Visiting Fellowship Centres

Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center
Baltimore
USA

Mentors:
Dr Laura Hummers ([email protected])
Dr Ami Shah (ami.shah@@jhmi.edu)

Opportunities:

The Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center is happy to offer a one month Visiting Fellowship through the SCTC Betty Benedict Visiting Fellowship program. The fellowship will include both clinical and research opportunities. We have a very busy clinical practice with 6 faculty who work within our Scleroderma Center. We anticipate that the fellow will rotate with various Scleroderma Center faculty and faculty from associated specialty centers (including our Pulmonary Hypertension Center). From the research standpoint, training will focus on methodology and development/maintenance of a large prospective registry and biorepository. We are also happy to facilitate a short-term research project utilizing existing data of the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Cohort. The participant will attend our divisional educational activities (rounds, teaching sessions), Scleroderma Center research activities (research meetings) and Scleroderma Center clinical activities (lung conference).

University of Utah
Utah
USA

Mentor:
Dr Tracy Frech ([email protected])

Opportunities:

The University of Utah is delighted to sponsor a one-month Betty Benedict Fellowship.  The University of Utah Scleroderma Center is a member of the Utah Vascular Research Laboratory (UVRL). Fellows will participate in systemic sclerosis (SSc) clinic, interstitial lung disease clinic, and pulmonary hypertension clinic to learn clinical disease phenotyping. In SSc clinic, fellows will learn clinical vasculopathy quantification techniques including capillaroscopy, flow mediated dilation, and sublingual microscopy. Laboratory experience for visiting fellows will include skin biopsy processing and observation at the UVRL of mouse and human oxidative stress experiments.  The goal of this fellowship is to learn longitudinal vasculopathy assessment for SSc clinical research.  Participants will be housed at the University Guest House, which is walking distance to the University Medical Center as well as Trax transportation that provides access to sites throughout Salt Lake City. 

Jewish General Hospital Montreal
Canada

Mentors:
Dr Murray Baron ([email protected])

Opportunities:

Visiting fellows will have the opportunity to attend scleroderma clinics where patients attend and data are entered into a research database. There are also monthly clinics with a cardiologist and respiratory physician. Attending clinics would be on an observership basis. There are opportunities to learn nailfold capillaroscopy. At any one time there are several ongoing research projects, with a full-time statistician working on these: it is likely that a visiting fellow could become engaged in one these projects.

Escola Paulista de Medicina (Paulista Medical School)
Federal University de São Paulo
São Paulo
Brazil

Mentors:
Prof. Cristiane Kayser ([email protected])
Prof. Luis Eduardo Coelho Andrade
Prof. Alexandre Wagner S. Souza 

Opportunities:

Paulista Medical School is a tertiary referral center for patients with systemic sclerosis in São Paulo, the largest city in South America.

Over 300 patients are currently under regular follow-up in our center.

Our outpatient clinic has a broad and heterogeneous group of SSc patients that are under inter-disciplinary approach, including the pulmonology department, as well as nutrition and rehabilitation divisions. From the clinical perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to participate in the systemic sclerosis outpatient clinic and ward rounds.

The research program has a strong focus on clinical and basic studies on systemic sclerosis with special focus on capillaroscopy and microvascular and endothelial dysfunction in patients with SSc and related diseases. Our laboratory is a national reference center for autoantibody determination, including most autoantibodies relevant to systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease. Fellows will have access to laboratory bench procedures and to discussions on the interpretation of results with emphasis for clinical integration. From the research perspective, fellows will participate in the weekly scientific meetings of the Systemic Sclerosis group and the Autoimmunity group.

Mentorship will be provided by Prof. Cristiane Kayser at the clinical and capillaroscopy aspects, and also by Prof. Alexandre Wagner S. Souza and by Prof. Luis Eduardo Coelho Andrade at the laboratory support.

The University of Ghent and the Ghent University Hospital
Belgium

Mentors:
Professor Vanessa Smith ([email protected])
Dr Yves Piette

Opportunities:

The University of Ghent and the Ghent University Hospital, Belgium is very pleased to host fellows under the Benedict Visiting Fellowship programme. The Ghent University Hospital is a tertiary referral centre for patients with systemic sclerosis: over 600 patients are under regular review and microcirculatory evaluation. There is an enthusiastic multi-disciplinary  team with both clinical as well research focus in the field of systemic sclerosis and in the field of microcirculation (capillaroscopy and laser). From the clinical perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend systemic sclerosis clinics and ward rounds, and learn the technique of nailfold capillaroscopy (image acquisition and interpretation) and laser speckle contrast analysis. From the research perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to take part in ongoing research or to execute own research (if the fellowship extends over some months). Mentorship will be provided by Vanessa Smith, and also by Yves Piette.

The Lund University and Skåne University Hospital
Lund
Sweden

Mentors:
Associate professor Roger Hesselstrand ([email protected])
Associate professor Dirk M Wuttge
Associate professor Kristofer Andréasson

Opportunities:

The Lund University/Skåne University Hospital is very pleased to host fellows under the Benedict Visiting Fellowship programme. The department of Rheumatology is a tertiary referral centre for patients with systemic sclerosis: over 400 patients are under regular review, most from southern Sweden but also patients from the very north. We have a research group with 3 associate professors, one laboratory engineer, one PhD student who is a fellow and one researcher who is a physiotherapist. The research programme has a strong focus on biomarkers for both fibrotic and vascular manifestations. From the clinical perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend systemic sclerosis clinics and ward rounds, take part of multidisciplinary rounds on PAH and ILD, and learn the technique of nailfold capillaroscopy (image acquisition and interpretation). From the research perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend research meetings, gain insights/experience into the running of a disease-based research programme, and (if appropriate) take part in ongoing research. Mentorship will be provided by Roger Hesselstrand, and also by Dirk M Wuttge and by Kristofer Andréasson.

The University of Manchester and Salford Royal Hospital
Manchester
UK

Mentors:
Professor Ariane Herrick ([email protected])
Dr Michael Hughes
Dr Muditha Samaranayaka
Dr Andrea Murray

Opportunities:

The University of Manchester/Salford Royal Hospital is very pleased to host fellows under the Benedict Visiting Fellowship programme. Salford Royal Hospital is a tertiary referral centre for patients with systemic sclerosis: over 400 patients are under regular review. There is an enthusiastic inter-disciplinary research team including vascular technicians and post-doctoral physicists. The research programme has a strong focus on assessment and treatment of systemic sclerosis-related digital vasculopathy using non-invasive imaging techniques, and sits within the University of Manchester Centre for Musculoskeletal Research. From the clinical perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend systemic sclerosis clinics and ward rounds, and learn the technique of nailfold capillaroscopy (image acquisition and interpretation). From the research perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend research meetings, gain insights/experience into the running of a disease-based research programme, and (if appropriate) take part in ongoing research. Mentorship will be provided by Ariane Herrick, Michael Hughes, and also by Muditha Samaranayaka (clinical) and by Andrea Murray (research).

University Hospital 12 de Octubre
Madrid
Spain

Mentors:
Professor Patricia E Carreira ([email protected])
Dr Maria Martin
Professor Jose Luis Pablos

Opportunities:

The University Hospital 12 de Octubre, in Madrid, welcome the visiting fellows coming under the Benedict Visiting Fellowship program. Our University Hospital is a tertiary referral centre for patients with systemic sclerosis, where we receive 40-50 new patients every year, and follow regularly more than 450 patients. We perform clinical research, mainly addressing risk factors for morbidity and mortality in the disease. From the Rheumatology Department, we coordinate a Multidisciplinary Autoimmune Diseases Unit, including pulmonologists, dermatologists, nephrologists, pulmonary hypertension experts and other specialists. The Department also has a research laboratory, focused in fibroblasts and mechanisms of fibrosis. From the clinical perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend systemic sclerosis, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension clinics and participate in multidisciplinary rounds. They could also attend the capillaroscopy clinic, being able to learn the technique of nailfold capillaroscopy (image acquisition and interpretation) and how to perform the skin score. From the research perspective, fellows will have the opportunity to attend research meetings, and see how a basic research project is designed and implemented. Mentorship will be provided by Patricia Carreira, and also by Maria Martin (clinical) and by Jose Luis Pablos (basic research).

Department of Rheumatology
University Hospital Zurich
University of Zurich
Switzerland.

Mentors:
Professor Oliver Distler ([email protected]) 
PD Dr Gabriela Kania 
Dr Carina Mihai 

Opportunities:

The Department of Rheumatology at the University of Zurich has a long standing tradition of visiting academic guests and is very pleased to host fellows under the Benedict Visiting Fellowship programme. Providing both clinical and preclinical molecular biology research facilities, the Department of Rheumatology is a EULAR Center of Excellence due to its scientific output. Your academic visit can be used to get insights into and contribute to clinical or molecular-biology research projects of the Center and/or can be use to initiate own collaborative research projects and scientific grant applications with the home center. We cover all major aspects of SSc research. You will be integrated into the existing research groups of the Department depending on your main interest with direct daily interactions with the supervisor. Applicants have to be fluent in English.

Rambam Healthcare
Israel

Mentors:
Professor Balbir ([email protected])
Dr Braun

Opportunities:

Our institute is a tertiary referral center for systemic sclerosis patients and patients with connective tissue diseases. We have the largest cohort of SSc patients in Israel (above 400 patients); Prof. Balbir and Dr. Braun are active EUSTAR members; there is an active participation in the majority of EUSTAR projects. Recently in addition to EUSTAR we joined EUROMyositis registry (Dr. Tavor) Our institute has extensive experience in treating patients with connective tissue diseases and internal organ complications (lung and heart involvement in collagen diseases, pulmonary hypertension due to connective tissue disease, Raynaud’s syndrome, digital ulcers and gastrointestinal complications in autoimmune diseases). We have consulting out-patients' clinics, in-bed hospitalization for rheumatological patients, an active day-care clinic for administration of biological treatment and IVIG, multi-disciplinary clinics (including fibro-vascular clinic for patients with respiratory problems and rheumatic diseases and gastro-enterologic-rheumatic clinics for patients with rheumatic diseases and GI involvement).  We have close cooperation with ECHO and cardiac catheterization units.

The institute is an integral part of the Technion's Faculty of Medicine and students from Israel and abroad train here. The unit is also nationally recognized for its specialization in rheumatology. The institute is involved in numerous research projects including on scleroderma and capillaroscopy. There is an active clinical trials unit with RCT including in scleroderma.

The institute staff are active members of Israeli Rheumatology society, European and American rheumatology associations (EULAR, EUSTAR, and ACR). Prof. Balbir is a EUSTAR Counselor; Dr. Braun is a member of Israeli Rheumatology executive committee.

Singapore General Hospital
Singapore

Mentors:

Dr Andrea Low ([email protected])

Opportunities:

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Department of Rheumatology and Immunology offers specialized care for patients with rheumatological conditions, and is a tertiary referral centre. In 2017, our Department was awarded the Centre of Excellence (2017) by the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) for our work in research, training, education and patient care. In partnership with Actelion (Johnson and Johnson), our multi-disciplinary Cardiology, Respiratory and Rheumatology pulmonary hypertension clinic of more than 10 years, has contributed to the recognition of the National Heart Centre and SGH (located in the same campus) as a Centre of Excellence for Pulmonary Hypertension that serves as a reference centre for training and management of all causes of pulmonary hypertension. We have conducted week-long preceptorship attachments for doctors in the region.

SGH spear-headed and chairs the nation-wide collaborative systemic sclerosis (SSc) research workgroup comprising Rheumatologists from 5 institutions, led by Dr Andrea Low. The Systemic Sclerosis Cohort, Singapore (SCORE) has more than 600 patients, with systematic collection of biospecimens in well-phenotyped patients. Dr Low leads the APLAR special interest group in SSc/ myositis, and is a member of the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium. We have a comprehensive SSc program, committed to provide quality multi-disciplinary patient care as well as conducting innovative research to advance our understanding and develop new treatments in SSc. Our clinical research provides SSc patients opportunities to participate in clinical trials as well as translational research. Helmed by 3 consultant Rheumatologists, we run 3 SSc clinics per week, a monthly combined pulmonary hypertension clinic with our cardiologists and respiratory physicians, and a weekly nailfold capillaroscopy service. Our multi-disciplinary care team comprise of specialists including Rheumatologists, Cardiologists, Respiratory physicians, Gastroenterologists and Dermatologists. Our Rheumatology specialist nurses and pharmacists run the monitoring clinic for stable SSc patients, and the nurses run the nailfold capillaroscopy clinic.

SGH has dedicated in-patient beds for patients with rheumatological conditions, out-patient clinics at our Autoimmunity and Rheumatology Centre (ARC) and Immunology Hub with facilities for administration of biological treatment. As a major teaching hospital in Singapore, our Department is also committed to training the next generation of physicians, Rheumatologists and clinician-scientists.

St. Vincent’s Hospital
Melbourne
Australia

Mentors:
Professor Mandana Nikpour ([email protected])
Dr Wendy Stevens ([email protected])
Professor Suzanna Proudman ([email protected])

Opportunities:

St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, one of the teaching hospitals of the University of Melbourne, is the lead coordinating centre for the Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study (ASCS). Since its inception over ten years ago, the ASCS has produced impactful research contributions to improve outcomes in scleroderma. Dozens of fellows have undertaken clinical and research training with investigators of the ASCS, developing expertise in scleroderma care and producing publications leading to research higher degrees. ASIG Principal Investigators Prof Mandana Nikpour and Dr Wendy Stevens would be pleased to welcome Benedict Visiting Fellows who during their fellowship would receive both clinical and research experience in scleroderma. An additional opportunity exists during this fellowship to also visit Royal Adelaide Hospital (Adelaide, South Australia) under supervision of ASIG Principal Investigator, Prof Susanna Proudman.