Fall 2021’s Awards, Appointments & Announcements in Rheumatology

Jason M. Springer, MD, MS, Now Co-Director of Vanderbilt Vasculitis Center

Last October, in the midst of the 2020 pandemic shutdown, Jason M. Springer, MD, MS, moved from the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he was founder and director of the Vasculitis Center, to become co-director of the Vanderbilt Vasculitis Center, Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Springer, who is also associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, shares the co-directorship with Kevin W. Byram, MD.

There were several reasons Dr. Springer made the change from the University of Kansas. Among them, he cites the opportunity to work with Dr. Byram, whom he worked with on the ACR Vasculitis Guideline development group, and the fact that Vanderbilt has a large multistate catchment area, a wealth of research resources and a renowned rheumatology division headed by Leslie Crofford, MD.

Dr. Springer’s own path to vasculitis specialization was forged during his residency at the University of Utah, where he encountered Curry L. Koening, MD, MS, director of the Vasculitis Center. After residency, Dr. Springer followed a training path similar to his mentor, Dr. Koening, which included completing a vasculitis fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and later obtaining a Master of Science in clinical and translational research.

He moved to the University of Kansas and got involved in the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium. He has been a principal investigator on many clinical trials, and was co-director of the Clinical Trials Unit of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Kansas.

In addition, he served on the Board of Directors for the Vasculitis Foundation for six years, during which time he served as the chair of the Research Committee.

Dr. Springer’s exposure to vasculitis dates back to his own family experience. Before he went to medical school, an accident revealed that his father had a neuropathy related to vasculitis. And despite aggressive treatment, his father succumbed to the disease. Because of that early exposure, Dr. Springer’s interest in vasculitis grew as he became acquainted with patients during medical school and residency.

One of the things he finds meaningful about his specialty is the opportunity to follow patients long term. “Some forms of vasculitis have changed dramatically over the years, to the point of becoming chronic instead of uniformly fatal diseases,” he says.

“I am looking forward to working with the amazing team of colleagues at Vanderbilt, and bringing a wealth of resources to the complex care of these patients.”