Leadership

The Rheumatology Research Foundation is led by a wide range of rheumatology community members from private practice, academic investigators and rheumatology professionals, as well as corporate representatives and public members dedicated to the Foundation’s mission.

• Board of Directors
• Honorary Board of Advisors
• Development Advisory Council
• Impact Advisory Council
• Scientific Advisory Council
• Leadership Development Council
• Past Presidents
• Peer Reviewers

Board of Directors  

Bryce Binstadt, MD, PhD President (2027) University of Minnesota	Vikas Majithia, MD, MBBS, MPH Vice President (2027) Mayo Clinic Florida
Eric Ruderman, MD Treasurer (2027) Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine	Angus Worthing, MD Secretary (2026) Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates, PC
Edward Behrens, MD Chair, Scientific Advisory Council (2026) Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	Jeffrey Stark, MD Chair, Development Advisory Council (2028) UCB, Inc.
Al Kim, MD, PhD Chair, Impact Advisory Council (2026) Washington University School of Medicine	Lee Douglas Graham, MD Member-at-Large (2028)
M. Elaine Husni, MD Member-at-Large (2026) Cleveland Clinic	Corinne S. Karp, MAEd Member-at-Large (2028) UT Southwestern Medical Center
Zsuzsanna McMahan, MD, MHS Member-at-Large (2028) UT Health Houston	Ted Mikuls, MD, MSPH Member-at-Large (2026) University of Nebraska Medical Center
Jay Norman Member-at-Large (2027)	Alexis Ogdie, MD Member-at-Large (2027) University of Pennsylvania
Charles Saia Member-at-Large (2027) Deloitte	Soumya Chakravarty, MD, PhD Corporate Roundtable (2027) Johnson & Johnson
Susan Bartlett, PhD Representative of ARP (2027) Johns Hopkins University	Linda Hiraki, FRCPC, MD, ScD ACR Research Representative (2026) The Hospital for Sick Children
Anisha Dua, MD, MPH ACR Training Representative (2027) Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine	Swetapadma Tripathy, MD Fellow-in-Training Representative (2026) Montefiore Medical Center
Invited Guests
Ekemini Ogbu, MD, MSc Chair, ACR's Pediatric Special Committee (2027) Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH Foundation Immediate Past President (2027) Berkshire Medical Center
Ex-Officio Members
William Harvey, MD, MSc ACR President (2026) Tufts Medicine	Anne Bass, MD ACR President-Elect (2026) Hospital for Special Surgery
Becki Cleveland, PhD ARP President (2026) University of North Carolina

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HONORARY BOARD OF ADVISORS

The Honorary Board of Advisors is reserved for individuals who have made a transformative contribution, either through monetary support and/or an act of leadership, which made an indelible mark on the Foundation's future fundraising success.

Mark Andrejeski

Neil S. Birnbaum, MD

Stanley B. Cohen, MD

Mary K. Crow, MD

Leslie J. Crofford, MD

Ephraim P. Engleman, MD
Inducted posthumously

Norman B. Gaylis, MD

Beverly Guin

Stuart Kassan, MD, MACR

Brian R. Loggins, BA, BS, MBA

Stephen E. Malawista, MD and Tobé Malawista
Dr. Malawista was inducted posthumously

Rodolfo Molina, MD, FACP, MACR 

Audrey M. Nelson, MD

James R. O'Dell, MD

Arthur L. Weaver, MD

Leo Wegemer, JD, LLM and Terry Wegemer

Michael H. Weisman, MD

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Development Advisory Council

The Development Advisory Council is charged with overseeing the Foundation’s fundraising program to ensure the Foundation is cultivating the stable support needed to fulfill its mission.

Jeffrey Stark, MD (2028)
Chair
UCB, Inc.

Sherry Guardiano, DO, MBA (2028)
Scipher Medicine

Jody Hargrove, MD (2028)
Arthritis & Rheumatology Consultants, P.A.

Afton Hasset, PsyD (2028)
University of Michigan

Betsy Khan (2027)
Teleflex

Lisa Mandl, MD, MPH (2028)
Hospital for Special Surgery

Iris Navarro Millan, MD (2026)
Hospital for Special Surgery

James O'Dell, MD, MACR, MACP (2026)
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Pavana Sakhamuri, MBBS (2026)
FIT Representative
Louisiana State University Sciences Center New Orleans

Ora Singer, MD (2028)
University of Michigan

Austin Wheeler, MD (2027)
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Benjamin Widener, MD (2026)
Sheridan Memorial Hospital

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Impact Advisory Council

The Impact Advisory Council is charged with communicating the work of the Foundation to patients and caregivers in the rheumatology community, advocating for rheumatology research, and highlighting the impact this research has on the patients with rheumatic diseases.

Al Kim, MD, PhD (2026)
Chair
Washington University School of Medicine

Ally Bove, PT, DPT, PhD (2027)
University of Pittsburgh

Firas Kassab, MD (2028)
South Charlotte Rheumatology

Susan Kline (2027)

Una Makris, MD (2028)
University of California San Diego

Daniele Marcy, MD (2026)
FIT Representative
University of Colorado

Annastasha Parker (2026)

Bernie Rubin, DO, MPH (2026)

Steve Russell, MBA (2026)

Jennifer Weaver (2028)
My Spoonie Sisters Podcast

 

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Scientific Advisory Council

The Scientific Advisory Council is charged with overseeing the Foundation’s research and education funding programs to ensure they are run effectively and efficiently and are meeting the needs of the rheumatology community and people with rheumatic diseases.

Ed Behrens, MD (2026)
Chair
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Anisha Dua, MD, MPH (2027)
ACR Training Representatitve
Northwestern University

Marian Hannan, DSc, MPH (2027)
ARP Representative
Harvard Medical School

Jason Kolfenbach, MD (2026)
University of Colorado

Pui Lee, MD, PhD (2028)
Boston Children's Hospital

Richard Loeser, MD (2027)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR (2026)
ARP Representative
University of Michigan

Elena Myasoedova, MD, PhD (2027)
Mayo Clinic

Ecem Sevim, MD (2026)
FIT Representative
National Institutes of Health

Ami Shah, MD, MHS (2027)
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Miriam A. Shelef, MD, PhD (2026)
University of Wisconsin

Jeffrey A. Sparks, MD, MMSc (2026)
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Vivian Stone, MD (2026)
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

 

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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, Chair, Immediate Past President (2027) Bryce Binstadt, MD, PhD, President (2027) Vikas Majithia, MD, MBBS, MPH, Vice President (2027) Laura Cappelli, MD (2027) Maio Danila, MD (2027) Afton Hassett (2026) Alicia Hinze, MD, MHS (2026) Stuart Kassan, MD (2026) Katherine Liao, MD (2027) Barbara Slusher, MSW, PA-C (2026)

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PAST PRESIDENTS

Arthur Weaver, MD (1991-1993) Ronald Kaufman, MD, MBA (1993-1995) Daniel Wallace, MD (1995-1999) Stanley Cohen, MD (1999-2001) Joseph Golbus, MD (2001-2003) Michael Weisman, MD (2003-2005) James O’Dell, MD (2005-2007) Leslie Crofford, MD (2007-2009)

E. William St.Clair, MD (2009-2011) David Daikh, MD, PhD (2011-2013) David Karp, MD, PhD (2013-2015) Eric Matteson, MD (2015-2017) Abby G. Abelson, MD (2017-2019) S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, PhD (2019-2021) V. Michael Holers, MD (2021-2023) Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH (2023-2025)

 

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Peer Reviewers

The following list includes the peer reviewers that served over the last 3 years. The peer reviewers are charged with rigorously reviewing all applications for awards and grants to ensure the proposals adhere to specific criteria and are of a high quality.

RECRUITMENT AWARDS

Lawren H. Daltroy in Health Communication Patricia (Patti) Katz, PhD Daniel K. White, PT, ScD, MSc Janet Poole, PhD, OTR/L Mark Law, PhD Mentored Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant for Workforce Expansion Janet L. Bahr, NP LaurieAnn Hughell, MPH, PA-C Sara Kellahan, NP Laura Sampson, PA-C Erin Siceloff, PA-C Brit Donaldson, PA-C Hazel L. Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA Anna Richmond, APRN, DNP, MSN Daniel K. White, PT, ScD, MSc Resident Research Preceptorship Kevin Deane, MD, PhD Amanda Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS Linda Li, PT, PhD Aileen Davis, PhD, M.Sc., B.Sc. (P.T.) Jawad Bilal, MD Angeles Lopez, Olivo, MD, PhD Richard Bucala, MD, PhD Felipe Andrade, MD, PhD S. Reza Jafarzadeh, DVM, MPVM, PhD Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhD Joshua F. Baker, MD, MSCE Zachary S. Wallace, MD

Rheumatology Future Physician Scientist Award Miriam Shelef, MD, PhD Julia F. Charles, MD, PhD Bryant England, MD, PhD David Fernandez, MD, PhD Monic Guma, MD, PhD Kevin S. Wei, MD, PhD Vanessa L. Malcarne, PhD Brian Skaug, MD, PhD Anna Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD Paul Hoover, MD, PhD Daniel Solomon, MD, PhD Lindsey A. MacFarlane, MD, MPH Lisa Mandl, MD, PhD Alan M. Rathbun, PhD, MPH Colleen Correll, MD, MPH

EDUCATION AND TRAINING AWARDS

Andy Abril, MD Juliet Aizer, MD, MPH Amanda Alexander, MD, RhMSUS Marissa Blum, MD Floranne Ernste, MD Jonathan S. Hausmann, MD Kristen Hayward, MD Jennifer Huggins, MD Rumey C. Ishizawar, MD, PhD Eugene Kissin, MD Kichul Ko, MD

Jason R. Kolfenbach, MD Fotios Koumpouras, MD David Leverenz, MD Justin Levinson, MD, MBA Tiffany Lin, MD Jay Mehta, MD, MS Rebecca Sadun, MD, PhD Kelly Rouster-Stevens, MD, MS Phillip Seo, MD Hemalatha Srinivasalu, MD Dawn Wahezi, MD, MS, RhMSUS

CAREER DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH AWARDS

Bridge Funding Awards Felipe Andrade, MD, PhD David Bradley, PhD Benjamin Chong, MD Cong-Qui Chu, MD, PhD Cecilia Chung, MD, MPH Melissa Cunningham, MD, PhD Candace Feldman, MD, MPH, ScD Xu Feng, PhD Christine Pham, MD Deepak Rao, MD, PhD Career Development Research, Basic Science Eric Allenspach, MD, PhD Ashira Blazer, MD Margaret Chang, MD, PhD Carla M. Cuda, PhD Anna Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD Jennifer King, MD, PhD Pui Lee, MD, PhD Scott Lieberman, MD, PhD Christian Lood, MSc, PhD Anne-Marie Malfait, MD, PhD Michael Paley, MD, PhD Grant Schulert, MD, PhD Lin Shen, MD, PhD Hong Shi, MD Jessica Turnier, MD, MS Michael Waterfield, MD, PhD Julie Zikherman, MD

Career Development Research, Clinical Sciences Sheila Angeles-Han, MD, MSc James Andrew, MD Bryant England, MD, PhD Tracy Frech, MD, MSCI Michael George, MD Sabrina Gmuca, MD, MSCE Lauren Henderson, MD, MMSc Aimee Hersh, MD Mariko Ishimori, MD Deepak Kumar, PT, PhD Christopher A. Mecoli, MD, MHS Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR Uyen-Sa D. T. Nguyen, DSc, MPH Alan Rathbun, PhD, MPH Rennie Rhee, MD, MS Ami Shah, MD, MHS Jeffrey Sparks, MD, MMSc Louise Thoma, DPT, PhD Beth Wallace, MD, MSc Katherine Wysham, MD Jared Younger, PhD Yongdong Zhao, MD, PhD

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AWARDS

Innovative Research Awards, Basic Science Tom Appleton, MD, PhD Ru Bryan, PhD Keith Elkon, MB, BCh Polly Ferguson, MD Tanya Freedman, PhD Matlock Jeffries, MD Trine Jorgensen, PhD Insoo Kang, MD Susan MacLauchlan, PhD David Markovitz, MD Mandy McGeachy, MD Evan Nair-Gill, MD, PhD Johannes Nowatzky, MD Andras Perl, MD, PhD Richard M. Pope, MD Anne Satterthwaite, MD Henri Tiedge, PhD Shouan Zhu, PhD Innovative Research Awards, Clinical Felipe Andrade, MD Joshua F. Baker, MD Nancy Baker, MPH, OT, ScD Vinod Chandran, MBBS, MD, DM, PhD, FRCPC Christina Charles-Schoeman, MD Kristen Demoruelle, MD, PhD Robyn Domsic, MD, MPH David Felson, MD Jon Giles, MD, MPH C. Kent Kwoh, MD Nancy Lane, MD Yvonne Lee, MD, MMSc Timothy McAlindon, MD, MPHD Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, PhD, PT Sangeeta Sule, MD, PhD Matthew Stoll, MD, PhD, MSCS Zachary Wallace, MD, MSc Pamela F. Weiss, MD, MSCE Yee Ling Wu, PhD

Innovative Research Awards, Health Services Research Kelli Allen, PhD Megan Clowse, MD Yvonne M. Golightly, PhD, MS, PT Betty Hsiao, MD Una Makris, MD Gopika Miller, MD Jasvinder Singh, MD, MPH Ernest Vina, MD Daniel White, PT, ScD, MSc Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH   Community Practice Innovation Award Herbert S. Baraf, MD Stuart S. Kassan, MD Elizabeth Perkins, MD

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