Establishing The COVID–19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Steering Committee:

The steering committee is composed of academic and community rheumatologists and a patient representative. The steering committee was formed with the goal of rapidly curating and disseminating accurate, timely, evidence-based information to the community of rheumatology providers and patients.

Please note that we are a very early stage, grassroots organization (established March 12, 2020) that was rapidly formed in response to the global COVID–19 pandemic. Listed below is the initial Steering Committee. Representation based on gender, geographic location, and ethnic diversity is very important to our group, and will be an important focus as we continue to grow and evolve.

Our Mission:

To collect, analyze and disseminate information about COVID-19 and rheumatology to patients, physicians and other relevant groups to improve the care of patients with rheumatic disease.

Our Vision:

Bringing together the global rheumatology community to curate and disseminate accurate and comprehensive knowledge to advance rheumatology care in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current Steering Committee:

Philip Robinson, MBChB, PhD, FRACP, MAICD (@philipcrobinson)
Chair, Governance, Policy
Dr. Philip Robinson is a clinical and academic rheumatologist at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, in Queensland, Australia and associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland.

Jinoos Yazdany, M.D., MPH (@JYazdanyMD)
Vice-Chair, Real-world Data Infrastructure, Registry and IRB/Ethics
Dr. Jinoos Yazdany is Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) and the Alice Betts Endowed Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She practices rheumatology at ZSFG and co-directs the Lupus Clinic at UCSF Health.

Paul Sufka, M.D. (@psufka)
Technology and Marketing Lead
Dr. Paul Sufka is department chair and practices rheumatology with HealthPartners medical group in St. Paul, MN. He is also the social media editor for Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Care & Research, and ACR Open Rheumatology.

Rebecca Grainger, MBChB (Dstn), BMedSci (Dstn) MIsntD, CHIA, FRACP, FACHI, PhD (@Drbeckyg)
Literature Review Co-Lead
Dr. Rebecca Grainger is a clinical and academic rheumatologist in New Zealand, working in public hospital practice [Hutt VAlled DHB]. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Zach Wallace, M.D., MSc (@zach_wallace_md)
Literature Review Co-Lead
Dr. Zachary Wallace is a rheumatologist and researcher in the Rheumatology Unit and Clinical Epidemiology Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Suleman Bhana, M.D., FACR (@DrBhana)
Organizational Liaison and Media
Dr. Suleman Bhana is a clinical Rheumatologist in a multi-specialty group private practice in New York. He is chair of the Communications and Marketing Committee of the American College of Rheumatology, a co-found of the #RheumJC twitter based journal club, and former co-host of The Rheumatology Podcast.

Emily Sirotich (@emilysirotich)
Patient Engagement Co-Lead
Emily Sirotich is a patient partner, board member of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, and PhD student in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University.

Jean Liew, M. D, (@rheum_cat)
Administrative Lead
Dr. Jean Liew is a rheumatologist and clinical researcher at Boston University.

Jonathan Hausmann, M.D. (@hausmannMD)
Patient Registries Collaboration Lead
Jonathan S. Hausmann is a pediatric and adult rheumatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School.

Pedro Machado, M.D. (@pedrommcmachado)
European Lead
Dr. Pedro Machado is an Associate Professor & Consultant Rheumatologist at University College London (UCL). He leads a myositis clinic at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and an axial spondyloarthritis clinic at Northwick Park Hospital. He is the Chair of the EULAR Standing Committee on Epidemiology and Health Services Research (SCEHSR) and a member of the EULAR Executive Committee.

Wendy Costello (@wendycostello2)
Patient Engagement Co-Lead

Wendy Costello is a mum to Niamh who was diagnosed at the age of 3 with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. She is the co-founder and chairperson of the Irish Children’s Arthritis Network (iCAN) in 2013, which is a volunteer charity that supports children and young people living with paediatric rheumatic diseases. She is also the current Chair of the European Network of Children with Arthritis (ENCA), sits on the board of the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society council, and is chair of the steering committee of the University College Dublin Centre of Arthritis Research.

Patient Board

Wendy Costello (@wendycostello2)
Patient Engagement Co-Lead

Emily Sirotich (@emilysirotich)
Patient Engagement Co-Lead

Naira Ikram (@NairaIkram)
Patient Board – Research and Communications
Duke University, “Psychoneuroimmunology: Causes and Consequences.” Major, USA.

Evelyn Olmedo (@OlmedoEve)
Patient Board – Research
SLE & SCLE Advocate, El Salvador.

Richard A. Howard (@RichAHoward)
Patient Board – Patient Outreach
MBA, Chief Mission Advancement Officer, Spondylitis Association of America, USA.

Ana Isabel
Patient Board – Patient Resources
Physical Therapist & AS Patient, Spain.

Monique C Gore-Massy (@GoldenMoe)
Patient Board – Communications
Global Lupus Advocate / Patient Consultant, USA.

Laura-Ann Tomasella (@arthritiskidssa)
Patient Board – Communications and Outreach
Arthritis Kids South Africa, ZA

Current Regional Leads

About our current collaboration with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR):

To facilitate our ability to quickly address the challenges facing rheumatology in the context of this pandemic, the American College of Rheumatology’s Board of Directors approved the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance (GRA) as a Section of the College on March 30, 2020. This arrangement will allow us to leverage the rich resources and support of the ACR so that we can ultimately form an independent organization. As we develop “in-house” expertise in such topics as regulatory compliance, finance, and grant management, the ACR can help us meet our obligations and responsibilities to the community that The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance serves. Both The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance and ACR agree that the ultimate goal is for The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance to be an independent organization pursuing its mission.

Our data sharing agreement with other groups and organizations:

We established The COVID–19 Global Rheumatology Alliance’s registries during the time of a global crisis, for the betterment of all people. Our goal is to provide an open platform for data collection, sharing, and dissemination which is transparent, inclusive, and non-competitive in the most democratic and responsible ways possible.

In partnering with The COVID–19 Global Rheumatology Alliance, you agree to share collective data with the above purpose in mind. In return, you will receive access to the collected data that is to be used for the betterment of society. Any data-sharing agreements are subject to institutional review board approval.

About The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance:

1 Year Anniversary of The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance: