The Rheumatoid Arthritis Educational Challenge (RAEC) is a series of activities designed to challenge and evaluate specific provider and patient measures that must be addressed if improvements in outcomes are to occur. The educational goal of the RAEC is for participants to combine early diagnosis and treatment practices with enhanced assessment of disease status and treatment response through various clinical measures, imaging techniques, and biomarkers, thus advancing clinical outcomes and the certainty of remission.
To accomplish this goal, the RAEC will offer various activities, in both live and electronic formats, for improving effective communication, treatment compliance, and quality of life among patients with RA. Recognition of the risk/benefit profiles of biologic therapies in the management of individuals with RA, as well as understanding how the appropriate use of such therapies impacts patient care, is key to changing patients’ health-related behaviors in ways that ultimately help to improve adherence to treatment.
Marc D. Cohen, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Division of Rheumatology at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado. Prior to these appointments, he served as Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Mayo Clinic and Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, both in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dr. Cohen earned his medical degree from George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. Continuing his medical education, he completed an internal medicine internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California; an internal medicine residency at the University of California, Los Angeles; and a rheumatology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Among Dr. Cohen’s areas of research interest are rheumatoid arthritis and systemic vasculitis. He is the primary investigator of a number of ongoing clinical trials. Dr. Cohen has delivered presentations at numerous international and national scientific meetings and medical symposia. Currently, he serves as an advisory editor for Arthritis and Rheumatism and as an ad hoc reviewer for several other medical journals. Dr. Cohen has authored numerous textbook chapters and more 60 articles in such journals as Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America, Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, Bulletin on the Rheumatic Diseases, The Journal of Rheumatology, Arthritis and Rheumatism, and Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy.
Board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Cohen is a Fellow of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Association and the American College of Physicians. He is a prior recipient of the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (MCJ) Teacher of the Year-Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Award (11 consecutive years) and the Distinguished Educator Award, and in 2000 was named to the MCJ Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame.
Philip J. Mease, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and Chief of Rheumatology Clinical Research at the Swedish Hospital Medical Center, both in Seattle, Washington. In addition, he serves as a practicing clinical rheumatologist at Seattle Rheumatology Associates.
Dr. Mease received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California. Following this, he fulfilled a residency in internal medicine at the UW School of Medicine, where he subsequently served as Chief Resident and Fellow in Rheumatology.
Dr. Mease’s primary research interests include pharmacotherapy of rheumatologic diseases and the methodology of disease assessment. He conducts clinical trials on emerging therapies for several disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis. Dr. Mease has authored numerous scientific articles and textbook chapters, and serves on the review boards of Arthritis and Rheumatism, The Journal of Rheumatology, Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, and Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Dr. Mease is a founding member of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), an international consortium of rheumatologic and dermatologic investigators whose overall mission is to develop guidelines for the optimal treatment of patients with these conditions. He serves on the medical advisory boards of several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, the Lupus Foundation, the Psoriasis Foundation, and the Northwest Arthritis and Osteoporosis Institute. He also serves as chair/co-chair of 3 Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials (OMERACT) working groups: psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, and single-joint assessment. Board-certified in rheumatology and internal medicine, Dr. Mease is a member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, The American College of Rheumatology, and the American College of Physicians. He has been recognized in the Best Doctors in Western Washington and is a lifetime member of the National Registry of Who’s Who.
John A. Goldman, MD, is Chief of Rheumatology at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and President of Medical Quarters and Medical Director of Rheumatology at the Atlanta Center for Clinical Research, both in Atlanta, Georgia. He also maintains a solo rheumatology, allergy/immunology, and osteoporosis practice in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Dr. Goldman earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati Medical School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following this, he completed an internal medicine residency and an immunology fellowship at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Goldman served as a Major in the United States Army Medical Corps at Fort Gordon, Georgia, prior to joining the faculty at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta in 1973.
Dr. Goldman’s research interests focus on rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and psoriatic arthritis. He is a prolific writer, having authored numerous textbook chapters, abstracts, and scientific articles in such journals as Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, Current Medical Research and Opinion, Southern Medical Journal, and The Journal of Rheumatology.
Board-certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, and immunology, Dr. Goldman is also certified in osteoporosis densitometry. He is a former Chairman of the Southeast Regional Advisory Council, Committee on Rheumatologic Care, of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Currently, Dr. Goldman serves as Ambassador of the ACR Research and Education Foundation; editor of OsteoFlash, an online newsletter of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry; Chairman of the Third Party Payors Committee of the Medical Association of Georgia; Co-Medical Director of the Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Georgia Medicare carrier Cahaba; Rheumatology Representative to the Georgia CAC; Co-Chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rheumatology Society; and Co-Chairman of the Atlanta Bone Club.
Joseph A. Markenson, MD, is Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. He serves as an Attending Physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and as a Consultant in the Department of Medicine/Rheumatology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, also in New York City.
Dr. Markenson earned his medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (DMC) in Brooklyn, then completed an internship at Kings County-DMC. He next served as a Medical Officer for the National Institutes of Health, Division of Biologics Laboratory of Viral Immunology, in Bethesda, Maryland. Following this, he fulfilled a residency at Cornell University Medical Center of New York Hospital and a rheumatology fellowship at HSS.
Among Dr. Markenson’s areas of research interest are immunology, microbiology, occupational medicine, and systemic lupus erythematosus. His scientific articles have been published in such journals as Arthritis and Rheumatism, Annals of Internal Medicine, The American Journal of Medicine, Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Pharmacotherapy, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, and Transfusion.
Dr. Markenson maintains memberships in numerous organizations, including the American Association of Immunology, the American College of Physicians, the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Occupational Medical Association, the American College of Rheumatology, the New York Academy of Science, the American Society of Microbiology, the American Federation for Clinical Research, and the Society for Experimental Medicine and Biology. He has received many awards and honors, including being designated a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine, Subspecialty Board of Rheumatology. In addition, he has been named a Lupus Erythematosus Foundation Fellow.
Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD, FACP, FCLM, is Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC), Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law, and Adjunct Faculty at the Rockefeller University, all in New York City. He is an Attending Physician and Rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and New York Presbyterian Hospital, both also in New York City, where he is Associate Director of the Center for Innovative and Biologic Therapy.
Dr. Gibofsky earned his medical degree from WCMC and his law degree from Fordham Law. He completed an internship in pathology, followed by a residency in medicine, at New York Hospital. Continuing his medical education, he fulfilled a rheumatology/ immunology fellowship jointly at HSS, under Dr. Charles L. Christian, and at Rockefeller University, in the laboratory of Dr. Henry G. Kunkel.
Dr. Gibofsky’s areas of research interest focus on mechanisms of host-microbe interactions in rheumatology and clinical studies of rheumatic fever. He has authored/co-authored numerous papers and textbook chapters, primarily on the immunogenetics of rheumatic diseases and the legal aspects of medical practice. His scientific articles have been published in such journals as Arthritis and Rheumatism, Clinical Therapeutics, Current Medical Research and Opinion, Current Opinion in Rheumatology, and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. He has participated in numerous professional and public education programs, both nationally and internationally. He is listed in Best Doctors in New York>
Currently, Dr. Gibofsky serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the New York Rheumatism Association. He is a member of the Health and Public Policy Committee, the Publications Committee, and the Nominating Committee of the New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians. He is a past Chair of the Medical and Scientific Committee of the New York Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and received their Physicians’ Leadership Award. He has also served as a member of the local and national Arthritis Foundation Board of Trustees, where he was named Chair of Professional Education. He is a past President of the American College of Legal Medicine, a past Chair of the American Board of Legal Medicine, and a former President of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Gibofsky is a Jonas Salk Scholar of the City University and in 1997 was named Alumnus of the Year by Brooklyn College.
Sergio Schwartzman, MD, is the Franchellie M. Cadwell Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City. He also serves as Director of the HSS Center for Innovative and Biologic Therapy.
Dr. Schwartzman earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, followed by a fellowship in the Department of Rheumatic Diseases at HSS.
Dr. Schwartzman’s current research interests are focused on defining and treating autoimmune diseases of the eye, including uveitis, vasculitis, scleritis, and autoimmune orbital inflammatory disease. As Director of the HSS Center for Innovative and Biologic Therapy, he is also involved in clinical trials on the role played by new agents in the treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 articles, abstracts, books, and textbook chapters on autoimmune ophthalmic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and related topics. His scientific papers have appeared in such journals as Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, Arthritis Research & Therapy, and Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Dr. Schwartzman is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Uveitis Society, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Rheumatology, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the Fellows Award presented by the Northeast Regional American Rheumatism Association and the Franchellie M. Cadwell Chair.
Roy M. Fleischmann, MD, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSMC) and in private practice at Rheumatology Associates, both in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Fleishmann is also Co-Medical Director of Metroplex Clinical Research Center in Dallas. For the past 30 years, he has served as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at UTSMC-University Hospitals-St. Paul in Dallas.
Dr. Fleischmann received his medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Continuing his medical education, he completed an internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital and a rheumatology fellowship at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, both in New York City.
Dr. Fleischmann is an internationally recognized thought leader on the education of rheumatologists and the development of new medications for the treatment of various forms of arthritis. He has served as a consultant to many pharmaceutical companies in the areas of trial design, protocol development, and continuing medical education programs. He has been involved in numerous clinical trials on treatments for patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles on these subjects. His scientific papers have appeared in such journals as Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, The Journal of Rheumatology, Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America, Current Medical Research and Opinion, and Modern Rheumatology.
Dr. Fleischmann is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). He has served on the Finance Committee and the Fundraising Committee of the Research and Education Foundation of the ACR. He has also served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the North Texas Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.. Dr. Fleischmann is a member of the Inflammation Research Association, the Associates of Clinical Pharmacology, and the Drug Information Association. He has been voted one of the Best Doctors in Dallas and is listed among the Texas Super Doctors.
Charles H. Pritchard, MD, FACP, FACR, is Chief of Rheumatology at Holy Redeemer Medical Center in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. He also serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Abington Memorial Hospital and Temple University Hospital, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Pritchard received his medical degree from George Washington University Medical School in Washington, DC. He subsequently completed a residency in internal medicine at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, and a fellowship in rheumatology at Temple University.
Among Dr. Pritchard’s research interests are rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and tumor necrosis factor-a antagonist therapies. His scientific articles have been published in such journals as Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases and The Journal of Rheumatology.
Dr. Pritchard is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine, Subspecialty Board of Rheumatology. He is an Associate Member of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology.
John R. P. Tesser, MD, is a practicing physician at Arizona Arthritis & Rheumatology Associates in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He is a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson, Arizona, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Midwestern University College of Health Sciences in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Tesser served as Chief of Rheumatology at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, and as Acting Chairman and Associate Chairman in the Department of Medicine at the same institution. He is the former Medical Director and Principal Investigator of Radiant Research in Phoenix.
Dr. Tesser earned a medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. He completed his internal medicine training at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix and a rheumatology fellowship at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Dr. Tesser has an extensive history of performing multiple clinical research studies on all forms of rheumatic disease, with an emphasis on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and pain. He has been a principal investigator on more than 250 clinical research trials and a chief principal investigator at the Phoenix Center for Clinical Research. Dr. Tesser actively serves as a speaker and consultant for a number of pharmaceutical companies and medical organizations. He has had numerous articles and abstracts published in such medical journals as The New England Journal of Medicine, Arthritis and Rheumatism, The Journal of Rheumatology, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, and Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy.
Dr. Tesser is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. He is a member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry, and the Phoenix Rheumatology Association.
Arthur L. Weaver, MD, MS, FACP, MACR, is Clinical Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, Division of Rheumatology, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. For 34 years, Dr. Weaver was a practicing rheumatologist and has served as Director of Clinical Research at the Arthritis Center of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Dr. Weaver earned his medical degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He completed a medical internship at the University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, and a residency and fellowship at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education (MSGME), Rochester, Minnesota. While at MSGME, he received the Philip S. Hench Award for excellence in rheumatology. Dr. Weaver also earned a master’s degree in medicine from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Dr. Weaver’s areas of research interests include the use of biologic agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and the management of patients with gout. He has been a primary investigator on more than 115 research protocols. Dr. Weaver has delivered more than 1500 scientific presentations and authored more than 150 papers/abstracts in the field of clinical rheumatology. His articles have appeared in such journals as Arthritis and Rheumatism, The Journal of Rheumatology, Rheumatology (Oxford), Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, Modern Rheumatology, New England Journal of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, and The American Journal of Medicine.
Board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Weaver has been an active member and Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for many years, serving on the Board of Directors from 1987 to 1997 and served as President of the ACR from 1996-1997. He represented the ACR on the American Society of Internal Medicine (ASIM) Coordination Committee on Physician Payment Reform from 1988 to 1992 and was named the ASIM Nebraska Internist of the Year in 1989--the same year in which he became the first recipient of the ACR’s Paulding Phelps Award for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Clinical Rheumatologists. Dr. Weaver was elected a Master of the ACR in 2001. He serves on the Nebraska Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and has been a delegate-at-large to the National Arthritis Foundation on several occasions. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Nebraska Foundation. Dr. Weaver is listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Best Doctors in America, and Guide to America’s Top Physicians.
Michael H. Weisman, MD, is Director of the Division of Rheumatology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Weisman is also Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.
Dr. Weisman earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Continuing his medical education, he completed an internship, residency, and fellowship in rheumatology at the UCSD School of Medicine.
Dr. Weisman’s academic and research interests involve genetic risks, epidemiology, and treatments in individuals with rheumatic diseases, including clinical trials, outcomes and health services research, and genetic susceptibility/severity studies in patients with chronic rheumatologic disease. Currently, he is an investigator for a number of National Institutes of Health-sponsored studies on systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. A prolific writer, Dr. Weisman has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and 4 textbooks. He is co-editor of the latest edition of Rheumatology, the major international textbook in the field of rheumatic diseases. In addition, he serves as a reviewer and editor for many journals covering the field of rheumatology, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Arthritis and Rheumatism, The Journal of Rheumatology, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, and Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.
Board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Weisman has participated in agencies, review panels, and advisory boards for numerous health care organizations, including the US Food and Drug Administration’s Arthritis Advisory Committee; the Veterans Administration Cooperative Studies Program; the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Arthritis Foundation; the American College of Rheumatology (ACR); the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences; the National Board of Medical Examiners; and the Medical Board of California. He is a past president of the Research and Education Foundation of the ACR.
The 8 regional workshops are designed to provide learners with a "hands-on" approach and the opportunity to interact with nationally recognized faculty. Each meeting will commence with 2 case-based format discussions, followed by 4 breakout sessions in the form of workshops. Each workshop will focus on a particular theme (ie, diagnosis, clinical measurement tools, and patient care) and on various topics within those themes, allowing participants, through case- based simulations, to interact with each other through a workbook-based discussion. Faculty will spend time reviewing information with the audience, listening to concerns, offering their personal experience, and facilitating communication that will lead to concrete, practical suggestions for adoption of the proposed change(s). These discussions will be initiated via the use of such interactive, participatory tools as an Audience Response System.
The regional meetings are scheduled as follows:
UPDATE: VHATV on-demand webcast now available.
The satellite broadcasts consist of a presentation taped at the first regional meeting in Seattle, Washington. This broadcast will be aired 3 times at approximately 6600 hospitals and community-based clinics.
Learners can view the broadcast at participating hospitals, institutions, clinics, or medical practices, or can log on to the Archives section of this Web resource center to watch the presentation. Onsite viewers and hospital CME managers will be present to handle sign-in sheets and evaluations. Broadcasts will be followed by a live question-and-answer discussion among the group, moderated by a faculty member of the initiative. Each broadcast will consist of a 45-minute case study, with interaction among the faculty and the audience, and a 15-minute question-and-answer session.
The airings will take place as follows:
Participants will be offered 2 sequential case-based activities executed with the case content for these point-of care-interventions, which are similar to the cases in the other activities in this initiative but are customized to be effective in this unique, convenient PDA format. This activity is designed to assess the participant’s ability to apply his or her newly gained knowledge in a simulated practice setting as provided by the case format. This format allows for both reinforcement of the learning and the opportunity for a comparative assessment of participant outcomes.
This self-study activity is an interactive, flash-based, learner-directed intervention that will be available at this RAEC Web resource center. During the activity, the learner will be presented with visually interactive, engaging content that covers the learning objectives of the initiative. Once the learner has viewed the presentation, he or she can begin the Case Study Challenge.
During each case, the participants will respond using the knowledge they gained during the brief presentation. Participants will be offered a quiz-like interaction at various intervals during the case in a test-and-teach model.
Upon completion of the posttest and the evaluation, participants can list their comments on the case and read other participant’s comments
The success or failure of education is based on the nature and quality of the didactic design and strategy, and on sound implementation practices. Ensuring that the education provided is integrated into ongoing patient care for the health care professional through an enabling activity, such as a toolkit, can enhance the effectiveness of the overall educational strategy. To do so, one has to consider that any such enabling tool is specific to the audience and the therapeutic area, is available to all participants, and is educationally consistent and synergistic with the overall learning objectives.
The RAEC toolkit is intended to be a comprehensive set of analytical, diagnostic, and planning resources that will assist participants in reinforcing the overall goals, objectives, and learnings derived from the RAEC activity.
The goal of the toolkit is not to render any statements or conclusions surrounding clinical data, guidelines, or models, but rather to enlighten, reinforce, and provide easy access to information and best practices attained from the RAEC activity through the following:
Download RAEC Toolkit
VHATV on-demand webcast
VHATV broadcast, taped October 27th, 2008 in Seattle, WA. Broadcast October 9th, 2008.
Baltimore Folder Baltimore Hand-ins RAEC Slide deck Baltimore Notebook
University of Kentucky Launches Clinical Outcomes-based Educational Initiative to Reinforce Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Standards of Care
