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 74 – Castleman Disease
Episode 73 – LUMEN
Episode 72 – Looking in the Archives
Episode 71 – SGLT2i in SLE with Type 2 Diabetes
Episode 70 – Naming Matters
Browse previous episodes in the ACR Journals on Air archive.
Episode Show Notes
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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In this episode we explore the potential role of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and comorbid type 2 diabetes (T2D)—a population historically excluded from landmark SGLT2i trials. Our guest, Karen Costenbader, MD, MPH, discusses the rationale behind the study, the nuances of trial emulation design, and key findings regarding cardiovascular and renal outcomes, infection risk, and prescribing patterns in this complex cohort. We also unpack implications for clinical decision-making and the evolving landscape of metabolic and cardiovascular care in autoimmune disease.
Karen Costenbader, MD, MPH – Karen Costenbader, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and holds the Michael E. Weinblatt, MD Distinguished Chair in Rheumatology in the Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where she serves as Director of the Lupus Program and Chief of the Section of Clinical Sciences. She is a graduate of Williams College, University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health, and trained in medicine and rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Costenbader’s research investigates the epidemiology and pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis in particular. She is an experienced research mentor for medical students, residents, graduate students in epidemiology, and rheumatology fellows and junior faculty, having trained over 40 doctoral and post-doctoral fellows and faculty. She is PI of the BWH Lupus Registry containing data on more than 2800 patients. She is a co-editor of Arthritis and Rheumatology, the chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council for the Lupus Foundation of America, and recent past chair of the National Institutes of Health AMS study section grant review committee.
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Today, we explore why naming matters—especially when it comes to peripheral nervous system disorders in autoimmune diseases like Sjögren’s Disease. Victoria Shanmugam, MBBS, MRCP, CCD, is joined by Ghaith Noaiseh, MD, and Kathy Hammitt, MA, two key contributors to the recently published manuscript, Recommendations for Aligned Nomenclature of Peripheral Nervous System Disorders Across Rheumatology and Neurology, in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
They discuss the critical importance of unified terminology across specialties, the implications for diagnosis and treatment, and how clearer, consistent language can empower both clinicians and patients. The conversation also delves into the development of clinical practice guidelines and how this nomenclature effort supports interdisciplinary care, research, and patient advocacy. Tune in for expert insight and a behind-the-scenes look at a major collaborative effort to bring clarity to complex clinical conversations.
Ghaith Noaiseh, MD – Ghaith Noaiseh, MD, is an Associate Professor of Allergy, Clinical Immunology, and Rheumatology at the Kansas University Medical Center. Dr. Noaiseh is originally from Syria and completed his internship in Laboratory Medicine at Tishreen University Hospital. He subsequently completed an internship and residency at Case Western Reserve University/St Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where he also served as chief resident. He was then an academic hospitalist at the Cleveland Clinic for several years before completing a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2012, he joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he worked in the UPMC Lupus Center and established the UPMC Sjögren’s Clinic. He has now moved to my favorite part of the country, Kansas, where he leads the KU Sjogren’s Clinic.
Katherine M. Hammitt, MA – Katherine M. Hammitt, MA – As Vice President of Scientific & Medical Affairs for the Sjögren’s Foundation, Katherine Morland Hammitt, MA, oversees all key medical and research initiatives to increase our knowledge about Sjögren’s, improve the exchange of ideas to accelerate research, and set the stage for better treatment and management of Sjögren’s. Kathy currently leads the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Sjögren’s; the international Clinical Trials Consortium, which addresses barriers to successful clinical trials and includes developing better outcome measures and enabling patient stratification both for trials and clinical management; engagement in the Foundation for the NIH innovative research initiatives, including AMP® AIM and the Biomarkers Consortium; and advocacy initiatives on issues critical to Sjogren’s patients. Kathy has authored many journal articles, textbook chapters, and CME programs on autoimmune disease and Sjögren’s.
Kathy brings a special passion to her position as a Sjögren’s patient herself. A former television news writer and producer, she brought her journalism skills to the Sjögren’s Foundation following her diagnosis. She has since been an ardent advocate for change and believes in empowering patients to take an active role in their illness and bringing the international community together to create a brighter future for those who suffer from Sjögren’s.
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