Rheumatology

About Us

The Division of Rheumatology promotes prevention, cure and relief of suffering caused by arthritis and rheumatic diseases through research, education and patient care.

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a major transformation in our ability to treat patients and to understand pathological conditions that exist under the umbrella of rheumatic disease.”

– Harris R. Perlman, PhD

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What We Do

Faculty: Meet the Team

Patricia D Franklin

Professor of Medical Social Sciences (Implementation Science), Medical Social Sciences (Determinants of Health), Medicine (Rheumatology) and Orthopaedic Surgery

I serve as Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Following a residency in Preventive Medicine, I completed a fellowship in Health Services Research emphasizing large database design and analysis and inter-disciplinary chronic care models. This training laid the foundation for a career in quality improvement (Medical Director for Quality) and outcomes research. I serve as Principal Investigator of FORCE-TJR, a P50 (AHRQ) for comparative effectiveness research in total joint replacement (TJR) outcomes. This national effort ...

Leena Sharma

Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology)

The overarching goals of our research program are to identify targets for novel strategies to prevent disease and disability development and progression in persons at risk for or with knee osteoarthritis.

Thomas J Schnitzer

Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anesthesiology and Medicine (Rheumatology)

Research activities of our group focus on two major clinical areas: musculoskeletal pain and bone. In collaboration with Dr. A. Vania Apkarian in the Department of Physiology, our pain research focuses on understanding the basis for pain chronification, utilizing brain imaging and psychophysical methodologies. Current NIH-funded studies are evaluating the transition that occurs in individuals who progress from acute to chronic pain and attempting to modulate this by pharmacologic interventions. On a more applied level, the development and characterization of analgesic agents for the management...

Hassan M.K. Ghomrawi

Associate Professor of Surgery (Pediatric General Surgery), Medicine (Rheumatology) and Pediatrics

Dr. Ghomrawi is an experienced health services researcher focused on conducting health services and outcomes studies in surgery that challenge and aim to improve on current clinical practices. He has been conducting NIH-funded clinical research studies for more than 15 years and have published 50+ articles in some of the most prestigious medical and surgical journals. He has specific interests in appropriateness of surgical care, decision making, cost effectiveness analysis, patient reported outcomes, and patient expectations. He also has interest in using technology to improve surgical outcom...

Rowland W Chang

Professor of Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology), Medicine (Rheumatology) and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Dr. Rowland Chang is a rheumatologist and epidemiologist interested in the outcomes of individuals and populations with arthritis and chronic joint symptoms. He sees patients at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he also teaches clinical rheumatology to medical students and residents. He is a faculty member of the Feinberg School of Medicine's Medical Decision Making course and co-leads an epidemiology course in the Graduate School. He thereby participates in the epidemiology education of medical, public health and other graduate students. His research interests focus on understanding and impr...

Arthur M Mandelin

Associate Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology)

My clinical research interests are in the field of musculoskeletal ultrasonography, specifically ultrasound-guided minimally invasive synovial biopsies.

Yvonne C Lee

Associate Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology)

The mission of our research is to understand the pain experience in individuals with systemic rheumatic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to identify the relationship between these experiences and pain pathways. This research is important because it paves the way for the development of effective pain prevention and management strategies to improve the well-being of our patients.

We welcome your questions and comments.

Diversity and Inclusion

The department works toward an environment of inclusion and support through the Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council and through several dedicated events and initiatives.

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Housestaff Research Portal

Former PSTP Trainee Luisa Morales Nebreda, MD

Physician-Scientist Training & Resources

We offer a wide range of resources, mentorship opportunities and formal training programs to help our residents and fellows excel as physician-scientists. Explore all of the resources and hear from housestaff who are making research a major part of their career development plans.

VISIT THE STARZL ACADEMY SITE

Giving

Support What We Do
Mary Pat Mauro

We invite your philanthropic partnership in helping us achieve our research and teaching missions each day.

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You can contact MaryPat Mauro for more information on supporting the Division of Rheumatology at 312-503-1090 or marypat.mauro@northwestern.edu.

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