ACR on Air Podcast
ACR on Air seeks to have informative conversations rheumatology professionals want to hear – ranging in topic from trends in clinical practice, to issues affecting rheumatology professionals, and the changing landscape of the rheumatology field. Tune in bi-weekly for new interviews and commentary that are sure to empower listeners to excel in their specialty.
Podcast Host
Our host, Jonathan Hausmann, MD, is a pediatric and adult rheumatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research interests include autoinflammatory diseases, health technology, and medical education. Connect with Dr. Hausmann on Twitter (@hausmannMD).
Episodes
New episodes will be available twice a month on Tuesdays.
Episode 55 – Macrophage Activation Syndrome
Episode 54 – Relapsing Polychondritis (RP)
Episode 53 – Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition (CPPD)
Episode 52 – ACR Workforce Solutions
Episode 51 – Gout
Browse previous episodes in the ACR on Air archive.
Episode Show Notes
This week we’ve invited Lauren Henderson, MD, MMSc, of Boston Children’s Hospital to discuss what Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) is, how to diagnose it and which medications are used to treat it. Dr. Henderson also explains her efforts to partner with healthcare professionals in other fields (who may use a different name for MAS) seeking to understand what treatments they use when confronted with MAS and to establish a formalized process in evaluating and treating these patients together.
Lauren Henderson, MD, MMSc – Lauren Henderson, MD, MMSc, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an attending pediatric rheumatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). Her area of expertise is in Clinical Expertise and Innovation, and she specializes in caring for children with complex autoimmune conditions. She has developed innovative treatment algorithms for patients with uveitis and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). In addition, she conducts translational research regarding the loss of immunologic tolerance in pediatric rheumatologic disorders such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Dr. Henderson’s research is supported by several publications in pediatric rheumatology and immunology and grants from the Rheumatology Research Foundation and NIAMS. Dr. Henderson spends most of her time dedicated to clinical innovation, investigation, cares for patients and teaches medical trainees during her Rheumatology Clinic and in-patient service times.
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Join us this week for a very special episode, that is just as much a personal story as it is an educational discussion. Jonathan Hausmann, MD, discusses a vasculitis disease that affects cartilage, particularly around the ears, nose, joints, eyes, and throat, known as Relapsing Polychondritis (RP). Our guest, Marcela Ferrada, MD, is board certified in internal medicine, critical care, infectious diseases, and rheumatology. Dr. Ferrada is an expert in the research, diagnosis, and clinical treatment of RP and is a world-renowned leader in its subject. Dr. Ferrada also lives with the disease, as she was diagnosed with RP in 2015. Her inspiring story of hard work and dedication through adversity truly sets the stage for this educational and informative episode about a very rare disease.
Marcela Ferrada, MD – Marcela Ferrada, MD, is board certified in internal medicine, critical care, infectious diseases, and rheumatology. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society at the University of Miami. She is the recipient of several awards, including the ACR’s Distinguished Fellow Award in 2018, the Outstanding Research Award from the Rheumatism Society of the District of Columbia in 2018, the Lawrence Shulman Scholar Award in 2019, and the NIH Director's Award in 2021.
Dr. Ferrada has been pivotal in recruiting and evaluating patients on the first available prospective cohort of patients with RP at the NIH and has become a world leader in the field. She has given several grand rounds in academic institutions and international meetings about RP.
In 2015, Dr. Ferrada was diagnosed with RP, a rare autoimmune rheumatic disorder, and changed her career focus to studying the condition. She completed a rheumatology fellowship at the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
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Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition (CPPD) – is one of the most common inflammatory arthritis in the world, and yet, it doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. Our discussion features everything you’ve ever wanted to know about this disease. We review the basics, diagnosis through arthrocentesis and various imaging studies, creating classification criteria for CPPD, treating both the acute and chronic manifestations of CPPD as well as all the questions that remained unanswered.
Sara Tedeschi, MD, MPH – Sara Tedeschi, MD, MPH, is a rheumatologist and clinical investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. After receiving her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, she completed her internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she serves as Head of Crystalline Arthritis Diseases and is Rheumatology Director of the Giant Cell Arteritis Fast Track Clinic. She receives grant support from NIH-NIAMS to study calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition disease (CPPD) epidemiology and imaging. Dr. Tedeschi serves on the ACR Committee on Quality of Care, the ACR/EULAR CPPD Classification Criteria steering committee, and is section editor for Current Opinion in Rheumatology - Crystal Deposition Diseases.
Related Links:
- First CPPD classification criteria paper (phases 1 & 2)
- Imaging features of CPPD (international consensus definitions)
- Risk of CV events in veterans with CPPD
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This week we discuss a pressing issue facing healthcare in the United States – the shortage of rheumatologists nationwide. With millions of Americans suffering from rheumatic diseases, the demand for specialized care has never been greater. Meanwhile, the supply of rheumatologists has not kept pace with this demand, leaving many patients struggling to access the care they need. Today, we are joined by Daniel Battafarano, DO, chair of the ACR Workforce Solutions Steering Committee and one of the lead authors of the 2015 ACR Workforce Study, whose aim was to understand this very topic. We explore the root causes of this shortage, its impact on patient care, and potential solutions for addressing this critical issue.
He has served in multiple graduate medical education (GME) leadership roles, including program director for the transitional year and rheumatology fellowship, research director for the internal medicine residency and the rheumatology fellowship, Deputy Director for GME for the U.S. Army, Associate Dean for GME at SAMMC, and Associate Dean for TRISERVICE Allied Health Programs at Fort Sam Houston. He established the South Texas ACP Associates Resident Research Meeting in 1993 which is still ongoing. In 1998, he was Director of Curriculum redesign for the U.S. Army Medic training program, which has saved innumerable lives and limbs since 2000. The Colonel Daniel F. Battafarano Education Conference room at SAMMC was dedicated in honor of his many contributions to medical education.
His clinical research has focused primarily on RA, drug side-effects, GME, and the rheumatology workforce. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, nonindexed publications, indexed abstracts, and interviews.
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Gout, despite being one of the most well-known and recognizable rheumatic diseases, still has large populations of people struggling with its management, as they do not receive urate-lowering treatment, even when they qualify. Of those who receive this treatment, only a small percentage reach their target urate goal. To shed some light on this, we’ve invited Nicola Dalbeth, MBChB, MD, FRACP, FRSNZ, a Specialist Rheumatologist, who leads research on the mechanisms, impact, and treatment of gout. We discuss treatment efficacy, the disparities, myths and barriers to them, diagnosis, and strategies regarding management of gout.
Related Links:
- 2020 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Gout Management Guideline
- Understanding Gout Symptoms & Treatment website
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