiraki, MD, FRCPC, ScD
- Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE
- W. Blain Lapin, MD
- Grant Schulert, MD, PhD
- Tamara Tanner, MD
- Paula Marchetta, MD, MBA
AMIGO
AMIGO is a pediatric rheumatology mentoring program. To address the needs of early career pediatric rheumatologists, the ACR Special Committee on Pediatric Rheumatology and the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) joined together in 2011 to develop a program to support the career development of fellows and junior faculty in pediatric rheumatology via educational services, facilitated networking and, most importantly, a one-on-one mentoring program through which interested mentees are matched with mentors at other institutions.
Subcommittee Members
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- Co-Chair, ACR Rep: Linda Hiraki, MD, FRCPC, ScD
- Co-Chair, CARRA Rep: Kaveh Ardalan, MD, MS
- Chair, Peds Committee: Jay Mehta, MD, MS
- Laura Ballenger, MD, FIT
- Nicole Bitencourt, MD
- Ashley Cooper, MD
- Kristen Hayward
- Erin Treemarcki, DO
- Vidya Sivaraman, MD
Pediatric Rheumatology Residents Program
To motivate outstanding pediatric residents to pursue subspecialty training in pediatric rheumatology, the Pediatric Rheumatology Residents program provides an opportunity to attend the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. The program is designed to introduce pediatric residents to the possibility of subspecialty training in pediatric rheumatology at an early period in their residency. By identifying residents who have demonstrated interest in rheumatology but are undecided about a subspecialty, we hope to have a positive impact on workforce issues that continue to challenge pediatric rheumatology.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Ashley Cooper, MD
- Jennifer Cooper, MD
- Colleen Correll, MD
- Mileka Gilbert, MD, PhD
- Andrea Knight, MD
- Blaine Lapin, MD
- Jay Mehta, MD
- Grant Schulert, MD, PhD
- Nicole Bittencourt, MD
Committee on Quality of Care
This committee develops quality-related activities, including classification and response criteria, outcome measures, practice guidelines, quality indicators and related practice implementation tools, and activities related to the safety of rheumatologic therapeutics.
Committee Members
- Chair: Sindhu Johnson, MD, PhD, FRCPC
- Kelli Allen, PhD
- Sara Baig, MD
- Catherine A. Bingham, MD
- Catherine Christen, PharmD
- Maio Danila, MD, MSc, MSPH
- Susan Goodman, MD
- Diane Lacaille, MD, FRCPC, MSc
- Lisa Mandl, MD, MPH
- Ted R. Mikuls, MD
- Sara Tedeschi, MD, MPH
- Candace Feldman, MD, ScD
Classification and Response Criteria Subcommittee
This subcommittee oversees the development and final ACR approval of classification, response, remission and other criteria for rheumatic diseases, often working jointly with EULAR and other organizations. It also provides methodological guidance to criteria developers in the community, including periodic publications to help guide the field.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Diane Lacaille, MD, MHSc
- Jaime Guzman, MD, MSc
- Jennifer Ji Young Lee, MD
- Lily Lim, MBBS, PhD
- Rennie Rhee, MD, MSCE
- Zahi Touma, MD, PhD
- Veena Ranganath, MD
- Elizabeth Volkmann, MD, MS
- Ronald van Vollenhoven, MD
- Marian Hannan, DSc, MPH
- Susan Bartlett, PhD
- Nikolay Nikolov, MD
Practice Guidelines Subcommittee
This subcommittee oversees the development and final ACR approval of clinical practice guidelines. It also provides methodological guidance to ACR and other guideline development teams.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Susan Goodman, MD
- Michael George, MD
- Marina Magrey, MD
- Jamal Mikdashi, MD, MPH
- Kamil Barbour, MPH, PhD
- Heather Finlayson, PA
- Sara Piva, PT
Quality Measure Subcommittee
The Quality Measure Subcommittee (QMS) is involved in quality measure development and review and liaising with national quality organizations (e.g., the National Quality Forum, etc.). The QMS also promotes quality measurement and improvement to the ACR membership through educational sessions at the ACR annual meeting and in print. The subcommittee’s goal is to be both proactive and reactive, when needed, to try to drive the national quality agenda for rheumatology.
Subcommittee Members
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- Co-Chair: Lisa Suter, MD
- Co-Chair: Alex Limanni, MD
- Julia Harris, MD
- Shraddha Jatwani, MD, FACP, FACR
- Shanthini Kasturi, MD
- Una Makris, MD, MSc
- Esi Morgan, MD MSCE
- Achini Dingman Perera, MD
- Tarun Sharma, MD
- Heather Tory, MD, MPH
- Melissa A. Wells, MD
- JoAnn Zell, MD
- Aileen Davis, BScPT MSc PhD
- Karla Jones, MS, CPNP
- Anthony Ocon, MD
- Allen Anandarajah, MD, MS
Committee on Registries & Health Information Technology
This committee works to support and advance the use of appropriate health information and communication technology within clinical research and the practice of rheumatology to provide safe, timely, efficient, effective, equitable and patient-centered care.
Committee Members
- Chair: Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH
- Puneet Bajaj, MD, MPH
- Delamo Bekele, MBBS
- Cynthia Crowson, PhD
- Bryant England, MD
- Margarita Fallena, MD
- Thomas Grader-Beck, MD
- William F. Harvey, MD, MSc
- Katherine Liao, MD, MPH
- Virginia Reddy, MD
- Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhD
Research & Publications Subcommittee
The ACR’s Research and Publications Subcommittee oversees the use of RISE registry data for research. The subcommittee’s main roles are to assess requests to use data from the RISE registry, and to advise the ACR on how to further the goals of RISE from the standpoint of researchers.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Katherine Liao, MD, MPH
- Joshua Baker, MD, MSCE
- Nick Bansback, PhD
- Christie Bartels
- Yvonne Lee, MD, MMSc
- Kaleb D. Michaud, PhD
- Andreas Reimold, MD
- Sarah Ringold, MD
- Ankoor Shah, MD
- Megan Clowse, MD, MPH
- Jeff Curtis, MD, MS, MPH
- Gabby Schmajuk, MD
- Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH
Committee on Research
This committee encourages clinical and health services research on the organization of medical and healthcare as they affect patients with rheumatic diseases, maintains an updated rheumatology research agenda and works to coordinate the research efforts of the ACR and the Arthritis Foundation.
Committee Members
- Chair: Anne-Marie Malfait, MD, PhD
- Cong-Qui Chu, MD, PhD
- Alexei A. Grom, MD
- Dina Jones, PhD, PT
- Richard Loeser, MD
- Elena Losina, PhD
- Deepak Rao, MD, PhD
- Ram Raj Singh, MD
- Melanie Smith, MD, PhD
- Jeremy Sokolove, MD
- Carol Langford, MD, MHS
ARP Research Subcommittee
The ARP Research Subcommittee collaborates with the ACR Committee on Research to promote rheumatology research through the development and dissemination of educational products, services and resources for the interprofessional team to ultimately improve the health and care of people with rheumatic disease.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Nancy Delnay, MSN, PMHS, CNP
- Dina Jones, PhD, PT
- Julia Jungwa Lee, PhD, MPH
- Joshua Stefanik, PhD, MSPT
- Kendra Young, PhD, MSPH
- Cynthia Crowson, PhD
- Stuart Federman, PharmD, AAHIVP
- Becki Cleveland, PhD
- Charmayne Dunlop-Thomas, MS, MPH
Early Career Investigator Subcommittee
This subcommittee is responsible for serving the needs of junior faculty who are pursuing careers in academic rheumatology. Recent activities of the ECI have included planning educational sessions at the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting for junior faculty interests, planning of the ACR’s Annual Rheumatology Research Workshop and oversight of the ACR’s adult mentorship program, CARMA.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Jeffrey Sparks, MD, MMSc
- April Barnado, MD, MSCI
- Laura Cappelli, MD
- Carla Cuda, MD
- Maureen Dubreuil, MD
- Bryant England, MD
- Shaun Jackson, MD, PhD
- Laura Lewandowski, MD
- Iris Navarro-Milan, MD
- Michael Ombrello, MD, PhD
- Grant Schulert, MD, PhD
- Elizabeth Volkmann, MD
- Beth Wallace, MD, MSc
- April Jorge, MD
- Courtney Crayne, MD
- Erik Anderson, MD
Committee on Rheumatologic Care (CORC)
This committee works with the Committee on Education to ensure that training recommendations reflect the changing scope of rheumatology practice; oversees the publication of practice-related materials and other publications; provides ACR members with information concerning future changes in medical care organization, healthcare delivery, healthcare financing and healthcare technology; and develops a government relations agenda.
Committee Members
- Chair: Colin C. Edgerton, MD
- Allen Anandarajah, MD, MSc
- Ashley Beall, MD
- Adam Berlinberg, MD
- Jennifer Cooper, MD, PharmD
- Charles Degenhardt, MD
- Messina Gurrola
- Alicia Hinze, MD, MHS
- Andrew Hochradel, PharmD
- Aruni Jayatilleke, MD
- Linda Russell, MD
- Anu Sharma, MD
- Nehad Solomon, MD
- Bryant Uy, PA-C, MPH, MMS
- Kelly Weselman, MD
Affiliate Society Council
- Chair: Chris Adams, MD
Insurance Subcommittee
- Chair: Chris Phillips, MD
Committee on Rheumatology Training & Workforce Issues (CRTW)
This committee develops curricula and other educational tools for trainees in rheumatology, designs and implements career development programs, monitors career opportunities in rheumatology, provides networking opportunities and resources for rheumatology training program directors and monitors rheumatology workforce trends.
Committee Members
- Chair: Beth Jonas, MD
- Janet L. Bahr, ANP, BC
- Irene Blanco, MD
- Jason Kolfenbach, MD
- Bethany Marston, MD
- Karina Marianne D. Torralba, MD, MACM
- Nicole Orzechowski, DO
- Benjamin Widener, MD
- Tracey B. Wright, MD
- Nick Zupec, PharmD
- Amanda Myers, MD, CCD
Adult Rheumatology In-Training Examination Taskforce
This taskforce develops the annual Adult Rheumatology ITE in collaboration with the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Taskforce Members
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- Co-Chair: Nicole M. Orzechowski, DO
- Co-Chair: Jane S. Kang, MD, MS
- Anisha Dua MD, MPH
- Prateek Gandiga, MD, FACP
- Uzma Haque, MD
- Arundathi Jayatilleke, MD
- Jason Kolfenbach, MD
- Megan Krause, MD
- David Leverenz, MD
- John Massini, MD
- Anupama Shahane, MD
- Irene Tan, MD
Fellows-in-Training Subcommittee
This subcommittee organizes the fellows’ educational sessions at the State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium (SOTA) and the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, promotes FIT volunteer opportunities and enhances FIT educational resources.
Subcommittee Members
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- Chair: Noelle Rolle, MD
- Elena Gkrouzman, MD
- Justin Levinson, MD, MBA
- Jean Lin, MD
- Megan Lockwood, MD
- Mary Mamut, MD
- Michael Putman, MD
- Zahra Rehman, MD
- Elizabeth Sloan, MD
- Gloria Yiu, MD, PhD
Government Affairs Committee (GAC)
This committee develops effective liaisons with governmental and nongovernmental research support agencies, congressional members and staff, and organizations concerned with public policy aspects of healthcare delivery and healthcare financing.
Committee Members
- Chair: Elizabeth Solow, MD
- Laura Ballenger, MD
- Howard B. Blumstein, MD
- Ethan Craig, MD
- Jessica Farrell, PharmD
- Robert Jenkins, MD, PhD
- Ryan Jessee, MD
- Bharat Kumar, MD
- Brian Loggins, BA, BS
- Lisa Robbins, RN, BSN, CPN
- Tamar B. Rubinstein, MD
- Laura Sampson, PA
- Amanda Schnell, MD
- Howard Yang, MD
- Louisa Ziglar, MD
- Norman Gaylis, MD
Political Action Committee (RheumPAC)
This committee develops criteria that will determine how contributions will be distributed by the Committee to candidates for election to federal office, develops bylaws governing its operations, manages all internal and external political fundraising and related marketing efforts, and handles all campaign finance filings and distributions to candidates for federal office.
Committee Members
- Zachary Wallace, MD, MSc
- Matthew C. Baker, MD, BA
- Leyka M. Barbosa, MD
- Schartess Culpepper-Pace, MD
- Maura D. Iversen, PT, DPT, SD, MPH
- Bonita Libman, MD
- Victoria Menzies, PhD, RN, CNS-BC
- Stephanie Ott, MD
- William R. Palmer, MD
- Jaren Trost, MD
- Tyler Williams, MD
- Marisa Klein-Gitelman, MD, MPH
ARP Committees
ARP Annual Meeting Planning Subcommittee
The ARP AMPC will develop an educational program that meets the needs of the diverse ARP membership. The ACR Annual Meeting Planning Subcommittee and the ARP AMPC will collaborate to develop a fully integrated, seamless program that meets the above ACR mission and ARP purpose. A subset of pre-identified members of the AMPC will develop, support and promote a half day pre-conference for rheumatology professionals at the annual meeting.
Subcommittee Members
- Chair: Susan Murphy, OT, ScD
- Elizabeth Wellsandt, PhD, DPT
- Nadine Spring, MS, MPH
- Julie Schwartzman-Morris, MD
- Jill Blitz, PT
- Caitlyn Bednarek, MEd.
- Madeline Beard, BSN
- Kim Jones, PhD, FNP, RN
- Priscilla Toral, MSW
- Michael LaValley, PhD
- Ann Biehl, MS; PharmD, BCPS
- Linda Rodamaker, ANP
- Aimee Wiener, MSN, ARNP C
ARP eLearning Subcommittee
The members of the ARP eLearning Subcommittee identify, support, oversee and promote the ARP Online Rheumatology Education Portfolio using state-of-the-art technologies and interactive learning strategies to advance and promote online education for all rheumatology professionals.
Subcommittee Members
- Chair: Aileen Ledingham, PhD, PT
- Carole Dodge, OT, CHT
- Julie Strosser, PA-C, MMS
- Stephanie Armendariz, FNP
- Jillian Rose, PhD, MPH, MSW
- Brenda Frie, OT, EdD, CHT
- Laura Ray, MA, MLS
- Ali Porter, PharmD
- Sonam Kiwalkar, MD
- Prateek Gandiga, MD, FACP
- Hiral Master, PhD, MPH, MPT, PT
- Teresa Brady, PhD
- Ben Smith, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA
ARP Membership and Nominations Committee
This committee oversees the nominations process to ensure the election and appointment of qualified leaders representative of the diversity of the membership.
Committee Members
- Chair: Hazel L. Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, CLA
- Janet Poole, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
- Christine Stamatos, DNP
- Beth H. Resman Targoff, PharmD, FCCP
- Laurie Hughell, PA-C, MPH
- Polly Ferguson, MD
- Keith Knapp, PhD
- Barbara Slusher, PA-C, MSW
ARP Practice Committee
This committee oversees the rheumatology practice papers and ensures all ARP educational products and programs meet the practice needs of membership and explores member needs regarding clinical practice issues and promoting the interprofessional model of care.
Committee Members
- Chair: Heather Benham, ND, RN, CPNP
- Adena Batterman, MS, LCSW
- Messina Gurrola, BSHA
- Michael Jennings
- Jeff Newcomb, BS
- Wendy Ramey, PharmD
- Daniel Schaffer, PA-C
- Donald Thomas, MD
- Bryant Uy, PA-C, MPH, MMS
- Karen Ferguson, MS
- Kimberly Steinbarger, MS, PT
Kimberly J. Retzlaff is a freelance medical journalist based in Denver.
