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Our Impact

Under the direction of Tracey Wright, M.D., the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center remains the major center for pediatric rheumatology in North Texas. In the United States, there are approximately 364 board-certified pediatric rheumatologists, and seven of those are in our Division. The Division was one of the first pediatric rheumatology centers in the country, founded in the 1950s by Dr. Chester Fink, a founding father of the field. He also established one of the first pediatric rheumatology fellowship training programs in the late 1970s. Our faculty, fellows, and clinical and administrative staff are committed to excellence in clinical care, transformative research, and quality education with the following mission: We exist to improve the lives of children with rheumatic disease by delivering first-class, compassionate care, discovering new knowledge, and training the next generation of leaders.

We accomplish this mission by:

  • Providing outstanding multidisciplinary care for children with rheumatic disease
  • Fostering inquiry and discovery to advance the field and improve patient outcomes
  • Developing the next generation of pediatric rheumatology leaders
  • Promoting compassionate advocacy for children with rheumatic disease
  • Cultivating a healthy, thriving, inclusive team culture

Community engagement is a key component of our Division. In February 2025, we held the second annual Transition Day, "Getting It Rite: Healthcare after 18," at Scottish Rite for Children. This event included participation from the Arthritis Foundation and the Lupus Foundation of America.

We also participate in walks with the Arthritis Foundation, Lupus Foundation of America, and Cure Juvenile Myositis Foundation, and speak at their family events.

2024 Impact

  • By the Numbers

    By the Numbers

    Faculty and Staff icon

    Faculty

    • 7 faculty
    Fellowships icon

    Clinical

    • 3 clinical sites
    • 5,500+ outpatient encounters
    Clinical Studies Icon

    Research

    • 9 active awards
    • $262,370 total
      funding from grants (FY25)
    • 8 active research
      studies
    • 5 active quality improvement projects
    • 10 publications
    • 966 citations
       
  • Honors and Awards

    Honors and Awards

    D Magazine Best Doctors

    Top Grants

    • Tracey Wright, M.D.
      • NIAMS Center for Lupus Research
    • Elizabeth E. Sloan, M.D.
      • Rheumatology Research Foundation Scientist Development Award
      • Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance and Pediatric Rheumatology European Society Collaborative Research Grant
  • Top Peer-Reviewed Publications and Book Chapters

    Top Peer-Reviewed Publications and Book Chapters

    Ciaglia K, Lau M, Jo CH, Nassi L. "Improving identification of at-risk behaviors in adolescents with rheumatic disease." Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Apr;77(4):522-527.

    Ogbu EA, Brunner HI, Eloseily E, Aviel YB, Nanda K, Schmeling H, Tory H, Uziel Y, Viola DO, Wahezi DM, Tarvin SE, Sproles A, Chen C, Ruperto N, Huang B, Grom A, Thornton S; Investigators of the PRINTO and PRCSG Networks. "Biomarker changes in response to tofacitinib treatment in patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis." Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 Dec;76(12):1723-1732.

    Sloan EE, Kmetova K, NaveenKumar SK, Kluge L, Chong E, Hoy CK, Yalavarthi S, Sarosh C, Baisch J, Walters L, Nassi L, Fuller J, Turnier JL, Pascual V, Wright TB, Madison JA, Knight JS, Zia A, Zuo Y. "Non-criteria antiphospholipid antibodies and calprotectin as potential biomarkers in pediatric antiphospholipid syndrome." Clin Immunol. 2024 Apr;261.

    Caielli S, Balasubramanian P, Rodriguez-Alcazar J, Balaji U, Robinson L, Wan Z, Baisch J, Smitherman C, Walters L, Sparagana P, Nehar-Belaid D, Marches R, Nassi L, Stewart K, Fuller J, Banchereau JF, Gu J, Wright T, Pascual V. "Type I IFN drives unconventional IL-1β secretion in lupus monocytes." Immunity. 2024 Nov 12;57(11):2497-2513.

  • Top Presentations

    Top Presentations

    Two poster presentations at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Forum in December 2024

    • Fosso M, Ciaglia K. Improving Pneumococcal Documentation Rates in Patients with Childhood-Onset SLE. Institute for Healthcare Improvement Forum, December 2024.
    • Gutierrez A, Ciaglia K. Improving Bone Density Screening in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) at Scottish Rite. Institute for Healthcare Improvement Forum, December 2024.

    One oral presentation at the American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2024

    • Esraa Eloseily, Autumn Clark, Min-Lee Chang, Mary Ellen Riordan, Alan Russell, Marc Natter, Scott Canna, Sherry Thornton, Yukiko Kimura, Grant Schulert, and CARRA FROST Investigators and the CARRA Registry SJIA-LD Cohort Investigators. Comparison of the Clinical Features and Biomarker Profiles of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Lung Disease (SJIA-LD) Cohort to CARRA Registry SJIA Patients Without Lung Disease. ACR Convergence. Washington, D.C. November 2024.

    Three poster presentations at the American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2024

    • Esraa Eloseily, Lara Berklite, Jennifer Picarsic, Grant Schulert, Rachel Sheridan, and Alexei Grom. Histopathological Features of Liver Tissue Biopsies in SJIA Patients With and Without Clinical Macrophage Activation Syndrome. ACR Convergence. Washington, D.C. November 2024.
    • Mariana Correia Marques, Erin Balay-Dustrude, Claudia Bracaglia, Marinka Twilt, Karen Onel, Simone Appenzeller, Fatma Dedeoglu, Esraa Eloseily, Penelope Martinez Jimenez, Rebecca Trachtman, Francesca Minoia, and Susan Shenoi, and on behalf of the MAS/sJIA WP of PReS and CARRA sJIA Workgroup. Reporting of Clinical Features and Outcome Measures in Still’s Disease: A Systematic Literature Review of sJIA and AOSD Cohorts. ACR Convergence. Washington, D.C. November 2024.
    • Ciaglia K, Beauchamp A. Exploring the Childhood Opportunity Index and Distance to Care in a Cohort of Children with Rheumatic Disease. ACR Convergence. Washington, D.C. November 2024.

    One poster presentation at the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society Meeting 2024

    • Demir S, Zajc Avramovic M, Sloan E, Pandya J, Erkan D, Ozen S, Avcin T. Identifying Cross-Registry Commonalities to Facilitate International Pediatric Antiphospholipid Syndrome Research. Pediatric Rheumatology European Society Meeting. 2024.

    One poster presentation at the Physiatry ’24 Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting

    • Ahmed F, Sloan E. A Rare Pediatric Case of Hyperphosphatemic Familial Tumoral Calcinosis Disguised as Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis. Physiatry ’24 AAP Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL. February 2024.
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