ACR Honors Distinguished Fellows: Class of 2025

CHICAGO—Each year, the ACR honors up to 10 clinical and research fellows who have performed meritoriously. Meet this year’s Distinguished Fellows, who are bridging the gap between research and patient care, and who were recognized at ACR Convergence 2025 in October. We asked: What does recognition as an ACR Distinguished Fellow mean to you?

Abhimanyu Amarnani, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Division of Rheumatology, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University

“This recognition from the ACR is a tremendous honor and a direct reflection of the invaluable support from my mentors and the leadership at the NYU Division of Rheumatology, especially Gregg Silverman, MD; Kelly Ruggles, PhD; Michael Pillinger, MD; and Jill Buyon, MD,” says Dr. Amarnani. “This award strengthens my commitment as a physician-scientist to leverage longitudinal clinical samples and mechanistic murine models with advanced integrated computational tools to develop personalized therapies tailored to each patient’s unique SLE disease endotype.”

Greg Challener, MD

Rheumatologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized as an ACR Distinguished Fellow,” says Dr. Challener. “This award reflects the exceptional mentorship and support that I have received from the Division of Rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital. I am especially grateful to my research mentors, Hyon Choi, MD, and Minna Kohler, MD, and program director, Marcy Bolster, MD, for their invaluable guidance, encouragement and wisdom.”

Andrew Grim, MD

Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor

“It is a tremendous honor to receive the ACR Distinguished Fellow Award, and I am truly humbled to be recognized among such an outstanding group of pediatric and adult rheumatology fellows,” says Dr. Grim. “I am deeply grateful for this recognition, which reflects not only personal achievement but also the support and inspiration of those around me (especially my program director, Meredith Riebschleger, MD). And this award finally proves to my family that I do more at work than just tell inflammatory jokes!”

Lauren He, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System

“This award is both an honor and a powerful affirmation of the importance of focusing on all aspects of patient care—from rigorous scientific inquiry to bringing compassion and integrity to each patient interaction,” says Dr. He. “The greatest gift I can give to my mentors, who have invested in me and thus share in this achievement, is my commitment to invest in the education and training of those who come next.”