The Virtual Rheumatology Program for Fellows in Training (V-FIT) is a collection of online programs developed by rheumatology experts to address specific educational needs of fellows-in-training. V-FIT includes four online courses: Virtual Rheumatology Learning Collaborative (ViRL), Virtual Rheumatology Practicum for Adult Rheumatology Fellows (ViP Adult), Virtual Rheumatology Practicum for Pediatric Rheumatology Fellows (ViP Pediatric), and Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons (ViTLs). 

This activity includes online lectures on rheumatoid arthritis. 

See full details about the activity, including target audience, CE & MOC information, and acknowledgement of commercial support, on the catalog page.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Polymyalgia Rheumatica (Sattui, 2024)

• Explain the current epidemiology of PMR

• Describe diagnostic approach, including relevance of geriatric framework assessment, in patients with suspected PMR

• Review current treatment approach and emerging glucocorticoid-sparing medications for the treatment of PMR

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Late-onset RA Speaker (Lee, 2024)

• Explain RA in the context of aging and immune aging

• Describe the characteristics of late-onset RA

• Review the safety and efficacy of DMARD use in older adults with RA

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Diagnosis and Epidemiology (Uzma Jalal Haque, MD; 2023)

• Discuss epidemiology and clinically relevant pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

• Discuss the clinical presentation, diagnostic approach and classification of RA

• Discuss new assessment strategies in RA

Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment (Jon Giles, MD, MPH; 2023)

• Review the mechanism of action of the various disease modifying therapies (DMARDS) that are FDA approved for the treatment of RA

• Compare adverse event profiles of the various DMARDs for RA

• Integrate new ACR treatment guidelines for RA into patient management

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Diagnosis and Epidemiology (Bryant England, MD, PhD; 2022)

• Review the epidemiology and prognosis of articular and extra-articular features of rheumatoid arthritis

• Discuss risk factors for the development of rheumatoid arthritis

• Review the process for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis 2022 Treatment Update (Michael E. Weinblatt, MD; 2022)

• Explain the mechanism of action of the various disease modifying therapies (DMARDs) that are FDA approved for the treatment of RA

• Compare adverse event profiles of the various DMARDs for RA

• Integrate new ACR treatment guidelines for RA into patient management

Rheumatoid Arthritis I: Epidemiology and Diagnosis (Jon Giles, MD, MPH; 2021)

• Review the epidemiology and prognosis of articular and extra-articular features of rheumatoid arthritis

• Discuss risk factors for the development of rheumatoid arthritis

• Review the process for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis II: Treatment (Joan Bathon, MD; 2021)

• Understand the mechanism of action of the various disease modifying therapies (DMARDs) that are FDA approved for the treatment of RA

• Compare adverse event profiles of the various DMARDs for RA

• Integrate new ACR treatment guidelines for RA into patient management

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Pathophysiology (Uzma Jalal Haque, MD; 2020)

• Understand the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis

• Recognize the clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis

• Discuss 2010 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Pharmacologic and Other Therapeutics (James O'Dell, MD; 2020)

• Understand the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of all RA patients

• Understand the importance of measuring disease activity and treating to a goal

• Understand the basics of foundational therapy in RA

• Be introduced to advanced therapy

Biologics and Targeted Small Molecules in Rheumatoid Arthritis (Eric M. Ruderman, MD; 2020)

• Review and contrast the mechanisms of biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs with those of conventional DMARDs

• Describe the types of toxicities seen with biologics and targeted synthetic DMARDs

• Discuss the data and the principles behind choice of biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs in rheumatic diseases

Sebastian Sattui, MD, MS

Sebastian E. Sattui, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh and the Director of the UPMC Vasculitis Center. Dr. Sattui completed his rheumatology and VCRC/VF vasculitis fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery and received his Masters in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research from Weill Cornell Medicine. His work aims to improve the care of patients living with vasculitis and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) through the study of disease biomarkers, healthcare utilization, and treatment outcomes. His research program is specifically centered around the intersection of aging and these chronic inflammatory diseases, including the treatment of older adults with vasculitis/PMR and aging-related conditions such as frailty and cognitive impairment.

Jiha Lee, MD, MS

Dr. Jiha Lee is an assistant professor in rheumatology and a member of the Institute for Health Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Dr. Lee completed her rheumatology fellowship at Yale University, where she also earned a Master of Health Science, and also received training in aging research through the U-M Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Center. Her research focuses on using nationally representative data and mixed-methods to understand DMARD us in older adults with late-onset RA. Dr. Lee is also interested in apply geriatric principles to improve the care of older adults with RA and is a member of the ACR’s Quality of Care committee.  

Uzma Jalal Haque, MD

Dr. Haque pursued her MD degree at the Aga Khan University in Karachi (Pakistan), and performed her Internship and Residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. Dr. Haque completed her fellowship training at Johns Hopkins in 1999. After spending three years in rheumatology practice in Mississippi, Dr. Haque joined the Full-Time Faculty in 2003, and is based at the Bayview campus. Dr. Haque is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Arthritis Center at the Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and is actively engaged in administering clinical care to patients with general rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders.

Becki Cleveland, MD

I am a faculty member at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) within the UNC Department of Medicine. My interests span multiple areas including osteoarthritis, obesity, physical activity, rheumatoid arthritis and social determinants. I am a collaborator on several studies, including the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project (JoCoOA), Walk With Ease (WWE), Consortium for Longitudinal Evaluation of African-Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (CLEAR), WWE in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and other trials. I am an active faculty member of TARC's Core Center for Clinical Research in the Methodology Core, providing epidemiologic, study design and statistical methods expertise.

Bryant England, MD, PhD

Dr. England is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology & Immunology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. He conducts clinical and translational research in rheumatoid arthritis using several large clinical, patient-reported, and administrative databases. His research focuses on the long-term outcomes of RA including RA-associated lung diseases, multimorbidity, and mortality.

Jon Giles, MD, MPH

Jon T Giles, MD, MPH is Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. His research interests are centered primarily within the inflammatory arthritides. Current projects center around understanding the inflammatory and non-inflammatory determinants of body composition abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, and their subsequent effects on health outcomes. Other current and past research involve the investigation of accelerated atherosclerosis and myocardial dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis patients, understanding the determinants of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease, and exploring the musculoskeletal side effects of a class of medications used to suppress estrogen in women with certain forms of breast cancer. He is the recipient of grant support from the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, the Rheumatology Research Foundation, the Marianne Legato Foundation, and the Arthritis National Research Foundation.

Ted Mikuls, MD, MSPH

Dr. Mikuls is a native of Omaha, Nebraska, receiving his degrees from Santa Clara University (B.S.), the University of Nebraska Medical Center (MD), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (M.S.P.H.). He completed his medical residency, including a chief resident year, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and his training in immunology & rheumatology at UAB in Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently the Umbach Professor of Rheumatology at the UNMC in Omaha where he also serves as Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Internal Medicine. 

Dr. Mikuls is an epidemiologist and rheumatologist, with research interests focused on disease epidemiology, pathogenesis and outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis and gout. He currently leads research efforts of the Nebraska Arthritis Outcomes Research Center and receives active research support from the NIH (NIGMS, NIAMS, NIAAA), VA, Rheumatology Research Foundation, US Department of Defense, and industry. He founded and directs the national VA Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry (VARA) and serves as Director of the Professional Development core for the NIGMS-funded Great Plains IDeA CTR.

William Rigby, MD

This is a golden age for helping individuals suffering from rheumatic disease. We are constantly improving on the advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis by offering the very latest and most innovative therapies. I pursued a career in medicine because I wanted to help people. I feel that excellent care is the result of communicating well, being reliable, and being available to my patients when they need me. Being able to help relieve the pain and suffering of my patients, particularly those who could not find help previously, is extremely rewarding. Happy, satisfied patients are the best advertisement for my clinical skill and compassionate care.

Michael E. Weinblatt, MD

Dr. Michael E. Weinblatt is the John R. Riedman Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the R. Bruce and Joan M. Mickey Distinguished Chair in Rheumatology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Weinblatt is Co-Director of Clinical Rheumatologyand is a Master of the ACR and recepient of the ACR Gold Medal and is a Past President of the ACR.His major research interest is therapeutics in rheumatoid arthritis.

Joan Bathon, MD

Dr. Bathon is a rheumatologist, Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Rheumatology, and Advisory Dean for Clinician Scientist Faculty at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr Bathon’s career has focused on understanding the pathogenesis and functional consequences of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Her group is particularly interested in understanding the effects of chronic rheumatoid inflammation on the extra-articular phenotype of RA, as manifested by accelerated atherosclerosis and myocardial dysfunction. She has authored over 200 scientific publications and book chapters. Dr Bathon is currently a member of the NIAMS Advisory Council. She previously served as a standing member of both the NIH ACTS study section and the NIH-NIAMS AMSCT study section. She was Editor-in-Chief of Arthritis & Rheumatology, from 2010-15. She is a past member of the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee, and a past member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

James O'Dell, MD

Dr. James O’Dell is the Robert L. Grissom Professor of Internal Medicine, Vice-Chairman of Internal Medicine and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at UNMC. After earning a degree in electrical engineering from UNL in 1974, he received his M.D. and completed a residency at UNMC. He founded the Rheumatology and Arthritis Investigational Network in 1990, which he has directed for 30 years, leading internationally-renowned research in treatments for rheumatoid arthritis that has resulted in several hundred publications including four first authored New England Journal of Medicine publications. He also served as UNMC’s Director of the Internal Medicine Residency for 35 years, training nearly 1,000 residents and numerous teaching awards including UNMC Laureate Award in 2019 . He was President of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 2012 and received the ACRs distinguished Research Award as well as UNMC Distinguished Investigator Award. Dr O’Dell was President of the Rheumatology Research Foundation (RRF) from 2005-2007 and received the ACR Presidential Gold Medal in 2020. Currently he is Editor-in-Chief for Rheumatology for UpToDate and editor of Firestein’s Textbook of Rheumatology.

Eric M. Ruderman, MD

Dr. Ruderman received his undergraduate degree in English literature from Princeton University and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After a residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he completed a rheumatology fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, with a concurrent research fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health. He joined the faculty at Northwestern University in 2000, where he is currently a Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief for Clinical Affairs of the Division of Rheumatology. He is co-director of a cooperative clinic for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Dr. Ruderman is a past president of the Chicago Rheumatism Society. He has served as principal investigator on over 50 clinical trials, and he is involved in several projects that link clinical practice and the research agenda in the rheumatology clinic. He also serves on the data safety monitoring boards for several international, multicenter, clinical trials in rheumatology. In addition to his research efforts, Dr. Ruderman serves as a vice-chair of Northwestern University's institutional review board. He is a past-chair of the Communications and Marketing Committee of the American College of Rheumatology and a current member of the ACR Board of Directors. Dr. Ruderman is a past member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Rheumatology Research Foundation and is the deputy editor-in-chief for the Journal of Rheumatology.

This program is designed for educational purposes only. The material presented is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the medical situations discussed, but rather is intended to present the opinions of the authors or presenters, which may be helpful to other practitioners. Attendees participating in this education activity sponsored by the ACR do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the ACR for reliance on any information presented during this educational activity.