Rheumatology Health Professionals

Over the past decade, her research has shifted toward the factors that influence variable functional outcomes and the role physical therapy plays in that variation.

“We need to find out how to best apply physical therapy services with rheumatic diseases,” says Dr. Oatis, who earned her doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. “There is ample evidence that exercise helps people with rheumatic disease. But we don’t know the best amount of exercise, dosage or intensity of exercise.”

With help from a three-year grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Dr. Oatis is now working with other researchers in the department of orthopedics at the University of Massachusetts to examine physical therapy practice variations used on patients with knee replacements and their effect on patient care.

She says rheumatologists need to understand that physical therapy has its own practice variation, just like other disciplines. The treatment that one patient might receive from one physical therapist could vary greatly from another. She says not every patient with the same rheumatic disease gets the same treatment.

“We’re documenting that variation and hope to identify the variations or practices that work best for people with rheumatic diseases,” she says. “By recognizing that variation, we hope to be able to identify the elements that could contribute to a standard intervention.”

Dr. Ellen Gravallese Receives ASBMR Stephen M. Krane Award

Ellen M. Gravallese, MD, was recently named the 2017 Recipient of the esteemed ASBMR Stephen M. Krane Award. The Stephen M. Krane Award is given in recognition of outstanding achievements in basic, translational or clinical research in inflammation and/or skeletal matrix biology. Dr. Gravallese’s basic science laboratory is dedicated to the study of the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis, with a particular interest in the fundamental mechanisms of joint destruction. Research in her laboratory has identified key molecular and cellular pathways in rheumatoid arthritis and contributed to the development of new therapeutic agents for treatment.

In December 2016, Dr. Gravallese was named an associate editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. Her main responsibilities include overseeing the review process for manuscripts in rheumatology and several other disciplines. “I am thrilled to be joining the editorial team at NEJM, having worked in medical editing for my entire career,” she stated in the school’s press release. “This position will allow me to participate in some of the most exciting and impactful work in the field of medicine.”