A Half-Century of Rheumatology

Additionally, the division has eight full-time basic science faculty members, and eight of the MD faculty have significant protected time for basic and translational research. In fiscal year 2023, division faculty received 50 awards for a total of $11 million, including several Small Business Technology Transfer awards to develop new molecules to treat fibrosis.

More than 100 clinical trainees from the program are practicing around the U.S., as well as post-doctoral fellows from 24 countries, Dr. Silver says.

Dr. Oates

The Division of Rheumatology & Immunology has had three directors, with the founding director, Dr. LeRoy, serving until 1995. Next, Dr. Silver served as director through 2018, when Jim Oates, MD, assumed the role of director of the division.

“The recruitment of Dr. LeRoy in 1975 was the foundation for making us a world-renowned scleroderma center, and Dr. Richard Silver’s recruitment accelerated the clinical investigation in the division,” Dr. Oates says.

Celebrating 50 Years

The Division of Rheumatology recently celebrated its anniversary with a special continuing medical education event attended by more than 60 people, including past and present trainees, faculty and staff. All of the invited speakers were former trainees as clinical or post-doctoral fellows in the division, who have gone on to continue their academic careers at such institutions as Harvard University, Boston University, Cleveland Clinic, University of Toledo and Vanderbilt University, Dr. Silver says.

Vanessa Caceres is a medical writer in Bradenton, Fla.

References

1. Tashkin DP, Elashoff R, Clements PJ, et al. Cyclophosphamide versus placebo in scleroderma lung disease. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:2655–2666.
2. Tashkin DP, Roth MD, Clements PJ, et al. Mycophenolate mofetil versus oral cyclophosphamide in scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease (SLS II): a randomised controlled, double-blind, parallel group trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2016 Sep;4(9):708–719.