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 94 – Distilling Still Disease: Interstitial Lung Disease and Still
Episode 93 – GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in the RISE Registry
Episode 92 – VAT: A Visualization and Analysis Tool for Scleroderma
Episode 91 – Late-Onset Scleroderma Renal Crisis
Episode 90 – AI for Nonpharmacologic Management of Chronic Rheumatic Diseases
Browse previous episodes in the ACR Journals on Air archive.
Episode Show Notes
In this episode, Michael J. Ombrello, MD, explores how our understanding of Still's disease has evolved, from recognizing interstitial lung disease as a key manifestation to uncovering the immunologic and genetic factors that may shape disease severity. He discusses insights from a National Institutes of Health natural history study, including interferon signatures, HLA associations, drug-associated immunologic reactions, and exome sequencing, and explains what these findings could mean for future diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment. The conversation also turns to Dr. Ombrello's own career path, the personal experiences that inspire his research, and the mentors who helped shape his journey as a physician-scientist.
Michael J. Ombrello, MD – Michael J. Ombrello, MD, is an adult and pediatric rheumatologist and Principal Investigator in the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He leads the Still’s Disease Clinic at the NIH Clinical Center and directs the Translational Genetics and Genomics Section, where his team integrates human genomics with functional immunology to define the molecular basis of Still’s disease and related autoinflammatory disorders. His work has clarified the distinct genetic architecture of Still’s disease, identified biomarkers that inform therapeutic response and drug safety, and illuminated fundamental mechanisms of systemic inflammation that may inform precision approaches across rheumatology.
Related Links:
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
In this episode, Nicholas P. McCormick discusses new real-world research from the RISE registry examining the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. He explains the motivation behind the study, its design, and key findings on medication use, weight loss, and differences between semaglutide and tirzepatide, while highlighting important considerations for clinicians and patients. Nick also shares insights into the strengths and limitations of using registry data before reflecting on his journey from psychology and sociology to earning a PhD focused on chronic disease management and rheumatology, offering advice for aspiring researchers and a look at his future work.
Nicholas P. McCormick – Nick McCormick is a PhD candidate in Health Outcomes Research and Policy at Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy and a Data Scientist with the Foundation for Advancing Science, Technology, Education and Research (FASTER). His research focuses on real-world evidence, patient-reported outcomes, treatment effectiveness, and healthcare decision-making in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. Through collaborations with Auburn University, FASTER, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, he conducts research using clinical registries, electronic health records, administrative claims, and primary data collection to improve patient care and outcomes.
Related Links:
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
In this episode, we talk with Ji Soo Kim, PhD, about a new tool designed to help people with scleroderma better understand and manage their disease. Using information collected over many years from patients receiving routine care, Dr. Kim developed an interactive platform that turns complex medical data into easy-to-understand charts and predictions. We discuss how the tool can help patients and doctors track disease progression, compare experiences with similar patients, and make more informed treatment decisions together. Dr. Kim also shares insights into the challenges of working with real-world health data, the future of personalized medicine in rheumatology, and the career path that led to this innovative work.
Ji Soo Kim, PhD – Ji Soo Kim, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Biostatistics Department of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Dr. Kim’s research focuses on developing statistical methodology in personalized medicine, including efficient estimation of patient trajectories in high-dimensional settings and prediction of major clinical events in patients with scleroderma. To translate the methods into clinical settings, she developed an interactive data visualization tool that illustrates patients’ disease state, clinical trajectories, and individualized risk prediction of major complications.
Dr. Kim’s recent work includes investigating the complex relationships between immune response and cancer and identifying latent subgroups of patients who share similar multivariate pulmonary function trajectories. She is currently extending the analytic framework to other rheumatic diseases—including psoriatic arthritis, myositis, vasculitis, and Sjögren's—where biomarker trajectories play a critical role in clinical decision-making.
Related Links:
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
In this episode, we speak with Swati Mehta, MD, and Lee Schulman Shapiro, MD, about their study examining early- and late-onset scleroderma renal crisis using data from three patient cohorts. They discuss key clinical findings, including important differences related to sex, autoantibodies, presentation, dialysis outcomes, and long-term prognosis, as well as the implications for patient care. The conversation also explores the personal journeys of both guests—from Dr. Mehta’s path from northern India to a career at the intersection of nephrology and rheumatology, to Dr. Shapiro’s reflections on nearly five decades in clinical practice and life after retirement.
Swati Mehta, MD – Swati Mehta, MD, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injuries, chronic kidney diseases, glomerulonephritis, and end stage renal diseases. She is co-director of the Glomerular Disease Center at Albany Medical Center.
As an associate program director of the Nephrology Fellowship at Albany Medical College, Dr. Mehta is actively involved in the education and training of nephrology fellows and has received multiple awards for her dedication in the field of education.
Dr. Mehta's research interests include scleroderma and kidney disease, sarcoidosis and kidney disease, and glomerulonephritis, and she has published numerous papers on these topics.
Lee Schulman Shapiro, MD – Lee Schulman Shapiro, MD, is a distinguished rheumatologist recognized for more than four decades of clinical care, research, and leadership in systemic sclerosis and Degos disease. Dr. Shapiro earned his BA magna cum laude in 1973 and his MD from Columbia University in 1977 before completing internal medicine training and a rheumatology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh under Dr. Gerald Rodnan.
Dr. Shapiro spent his career practicing and teaching in New York’s Capital Region, serving on the rheumatology staff of St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany Medical Center, and Saratoga Hospital, and ultimately becoming Professor of Medicine (Emeritus) at Albany Medical College and Director of its Scleroderma Clinic.
A fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and American College of Physicians, he has authored numerous influential publications on systemic sclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, and Degos disease. He founded and serves as Chief Medical Officer of both The Steffens Scleroderma and Degos Disease Foundation, advancing clinical research and patient advocacy internationally.
Widely honored—including the Scleroderma Foundation’s Distinguished Physician Lifetime Achievement Award and repeated Castle Connolly “Best Doctor” recognitions—Dr. Shapiro is regarded as a leading voice in rare disease research, interdisciplinary education, and compassionate patient-centered care.
Related Links:
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
In this episode, we speak with Nirali Shah, PhD, PT, about the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare and rehabilitation. Drawing from her recent scoping review, Dr. Shah discusses the evidence behind AI-driven health apps for education, exercise, gait retraining, clinical decision support, remote patient monitoring, and pain management. The conversation also explores the challenges, risks, and ethical considerations surrounding AI in clinical care, as well as the future relationship between digital health tools and healthcare professionals.
Nirali Shah, PhD, PT – Nirali Shah, PhD, PT, is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan studying how artificial intelligence can support chronic disease management in ways that are safe, evidence-based, and patient-centered. She currently leads the development of Sprout, an AI health coach for systemic sclerosis, and her work focuses on ensuring digital health tools reflect patients’ needs and preferences, not just technical capability.
Related Links:
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!