Research

The AIR Division has a robust research program as well as a close working relationship with the Center of Musculoskeletal Research, Dermatology and other departments at URMC. Faculty research spans a broad spectrum including clinical research, basic mechanisms of disease and translational research. Fellows have the opportunity to apply for research funding through the John Leddy Fellowship Research Grant Program.

Scholarly Work

Every fellow must complete a scholarly project under faculty mentorship during their training. The specific project chosen is consistent with individual career goals and interests. All fellows are encouraged to publish or present their work externally at an academic meeting or in a peer-reviewed publication.

For detailed timelines of research projects, please see pg. 8 of the Rheumatology Fellowship Handbook.

Fellow Projects

• The Potential Utility of CD47/TSP-1 Pathway as a Biomarker in Scleroderma Lung Disease
  (This project is funded by a 2023 John Leddy Fellowship Research Grant)
• Curriculum development: Teaching targeted knee ultrasonography to internal medicine and Med-Peds residents
• Cardiovascular events during the first year of diagnosis in giant cell arteritis
• Prospective study of the progression of osteoarthritis
• Conversion of M. Tuberculosis screening tests in patients treated with TNF-α Inhibitors
• Differential cytokine and chemokine expression in the skin of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
• Pathophysiology of lupus with a focus on nephritis

Fellow Publications

• Clinical and Autoantibody Associations in Antinuclear Antibody-Positive Systemic Sclerosis Lacking Prototypic Autoantibodies. Kruzer, K., Goncalves Marangoni, R., Heckler, I., Elhage, A., Varga, J., Hinchcliff, M., Carns, M., Aren, K., Wielgosz, A., Nuzzo, M., Venkataraman, I., and Korman, B. J Clin Rheumato, 2023 Jan 1; 29(1), 47–51.
• Risk factors for the development of cardiovascular events within one year from the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. Ocon AJ, Palma C. Clinical and experimental rheumatology. 2021 Jun 25; Epub 2021 Jun 25
• Short-term dose and duration-dependent glucocorticoid risk for cardiovascular events in glucocorticoid-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ocon, A, Reed, G, Pappas, D, Curtis, J, Kremer, J Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Jul 2
• McRae HL, Yang AH, Kruzer K, Scott GA, Refaai MA. A rare case of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome triggered by estrogen-containing oral contraceptives in a patient with double heterozygous factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A mutations. Am J Hematol. 2021;1–4 
• Gelfand JM, Armstrong AW, Bell S, Anesi GL, Blauvelt A, Calabrese C, Dommasch ED, Feldman SR, Gladman D, Kircik L, Lebwohl M, Lo Re V 3rd, Martin G, Merola JF, Scher JU, Schwartzman S, Treat JR, Van Voorhees AS, Ellebrecht CT, Fenner J, Ocon A, Syed MN, Weinstein EJ, Smith J, Gondo G, Heydon S, Koons S, Ritchlin CT. National Psoriasis Foundation COVID-19 Task Force Guidance for Management of Psoriatic Disease During the Pandemic: Version 1. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Dec;83(6):1704-1716
• Barnas JL, Looney RJ, Anolik JH. B cell targeted therapies in autoimmune disease. Curr Opin Immunol. 2019;61:92-99
• Dieudonne Y, Gies V, Guffroy A, Keime C, Bird AK, Liesveld J, Barnas JL et al. Transitional B cells in quiescent SLE: An early checkpoint imprinted by IFN. J Autoimm. 2019;102:150-158
• Gao L, Slack M, Barnas JL, McDavid A, Anolik J, Looney RJ. Cell Senescence in Lupus. Curr Rheumatol. 2019;21(2):1
• Barnas JL, Ritchlin CT. Etiology and Pathogenesis of Psoriatic Arthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2015;41(4):643-663

Fellow Presentations at National Meetings

• The Impact of Rheumatology Fellow Initiated Curriculum Design on Resident Education. Kruzer K, Vertalino V, Tapia N, Long D, Blatt A, Shah U, Marston B. ACR Convergence 2023 Meeting.
• What Ultrasound Skills Can Be Learned Before Laying Hands on a Probe?  Results of a Pilot Study of a Hybrid Online and in Person Curriculum to Teach Rheumatology Focused Knee Ultrasonography Skills to Internal Medicine Residents. Long, A; Madsen, N. ACR Convergence 2022 Meeting
• Interrater Agreement of Hand Ultrasounds in Inflammatory Arthritis. Yang A; Madsen, N; Marston, B; Tabechian, D; Anandarajah, A.  Beth Marston. ACR Convergence 2022 Meeting
• In Rheumatoid Arthritis, New-onset Prednisone Use Is Associated with a Daily Dose, Cumulative Dose, and Duration-dependent Risk for Cardiovascular Events at 6 Months and 1 Year of Use. Ocon, A. 2019 Nov ACR Annual Meeting
• Decreased Medication Adherence Is a Major Cause for Increased Risk of Hospitalizations Among High Risk Lupus Patients. Thirukumaran, C, McCarthy, K, Patel, J and Anandarajah, A 2017 Nov ACR Annual Meeting
• Incidence of Conversion of Screening Tests for M. Tuberculosis (PPD, GIF-release assay) in a Metropolitan Cohort of Patients Treated with TNF-α Inhibitors. Trinh, H  2017 Oct ACR Meeting
• Incidence of Conversion of Screening Tests for M. Tuberculosis (PPD, GIF-release assay) in a Metropolitan Cohort of Patients Treated with TNF-α Inhibitors. Trinh, H and Tabechian, D 2018 Oct ACR Annual Meeting