ACR Journals on Air Podcast
Welcome to ACR Journals on Air, the ACR’s newest podcast series featuring interviews, commentary, and analysis on research from our three peer-reviewed journals: Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Care & Research, and ACR Open Rheumatology. Join us each episode for engaging discussions with authors and independent experts about recently published studies, their implications for clinical care, and how they move the field of rheumatology forward.
Whether it’s an expert analysis of a manuscript or deep dive with an author—our goal is the same—to understand the impact of the science and bring it from the bench to the bedside.
Podcast Host
Victoria Shanmugam, MBBS, MRCP, CCD, has clinical expertise caring for patients with autoimmune diseases, vasculitis, and chronic wounds. She has led several research studies investigating scleroderma, hidradenitis suppurativa, and the interplay of the host immune response and the microbiome in chronic wounds. Dr. Shanmugam is a frequently invited speaker at professional meetings. Her work in wound healing, hidradenitis, and scleroderma has been published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, such as Arthritis Care and Research, Current Opinion in Rheumatology, International Wound Journal, and Clinical Rheumatology. Connect with Dr. Shanmugam on Twitter (@VickiShanmugam).
Episodes
New episodes will be available twice a month on Tuesdays.
Episode 76 – Prepared Mechanisms of B Cell Tolerance in Health and Autoimmunity
Episode 75 – Late Lung Disease in Scleroderma
Episode 74 – Castleman Disease
Episode 73 – LUMEN
Episode 72 – Looking in the Archives
Browse previous episodes in the ACR Journals on Air archive.
Episode Show Notes
In this episode, Shaun Jackson, MD, PhD, uses a compelling patient case to illuminate the complex mechanisms of immune tolerance and autoimmunity. He explains how B cells learn to avoid targeting the body’s own tissues through central and peripheral tolerance—and how these safeguards can fail. The discussion covers the roles of germinal centers, T cells, and rare genetic disorders in shaping immune regulation, with Alport’s syndrome and post-transplant Goodpasture’s disease serving as striking examples. Dr. Jackson also reflects on emerging directions in autoimmune research and shares his journey from medical training in South Africa to leading a research program in Seattle, offering valuable insights for future physician-scientists.
Shaun Jackson, MD, PhD – Shaun Jackson, MD, PhD, is an attending physician in Pediatric Nephrology and Pediatric Rheumatology at Seattle Children's Hospital and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, he undertook post-doctoral studies in vascular biology at Harvard Medical School and completed pediatric residency training at Boston Children's Hospital. He completed dual pediatric nephrology and rheumatology fellowship training at Seattle Children's Hospital / University of Washington.
Dr. Jackson’s research aims to improve our understanding of the immune pathogenesis of human autoimmune diseases, in particular the role for B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). His research has resulted in a number of new insights into the B cell-intrinsic signals underlying lupus pathogenesis and has lent support to an emerging paradigm of humoral autoimmunity in which B cells orchestrate initial breaks in immune tolerance.
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In this episode, our guests Sabrina Hoa, MD, MSc, FRCPC, and Marie Hudson, MD, MPH, FRCPC, explore new insights into late-onset interstitial lung disease (ILD) in scleroderma. Using data from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group, they discuss how ILD can still develop years after diagnosis, challenging traditional screening timelines. They cover key findings, clinical implications, treatment patterns, and the need for more inclusive trials. The conversation also touches on mentorship and what’s next in scleroderma research.
Sabrina Hoa, MD, MSc, FRCPC – Sabrina Hoa, MD, MSc, FRCPC, is a rheumatologist, associate professor and researcher at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. She holds the Université de Montréal Scleroderma Research Chair and is co-director of the multi-centered Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG). Her research is focused on studying the impact of early detection and treatment of scleroderma complications, with a particular interest in interstitial lung disease. She is currently leading a clinical trial in treatment of subclinical ILD and is pursuing research on predictors of progression as well as early screening strategies.
Marie Hudson, MD, MPH, FRCPC – Marie Hudson, MD, MPH, FRCPC is Director of rheumatology in the Department of Medicine at McGill University, Chief of the Division of rheumatology at the Jewish General Hospital and Senior Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute. She is a founding member of the multi-centered Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG) and has worked on a broad range of projects. She is now exploring the therapeutic potential of cellular therapies for scleroderma. Modeled on the CSRG, Dr Hudson launched the Canadian Inflammatory Myopathy Study (CIMS), a multi-centered cohort of patients with autoimmune myositis. CSRG and CIMS have become internationally recognized research programs. Dr Hudson also pursues research in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and is leading an inter-disciplinary study on precision care for RA. Finally, she has an interest in immune-related adverse events (irAE) secondary to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Locally, she established the Montreal Immune-Related Adverse Event (MIRAE) Biobank. Nationally, she is co-leading a multi-centered cohort study of cancer patients who develop rheumatic irAE, the Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-Oncology (CanRIO) study. Dr Hudson also pursues a number of other scholarly activities, including serving as co-director of the McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4) from 2019–2024.
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In this episode, we review the Arthritis & Rheumatology manuscript, Diagnosis and Treatment of Castleman Disease, with Luke Chen, MD, FRCPC, MMEd, and David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc. The discussion (which provides an essential, up-to-date overview of a rare but critical disease) highlights the clinical subtypes of Castleman Disease, its overlap with autoimmune and autoinflammatory syndromes, and current diagnostic and treatment strategies. Dr. Chen offers a hematologist’s perspective on disease classification, pathology, and practical management tips, while Dr. Fajgenbaum shares insights from his personal experience as a patient and his work advancing research through the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network and Every Cure.
David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc – David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc is the Co-Founder & President of Every Cure and one of the youngest faculty members ever to receive tenure at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. A physician-scientist and patient battling a deadly disease, he discovered and repurposed a treatment that saved his own life—a story he chronicled in his national bestselling memoir Chasing My Cure, which is being adapted into a film by Forrest Gump producer Wendy Finerman.
Dr. Fajgenbaum has since advanced 13 more repurposed treatments for cancers and rare diseases and co-founded Every Cure to unlock more hidden cures from existing medicines. Every Cure has received over $100M from ARPA-H and TED’s Audacious Project. He has been profiled by The New York Times, Good Morning America, TODAY, and Forbes 30 Under 30 and honored with awards including the Atlas Award alongside then VP Joe Biden, Philadelphia Citizen of the Year Award, and named to the 2025 TIME100 Health list of the world’s most influential people in health. Dr. Fajgenbaum earned a BS from Georgetown University, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania, and MBA from Wharton.
Luke Chen, MD, FRCPC, MMEd – Luke Chen, MD, FRCPC, MMEd, is a Hematologist and Professor of Medicine at Dalhousie University and Affiliate Professor at the University of British Columbia. His clinical and research interests are in rare inflammatory diseases including cytokine storm syndromes (HLH, Castleman disease and COVID-cytokine storm), histiocyte disorders, autoinflammatory diseases, IgG4-related disease and eosinophilic disorders. In 2024 he received the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network “Physician of the Year” award. He directs the Coastal Rare Inflammatory Diseases Program, which provides support for physicians dealing with rare diseases.
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In this episode of ACR Journals on Air, host Victoria Shanmugam, MBBS, MRCP, CCD, speaks with Dr. Alain Sanchez-Rodriguez about a new study from the Lupus Midwest Network (LUMEN), published in Arthritis Care & Research. They explore how patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience delays and disparities in care, the types of physicians involved in diagnosis, and what the data reveals about access to specialized treatment. Dr. Sanchez-Rodriguez also shares his research journey and insights on improving equity in rheumatology.
Alain Sanchez-Rodriguez, MD – Alain Sanchez-Rodriguez, MD, is an Internal medicine and Rheumatology Specialist and clinical investigator currently practicing at the American British Cowdray (ABC) Medical Center in Mexico City, where he serves as Research coordinator of the internal Medicine department. He completed his medical specialty training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Mexico City. And From 2021 to 2024, held a position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Division of Rheumatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in the Lupus Clinic under the guidance of Dr. Ali Duarte. His research focuses on systemic autoimmune diseases and care delivery disparities; he is an active contributor to the Lupus Midwest Network (LUMEN). Dr. Sanchez is first author of the recent Arthritis Care & Research paper on delays in access to specialized care among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and currently serves on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guideline committee for lupus care and a strong advocate for improving equity in rheumatology across Latin America.
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This episode explores the ARChiVe Registry, a longitudinal database for pediatric vasculitis, with guest Samuel Gagne, MD, MPH, a pediatric rheumatologist and bioinformatician. The discussion covers the registry’s design, patient selection, and key outcomes, including remission rates, hospitalization, and damage scores (pVDI) across treatment strategies. Dr. Gagne highlights how these findings inform clinical practice and discusses the challenges of observational data. The episode also touches on his unique background in social pediatrics and health informatics, emphasizing the evolving role of clinicians as both diagnosticians and data stewards in rheumatology research.
Samuel Gagne, MD, MPH – Samuel Gagne, MD, MPH, is a pediatric rheumatologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology and neuroscience from Brandeis University and his Doctor of Medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School. He completed his residency in Social Pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Montefiore in Bronx, New York, followed by a fellowship in pediatric rheumatology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. During his fellowship, Dr. Gagne also completed a master's in public health with a focus on biomedical informatics at Ohio State University before he joined the faculty of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in 2023.
Dr. Gagne has a clinical and research interest in chronic childhood vasculitis and is a member of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Chronic Childhood Vasculitis workgroup as well as a member of the international Pediatric Vasculitis (PedVas) initiative. Through these collaborative research efforts, Dr. Gagne hopes to improve treatment outcomes and overall quality of life for pediatric patients with chronic vasculitis. In addition to vasculitis, Dr. Gagne has an interest in clinical and research informatics, specifically in improving the interaction between users and the electronic health record. He is a member of the Division of Health Informatics at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and is currently assisting with the hospital-wide transition to the Epic EHR.
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