We wish to gratefully acknowledge educational grants from Amgen, Wyeth, Centocor, Inc., and Abbott.



This will be a series of online cases directed toward a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. The cases will include differential diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment approaches highlighting the therapies used in the treatment of RA.

The cases will illustrate the role of the primary care provider and the rheumatologist in the management of this disease.

This course provides two handouts:
Patient Education: 10 FAQs about RA
Physician Toolkit for Diagnosing RA

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

COST: $80.00
click here for pricing outside the United States of America

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. To assist health care providers in developing a differential diagnosis for the patient with polyarthritis.
2. To provide information for health care providers on the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
3. To highlight the role of the history , physical and laboratory tests to make the diagnosis of RA.
4. To provide information on the role of disease modifying therapies for RA.
5. To highlight the mortality and morbidity associated with untreated RA.
6. To review the indications, effects, and adverse events with methotrexate therapy.
7. To highlight the role of combination therapy in RA.
8. To review the effects of inflammatory cytokines in RA and the impact of anti-tnf therapy in RA including effectiveness and toxicity.
9. To review the impact of pregnancy on the activity of RA and to review the therapies that can be used during pregnancy.

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. To improve the differential diagnosis in RA.
2. To highlight the role of the rheumatologist and primary care physician in the diagnosis and management of the patient with RA.
3. To increase the knowledge of effectiveness of earlier interventions in RA.
4. To improve the knowledge regarding effectiveness and toxicity of drugs used in RA therapy.

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KAREN COSTENBADER, MD Course Co-Director

Karen H. Costenbader is a rheumatologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She specializes in the treatment of connective tissue disease and is the Associate Director of the Center for Lupus within the Center for Arthritis and Joint Diseases. Her research investigates risk factors associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. She has authored over 35 research manuscripts, chapters, and reviews. She is a musculoskeletal disease section editor for the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making and for The International Journal of Clinical Practice. She sits on several grant review committees and acts as a reviewer for multiple journals. Dr. Costenbader received her MD from Harvard Medical School, a Master’s degree from Cambridge University in England, and her MPH from Harvard School of Public Health. She did her internal medicine internship and medical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and her training in rheumatology at both the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. DISCLOSURE: Company: Bristol-Myers Squibb Type of Relationship: Stockholder Content Area: Medications

MICHAEL WEINBLATT, MD Course Co-Director

Michael E. Weinblatt, MD, is Co-director of Clinical Rheumatology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the Associate Director of the Center for Arthritis and Joint Diseases, of the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology & Allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His major research interest is in therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis. His work on the development of methotrexate therapy for rheumatoid arthritis garnered him the Carol Nachman Prize for Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation Virginia P. Engalitcheff Award for Impact on Quality of Life. Author of The Arthritis Action Program: An Integrated Plan of Traditional and Complementary Therapies, Dr. Weinblatt has authored or co-authored more than 145 published papers, reviews, and book chapters on rheumatology. He is the co-editor of Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases and an editor of the textbook Rheumatology 3rd and 4th editions and currently sits on multiple editorial boards for journals including Journal of Rheumatology. He also served as an Associate Editor of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Dr. Weinblatt was a member of the Rheumatology Subspecialty Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and served as the President of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 2001. Dr. Weinblatt earned his medical degree at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he also completed his internship and residency. He also completed a fellowship in rheumatology at the Robert B. Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. DISCLOSURE: Please click here for the full disclosure.

SANDEEP AGARWAL, MD, PHD Course Contributor

Dr. Agarwal is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He received his MD from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and his PhD in immunology from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston. Upon graduation from medical school, Dr. Agarwal completed his internal medicine residency and rheumatology subspecialty training at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr Agarwal is a member of both the American College of Rheumatology and the American Association of Immunologists. Dr. Agarwal has clinical and research interests in rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. DISCLOSURE: Company: Abbott Laboratories Type of Relationship: Abbott Immunology Fellowship (Grant) Content Area: Rheumatology

ANTONIOS O. ALIPRANTIS, MD, PHD Course Contributor

Bio and Photo Coming Soon. DISCLOSURE:

ALYSSA K. JOHNSEN, MD, PHD Course Contributor

Dr. Johnsen is currently a senior fellow in the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She received her MD and PhD from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio. She completed residency in the Department of Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital prior to entering the rheumatology fellowship program at Brigham and Women’s hospital. Dr. Johnsen has clinical and basic science research interests in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. DISCLOSURE:

PAUL MONACH, MD, PHD Course Contributor

Dr. Monach is an Instructor in Medicine and Rheumatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He received his MD and PhD (Immunology) degrees from the University of Chicago and completed residency and fellowship training at Brigham and Women's. His research interest is mechanisms of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis and mouse models thereof. DISCLOSURE:

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RICHARD BRASINGTON, MD Reviewer

Richard Brasington, M.D., St. Louis VAMC, Co-I, is Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Director for the Division of Rheumatology at Washington University, St. Louis and the Program Director for the Rheumatology Fellowship. He has conducted numerous clinical trials focusing on investigative agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and lupus in which he was the principle investigator at Washington University. From 2002-2004 he served as Director of the Center for Clinical Studies at Washington University, which facilitated clinical trials throughout the Washington University community. DISCLOSURE:

MARY CHESTER WASKO, MD, MSC Reviewer

Dr. Wasko’s clinical research has focused on improvement of long-term outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). She directs the University’s participation in a NIH-funded multi-center longitudinal prospective research study on RA and osteoarthritis patients to monitor current practices of the treatment and their relationship to morbidity and mortality secondary to cardiovascular (CV) disease and malignancy. Dr. Wasko currently is employing noninvasive vascular measures and biomarkers of thromboembolic risk in RA women to detect the prevalence and risk of atherosclerosis. Dr. Wasko directs ongoing clinical trials evaluating efficacy and safety of various new investigational agents in RA. DISCLOSURE:

PETER J. ZUROMSKIS, MD Reviewer

Dr. Zuromskis clinical practice in general internal medicine is based in Lexington Center, where he sees 3500 to 4000 patients annually. His focus is on academic quality medicine, and for 2-4 of his sessions weekly, he has resident working under his direction. He maintains an active role in in-patient care. He has served as a member of the Harvard Medical School Admissions Committee, and remains a senior fellow of the Holmes Society where he serves as a designated mentor to 2-3 students. His public health activites involve availability for consultation on matters of nuclear-biologic-chemical warfare/terrorism as a reserve Captain in the US Naval Reserve. He regularly serves as a consultant to Risk Management Foundation as a case reviewer and defense witness. DISCLOSURE: No Disclosures

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 20 

Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Upon completion of the course you will get a certificate via e-mail within 2 weeks.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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