The Division of Rheumatology & Immunology has a long tradition of providing outstanding care to patients of all ages who suffer from rheumatic diseases.  Our commitment to patient care extends to active engagement in research designed to understand the pathogenesis of connective tissue diseases and to improve outcomes for patients with rheumatic diseases.  The Division has earned an international reputation for its care and research relating to two autoimmune connective tissue diseases - Scleroderma and Lupus.  The Division was recently approved for the creation of the MUSC Inflammation and Fibrosis Research Center of Economic Excellence through the South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence Program which focuses on clinical and translational research related to both scleroderma and lupus.  Our patients are seen in specialized clinics located in the Rutledge Tower at MUSC, as well as off-campus locations at the East Cooper Medical Office, North Area Specialty Clinic and West Ashley Specialty Care.  Last year our outpatient clinics had nearly 14,000 outpatient visits.  We staff a Rheumatology Clinic at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and provide in-patient consultation services at each of the hospitals served by MUSC - Medical University Hospital, Ashley River Tower, MUSC Children's Hospital, and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.  A wide range of services is provided, including comprehensive consultative care, infusion therapies, bone density assessments and musculoskeletal ultrasound.  Six members of the Division were named  Best Doctors in 2012.

A unique aspect of the Division is our close relationship with and longstanding commitment to Pediatric Rheumatology.  Two board-certified Pediatric Rheumatologists, Dr. Natasha Ruth and Dr. Murray Passo, share dual appointments in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine.  Together, we strive to provide outstanding care to children with  Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. The Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Program waws launched in 2011.  A significant step to providing the next generation of pediatric rheumatologists to serve our patients in South Carolina.

The Division has a strong commitment to provide high quality patient care that, in today's world, demands a multidisciplinary approach. In Rutledge Tower, patients are seen in conjunction with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and Cardiology to have pulmonary function testing and echocardiograms performed on the day of their clinic visits.  Nearly a decade ago, the Bone & Joint Center (now called MUSC Specialty Care-West Ashley)  where patients can receive multidisciplinary care including Rheumatology and Orthopedics, as well as such services as Radiology, bone density assessments and biological infusion therapy.  The Division is involved in the Pulmonary Hypertension Center and is working to develop a new Osteoporosis Center and a Vertebral Fracture Clinic under the leadership of Dr. Marcy Bolster, Director of the MUH Musculoskeletal Service Line.  This service line has established a Joint Health Clinic designed to help patients who have orthopedic problems live more active lives through the use of a multidisciplinary approach to non-surgical or surgical therapy.  In collaboration with Dr. Ken Nozaki and  the Neurosciences Service Line, Dr. Corey Hatfield has initiated a multidisciplinary myositis clinic that is designed to facilitate rapid diagnosis and initiation of treatment in patients with myositis.

We are honored to have been recognized by our peers and ranked as having a significant reputation among all US Rheumatology programs by other rheumatologists in US News and World Report (2011). 

More than 50 articles/abstracts were authored by Division faculty last year, including papers in leading medical and scientific journals, e.g., Journal of Biological Chemistry, Arthritis & Rheumatism, and the Journal of Rheumatology.  Faculty members serve on numerous federal and private scientific review committees, editorial boards, and as officers of state and national organizations.  Dr. Jim Oates, Associate Professor of Medicine, is President-Elect of the American Federation of Medical Research (AFMR) and President of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI).  Dr. Diane Kamen was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the AFMR Southern Section.  Dr. Marcy Bolster is co-chairman of the ACR's In-Training Exam Committee and Training and Workforce Issues Committee.

Together with patient care and research, a third mission of the Division is to train the next generation of physicians and investigators who will study and care for patients who suffer from rheumatic diseases.  All members of the Division actively participate in educating medical and graduate students, residents, clinical fellows and postdoctoral research fellows.  Division faculty members are regularly nominated for departmental and institutional teaching awards.  The Rheumatology Training Program, under the outstanding leadership of Dr. Marcy Bolster, Professor of Medicine, and Dr. Faye Hant, Assistant Professor,  is fully accredited and comprised of 5 clinical and research fellows selected from an increasingly competitive pool of candidates.  Fellows are supported in part by an NIH Training Grant (Gary Gilkeson, PI).  The Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program offers fellows the opportunity to see a wide array of rheumatic disease patients in a variety of clinical settings, to participate in clinical and basic research, and to obtain advanced training leading to a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research.

With the support of our dedicated faculty, staff and the multitude of interdisciplinary collaborations, the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology is doing great things.  We strive to provide cutting edge and compassionate patient care, targeted and complementary clinical, translational, and basic research, and rigorous training to prepare the next generation of rheumatology specialists.