Alaina “Lainie” Davis, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor and clinician educator at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt whose commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care extends throughout her clinical, research, and community work. Dr. Davis earned her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and later completed the James M. Anderson Center for …
I have spent a lot of time in rheumatology appointments answering questions. Where does it hurt? How long does the stiffness last? Is the medication helping? What has changed since the last appointment? Recently, I got to switch roles. As an intern with CARRA, I interviewed Rebecca Trachtman, MD, MS, a pediatric rheumatologist at Columbia …
I have been living with lupus for several years, but I have not spoken publicly about it or been very involved in advocacy for the lupus community. Last month, I jumped right in and did something way outside of my comfort zone: I spoke at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to a room packed …
Physicians, researchers, regulators, pharmaceutical industry leaders, and patient advocates came together recently at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to work towards getting treatments approved more quickly for pediatric lupus. CARRA and the Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group (PRCSG) collaborated to plan the FDA Workshop: Accelerating Product Development for Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). This important …
Colleagues from across the pediatric rheumatology community are reflecting on the life and legacy of Professor Susan D. Thompson, PhD, who passed away on June 30th. Known internationally for her research expertise, she was also deeply admired in the CARRA community for her collaborative spirit. Sue was a researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center …
When people support medical research, it can sometimes be hard to see where that support goes. Research can sound distant from everyday life, like something that happens in labs, hospitals, meetings, or data systems far away from the patient. But for a kid living with a pediatric rheumatic disease, research is not distant at all. …
Imagine experiencing a family vacation of a lifetime in the Dubai desert, under the glistening moon lit starry night. Surrounded by bright colored blanketed chairs and sparkling belly dances as your family eagerly awaited fresh chicken kebabs to be served. A little girl walking by, stops next to my daughter, reaches out and touches her …
Andrew Kung, MD, completed his fellowship training in Pediatric Rheumatology at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, and he joined the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in 2026. His interest in pediatric rheumatology first developed during residency while caring for patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and macrophage …
Families living with childhood lupus have powerful allies in LADA and CARRA. The Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc. (LADA) and the Childhood Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) have a research partnership and a shared commitment to advancing childhood lupus research, from discoveries that could pave the way for targeted therapies to new approaches to managing …