Chief: James O’Dell, M.D.
Administrator: Lisa Hinson, M.P.A.
Division Personnel:
- Faculty: 10 (8 M.D., 2 Ph.D.)
- Staff: 14
- Fellows: 4
Academic and Research Areas of Focus:
- Investigator-initiated clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis;
- Predicting response to therapy in rheumatoid arthritis;
- Comparative effectiveness, health outcomes and quality of care in gout;
- Outcomes and epidemiology of rheumatic diseases;
- The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Musculoskeletal ultrasound;
- SHARP radiographic scoring in rheumatoid arthritis;
- Systemic lupus erythematosus;
- Pathogenesis of autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis, alcoholic liver disease, and atherosclerosis; and
- Educational research related to student, resident and fellow performance and assessment including e-learning.
Publications:
- Rheumatology investigators have authored more than 200 publications collectively since 2007. Publications have appeared in top tier arthritis journals including Arthritis & Rheumatism, Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Journal of Bone Mineral Research, and Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
- Investigators have authored chapters in the preeminent textbooks in rheumatology and orthopedics including multiple chapters appearing in “Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology,” “Surgery of the Hip,” and “Surgical Treatment of Hip Arthritis.”
- The Division of Rheumatology recently published the textbook, “Rheumatology: A Color Handbook” (Manson Publishing, 2013).
Significant Research:
- Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis – The multicenter, multi-national RACAT study was led by UNMC rheumatology investigators. Recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (July 2013) and receiving national media attention, the study showed that a combination of conventional generic medications works as well as newer, more expensive biologic medicines in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This was an $18 million trial funded by the VA, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
- Links Between Oral Health and Arthritis – Rheumatology researchers recently conducted the largest study ever completed demonstrating an association between gum disease with the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis ($1.2 million grant). The results suggest that treatments aimed at gum disease could play an important role in arthritis treatment and prevention.
- New Animal Models of Arthritis – Research efforts have for the first time led to the development of a new animal model for rheumatoid arthritis, one that more closely mimics human disease and that will be vital in examining new treatment paradigms in disease.
- VA Merit – Ted Mikuls, M.D., was recently awarded $600,000 to study environmental factors and autoantibody expression in rheumatoid arthritis.
- Gout – Comparative effectiveness trial (VA CSP #594); final review of the largest ever investigator initiated gout trial ($16 million) in December 2013.
- Registries and Biobanks – UNMC Rheumatology leads the nation in the development of biorepositories and linked patients registries. These resources are vital in translating scientific discoveries into the arthritis clinic and serve as a research resource not only for UNMC investigators but also for investigators both nationally and internationally. Efforts include the National Databank for Rheumatic Diseases, the VA Rheumatoid Arthritis registry, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Investigational Network (RAIN), and most recently, the Arthritis Internet Registry. These efforts have been led by Kaleb Michaud, Ph.D.
- FOCIS Center of Excellence – Based on efforts to date, Rheumatology’s Nebraska Arthritis Outcomes Research Center was designated a Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) Center of Excellence. UNMC is only one of 62 centers nationally with this recognition.
Education:
- #1 Internal Medicine subspecialty for resident education each of the last 27 years (based on both American Board of Internal Medicine and in-training results).
- Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program was accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for a two-year clinical track and a three-year research track.
- Initiated in 2009, UNMC’s Enhanced Medical Education Track (EMET) in Autoimmunity mentors UNMC medical students interested in arthritis research and has provided hands-on research training now to seven UNMC medical students.
Clinical Productivity:
- 9,600 relative value units (RVU) and $1.7 million in charges.
Other Highlights and Accolades:
- Michelene Hearth-Holmes, M.D., Ted Mikuls, M.D., James O’Dell, M.D., and Geoff Thiele, Ph.D. received the 2012 “Top Teacher Award” in the Department of Internal Medicine
- James O’Dell, M.D., represented UNMC as president of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) during 2011-12.
- Two of RAIN’s rheumatoid arthritis papers received “Silver Fork” recognition at the 2013 ACR annual meeting for being among the top seven international papers in rheumatology in 2012-13.
- Ted Mikuls, M.D., was recently awarded the Umbach Professorship of Internal Medicine.
- Amy Cannella, M.D., is one of the first 38 musculoskeletal ultrasonographers accredited in 2013.
- Amy Cannella, M.D., led the first VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System mini-residency for primary care providers.
- Recent UNMC grant award to develop an e-learning module – Gout the Game.