In the News
Dr. Christopher Ritchlin Featured in “Best of 2022” from RheumNow
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH has been featured in Rheum Now's “Best of 2022” feature for his article “The Contribution of the Gut Microbiome and Diet to Joint Inflammation in PsA. Read the article.
AIR Research Presented at National Meetings
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
The AIR Division was well represented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting 2022 held in Louisville, KY and the American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2022 meeting held in Philadelphia, PA this month. The meetings highlight the most current research findings as they relate to Allergy/Immunology and Rheumatology respectively. Faculty, fellows, and residents presented their research through numerous posters, oral presentations and conferences.
Katherine Herman (top) and Lauren Davidson (bottom) present their research
Study Led by Dr. Jessica Stern Shows Hay Fever Among School Children Leads to Worse Asthma Outcomes
Thursday, September 15, 2022
A study led by Jessica Stern, M.D., assistant professor in Pediatrics and Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, found half of children diagnosed with both asthma and hay fever were not receiving proper care. Learn more about the study.
AIR Research Presented at National AAAAI Scientific Meeting
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Members of the AIR Division recently attended the 2022 American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology Scientific Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. Several AIR faculty and fellows presented their work. This meeting highlights the current research findings and topics as they relate to allergy, asthma and immunology.
$10 Million NIH Grant Funds Research on Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
The Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology division, along with other URMC collaborators, has earned a multimillion-dollar grant for five years to research autoimmune diseases. Jennifer Anolik, M.D., Ph.D., professor and interim chief of Allergy/Immunology & Rheumatology, and Christopher Ritchlin, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Allergy/Immunology & Rheumatology, will lead rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis research teams, respectively.
Dr. Anandarajah Awarded Grant to Reduce Racial Disparities in Clinical Trials
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Allen Anandarajah, M.B.B.S., has been awarded a grant from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), funded through the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. Funding will go towards developing initiatives that will reduce racial disparities in lupus clinical trials. The grant is titled TIMELY, which stands for Training to Increase Minority Enrollment in Lupus trials with communitY engagement. TIMELY is a two-year grant for $500,000, which will be split between URMC and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both universities leading the efforts on this initiative. The grant will run through September 2023.
Anandarajah and URMC were chosen as leaders for this new program due to the success of a previous two-year program, Materials to Increase Minority Involvement in Clinical Trials (MIMICT).
In the US, lupus is more common in African American and Hispanic populations, however, patients from these populations are currently underrepresented in lupus clinical trials. The goal of the project is to increase clinical trial literacy for physicians and community health workers on phases, functions, and benefits, through educational materials woven throughout a multi-stage, interactive training program. This will lead to raising clinical trial awareness among underrepresented patients living with lupus in our region.
“This project will help us continue to be national leaders in providing high-quality care for patients from minority communities with lupus,” said Anandarajah. “We started a few years ago with the IQ-LUPUS project that was partly funded by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation (GRHF) and have continued to improve our efforts first with the MIMICT and now the TIMELY projects. In addition to serving our patients, these grants will ultimately help build better relationships with our community."
Read the press release from the ACR.
Dr. Looney's Research on Senescent Cells in Lupus Highlighted by the Department of Defense
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Lupus research conducted by R. John Looney, MD and his lab has been highlighted in a Department of Defense publication that features news about biomedical research in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.
Read the article: "Therapeutic Targeting of Senescent Cells in Lupus"
Dr. Bingemann Appointed to ACGME Review Committee
Friday, January 21, 2022
Theresa Bingemann, MD, associate professor in Pediatrics and Medicine in the divisions of Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, has been appointed to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) review committee for allergy/immunology training programs. Dr. Bingemann is the Program Director for the URMC Allergy and immunology fellowship training program.