A CARRA Research Committee is a standing committee composed of CARRA members organized around a research topic (such as disease(s), care models, or research resources) which addresses CARRA’s research goals and represents CARRA’s broad interests.CARRA has 7 Research Committees.

CARRA Workgroups. Research committees also have smaller workgroups composed of CARRA members and/or stakeholders organized around a focused project or topic. The duration of a workgroup may be short-term and workgroups should be actively working on the project(s) or area(s) of interest it seeks to address, through regular meetings and/or developing work product(s). CARRA currently has 45 workgroups.

Cross-Cutting Research Committee (CCRC)

The CCRC is dedicated to advancing research in areas that cross disease groups and apply to care of pediatric patients with various rheumatic diseases.

Chair: Tova Ronis, MD

Vice Chair: Peter Chira, MD, MS

CCRC Workgroups (7): 1) Clinical Informatics, 2) Health Equity Research, 3) Implementation Science, 4) Mental Health, 5) Reproductive Health, 6) Transition and 7) Vaccination.

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM)

The JDM Research Committee seeks to advance knowledge about juvenile dermatomyositis in the areas of clinical care, pathogenesis, treatment and outcomes.

Chair: Susan Kim, MD, MMSc

Vice Chair: Kaveh Ardalan, MD, MS

JDM Workgroups (8): 1) Biologic Therapy in JDM, 2) Calcinosis in JDM, 3) COVID-19, 4) Quality of Care in JDM, 5) Rehabilitation & Exercise in JDM, 6) Telemedicine in JDM, 7) Translational Medicine in JDM, 8) JDM/SLE Dermatology (this workgroup is shared w/the SLE Committee).

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)

The JIA Research Committee helps coordinate and support collaborative research within CARRA on JIA-related topics

Chair: Marinka Twilt, MD, PhD

Vice Chair: Dan Horton, MD, MSCE

JIA Workgroups (7): 1) CARRA Ultrasound,, 2) Inactive Disease, 3) JIA Outcomes, 4) Juvenile Spondyloarthritis (JSpA), 5) Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA), 6) TMJ Interest Group, 7) Uveitis.

Pain

The Pain Research Committee is dedicated to using interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder collaborative research to optimize the assessment, understanding, and treatment of pain across all conditions seen in the practice of pediatric rheumatology.

Chair: Susmita Kashikar-Zuck, PhD

Vice Chair: Sabrina Gmuca, MD

Pain Workgroups (3): 1)Fibromyalgia Intervention Training (FIT) Teens Multicenter RCT 2) Juvenile Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria, 3) Development of Non-nociceptive Pain in JIA.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

The SLE Research Committee is dedicated to advancing research to address gaps in knowledge in the pathophysiology, disease processes, and outcomes of pediatric SLE

Chair: Laura Lewandowski, MD, MS

Vice Chair: Rebecca Sadun, MD, PhD

SLE Workgroups (5): 1) Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), 2) CLUTCH -Childhood-onset LUpus Translational research Collaboration Hub, 3) Neuropsychiatric Lupus, 4) SLE Nephritis, 4) JDM/SLE Dermatology (this workgroup is shared with the JDM Committee).

Rare Disease (RD)

The Rare Disease Research Committee aims to improve understanding about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and outcomes of children with rare autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, including scleroderma, vasculitis, autoimmune encephalitis, autoinflammatory diseases, Sjögrens, and immunodeficiency related rheumatic diseases.

Chair: Eve Wu, MD

Vice Chair: Jessica Bloom, MD, MSCS

RD Workgroups (7): 1) ANCA Associated Vasculitis (AAV), 2) Childhood Sjogren Disease, 3) CNO/CRMO (Chronic Non-bacterial Osteomyelitis/Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis), 4) Inflammatory Brain Disease (IBD), 5) Pediatric Scleroderma, 6) PFAPA (Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, and Adenitis) and Autoinflammatory Diseases, 7) Refractory Kawasaki Disease (KD).

Translational Research and Technology Committee (TRTC)

The Translational Research and Technology Committee (TRTC) seeks to help CARRA become an engine of translational research in the pediatric rheumatic diseases.

Chair: Lauren Henderson, MD, MSSc

Vice Chair: Anna Patrick, MD, PhD

TRTC Workgroups (5): 1) EI Outreach, 2) Patient/Family Advisory Council, 3) SOP, 4) Genomic Data Management, 5) Genomic Data Sharing.

DEIA Committee

Chair: Giya Harry, MD, MPH, MSc

Vice Chair: Joyce Chang, MD, MSCE

CTP Committee

Chair: Emily Von Scheven, MD, MAS

Vice Chair: Stacey Tarvin, MD

Early Investigators

The CARRA Early Investigator (EI) Committee aims to promote and support EIs as they launch their careers, with a focus on academic success. EIs include members who have completed his/her/their terminal research degree or postgraduate clinical training in the past seven years. The EI Committee hopes to build a network of early investigators to sustain CARRA’s future research base and support leadership development.

Chair: Jordan Roberts, MD

Vice Chair: Erin Treemarcki, DO

Fellows

The CARRA Fellows Sub-Committee is a sub-committee of the EI COmmittee. It promotes awareness of CARRA to fellows as well as encourages involvement of fellows in CARRA activities and operations through increased exposure, education and programming.

Co-Chairs:

Acela Rosado, MD

Ivanna Stojkic, MD

Research Coordinator Network (RCN)

The RCN is composed of all CARRA Research Coordinator members and represents a dynamic group of research coordinators committed to advancing the success and productivity of research in pediatric rheumatology, particularly through the CARRA Registry and other CARRA-initiated studies. The RCN is dedicated to fostering communication and collaboration between its members and other CARRA stakeholders, as well as providing training, skill building, and professional development opportunities to support the professional growth of its members.

Chair: Joanne Drew, MFA, CCRP

Vice Chair: Logan Lentini

Small Centers

Small pediatric rheumatology centers (Small Centers) are those at which there are typically 3 or fewer pediatric rheumatologists, or, there are 3 or fewer full-time-equivalent providers seeing pediatric rheumatology patients. CARRA strives to ensure that those centers with more limited resources have full opportunity to participate in research.

Chair: Sheetal Vora, MD

Vice Chair: Daniel Glaser, MD