The American College of Rheumatology names Carol A. Langford, MD, MHS as the 88th president

WASHINGTON – Today, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) announced the appointment of Carol Langford, MD, MHS, as the College’s 88th president during ACR Convergence 2024. Dr. Langford is director of the Center for Vasculitis Care and Research within the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases at the Cleveland Clinic where she is also a professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the Harold C. Schott endowed chair in Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases.

Dr. Langford joined the ACR in 1993, and throughout her 31 years of membership, she has served in various leadership capacities including chair of the Education and Finance Committees, clinical abstract chair for the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, co-chair of the Membership & Awards Committee, and as a member of the ACR Board of Directors. She was also an associate editor for Arthritis and Rheumatology, one of the ACR’s premier, peer-reviewed rheumatology journals. For the past three years, she has been a part of the ACR’s executive committee where she served as the treasurer, and president-elect leading up to her appointment as president for the 2024–2025 year.

“Becoming president of the American College of Rheumatology is a tremendous honor,” said Dr. Langford. “I have dedicated my career to the care of patients with vasculitis and other rheumatic diseases, an important part of which has been the opportunity to be involved with the ACR. I look forward to continuing the work of the College with the executive committee, our volunteers, professional staff, and most especially, our members.”

Throughout her presidency, Dr. Langford looks to advance the ACR mission to empower rheumatology professionals to excel in their specialty. She plans to highlight the ACR’s educational portfolio to support rheumatologists in their goals of life-long learning, emphasize ACR research efforts that assist investigators in accelerating discoveries that will benefit patients, and enhance connections between the ACR and its members.

Dr. Langford received her medical degree at the University of California Los Angeles in 1987 and trained in internal medicine at the University of Michigan from 1987 to 1990. She was a fellow in rheumatology at Duke University Medical Center from 1990 to 1994 where she received a master's degree in health sciences in 1995. From 1994-2004 she was a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health. She has been at the Cleveland Clinic since 2004.

At Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Langford’s work focuses on patient care, education, and research in the vasculitis diseases, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, polyarteritis nodosa, giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis, and other forms of vasculitis.

She is a member of the editorial board for Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 22^nd edition.

Dr. Langford’s term begins this month along with the recently appointed 2024-2025 ACR Executive Committee:

• President-elect: William Harvey, MD
• Secretary: Angus Worthing, MD
• Treasurer: Anne Bass, MD
• Foundation President: Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH
• ARP President: Adam Goode, PT, DPT, PhD

Media Contact
Monica McDonald
mmcdonald@rheumatology.org
404-365-2162

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About the American College of Rheumatology
Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves 9,600 physicians, health professionals, researchers and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. 

About ACR Convergence
ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, is where rheumatology meets to collaborate, celebrate, congregate, and learn. With hundreds of sessions and thousands of abstracts, it offers a superior combination of basic science, clinical science, business education and interactive discussions to improve patient care. For more information about the meeting, visit the ACR Convergence page, or join the conversation on X by following the official hashtag (#ACR24).