This is the 24th year of this research training program in Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, supported by a training grant. Of the 34 graduates of the program that were directly supported by this training grant, many now have faculty appointments in academic medical centers or are conducting research in industry. There have been significant changes in the Arthritis Unit at the MGH over the last 2 years with important implications for the scope and direction of this training program. After 40 years as Chief of the Arthritis Unit and Program Director of this training grant, Dr. Stephen Krane has stepped down from these roles and these duties have been transitioned to Dr. Andrew Luster. Dr. Luster has taken over as Chief of a new Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology (DRAI) at the MGH and will be assuming the position of Program Director of this Training Grant. The impetus for this new initiative was to develop a Division within the Department of Medicine that would focus on the immunological and inflammatory basis of human disease. To accomplish this goal, the Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases (CIID) was established as part of the DRAI to serve as the basic and clinical science foundation for the clinical departments of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The goal in this rheumatology training program is to provide supervised research in the laboratory or in clinical research under the guidance of accomplished faculty members, along with structured training in immunology, molecular biology, genetics, clinical trials, biostatistics and ethical issues through courses or conferences. The research thrust of the DRAI and CIID is the study of the immunopathogenesis of human disease. Areas of particular strength includes leukocyte trafficking, chemokine and integrin biology, infectious causes of rheumatic diseases, and the link between inflammation and bone disease. In addition, they offer a program in clinical epidemiology, health outcomes research and clinical trials. Altogether, 12 faculty members participate in this rheumatology-training program, including 10 from the DRAI at MGH, one from the Renal Unit at MGH, and one from the Rheumatology Division at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. This plan represents a program that integrates faculty in basic science, clinical science, and translational research related to the studies of infection, immunity, inflammation and treatment of rheumatic diseases.
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