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Welcome Message from Robert Winchester, MD
Chief, Division of Rheumatology Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Pathology
The Division of Rheumatology, from its origin as the Faulkner Clinic for Arthritis in the 1920s to the present, has contributed to advancing the understanding of the rheumatic diseases and the care of patients with these disorders. This was one of the first clinical research units directed to the study of the rheumatic diseases in the Nation and established the first rheumatology fellowship in New York City.
The Rheumatology Division is an integral element of the Department of Medicine at the Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the close interactions with other Divisions and the academic and clinical environment of the medical service in general is one of its defining features. The Division's work is also closely integrated with the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and with the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Dermatology.
The overall academic focus of the rheumatology division is to define mechanisms of immune-mediated tissue injury in the autoimmune and allied diseases, define regulatory mechanisms of the immune response that prevent the occurrence of autoimmunity and understand how the genetic polymorphisms of susceptibility genes result in disease.
The Division's Rheumatology Fellowship Program, directed by Dr. Edward Dwyer, is one of the central activities of the Division. |
The Division is also home of the Columbia University Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, which is one of nine NIH-designated centers to foster basic and clinical research in human autoimmunity. This Center, Directed by Dr. Leonard Chess integrates the clinical and basic research expertise in immunology and rheumatology at Columbia.
The highly integrated mission of the Division performed by the faculty/staff and fellows has three components:
Patient care: To direct, oversee and provide state-of-the-art care for patients with a wide spectrum of rheumatic and immunologic disorders. These diseases include Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Dermatomyositis, Scleroderma and Systemic Vasculitis.
Research: To advance understanding of the nature of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases and expand our knowledge of the basic pathogenic mechanisms operating in these diseases especially as they relate to their etiology, susceptibility and treatment. To conduct clinical trials and parallel mechanistic studies of the effect of new pharmacologic and biologic agents on the course of the rheumatic diseases. A major dimension of this component is the Autoimmunity Center of Excellence (ACE).
Teaching: To train the next generation of physician-educators and physician-scientists who will ultimately contribute important new knowledge about the understanding, prevention and treatment of the rheumatic and immunologic disorders.
The schedule of activities contains information about conferences and other activities related to the components of this mission.
We welcome you to explore our site and learn more about us. If the links on this site do not answer your questions, please contact the Divisional administration at the address below or via e-mail. Thank you for your interest in Rheumatology and Immunology at The Columbia University Medical Center.
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