NYU Langone webinar discusses advances in the treatment of RA

Steven Abramson, MD, professor of medicine and director of the rheumatology division at NYU Langone Medical Center, hosted a webinar with colleagues from the medical center for rheumatoid arthritis community bloggers - bringing together, bench, bedside and the blogosphere to discuss advances in the investigation, care, and treatment of RA. The webinar can be viewed at: http://coe.musculoskeletaldisease.med.nyu.edu/research/whats-up-with-ra-webinar

"Although we have made significant advances in the treatment of RA, many people continue to have significant symptoms. Today people with RA use the Internet as a resource to stay informed and support each other - and this was a good forum to discuss advances in arthritis research here at NYU Langone with a group that not only deals with the challenges of RA - but are vocal advocates for themselves and others," said Dr Abramson. "It's important that information about treatments and research be shared and disseminated from appropriate and reliable sources."

The webinar, "What's up with RA," was attended by several members of the RA online community. Presentations were followed by a brief opportunity to ask questions of the panelists, Steven Abramson, MD, professor and director of rheumatology and co-director, Center of Excellence on Musculoskeletal Diseases; Gregg Silverman, MD, professor of rheumatology and co-director, Center of Excellence on Musculoskeletal Diseases; and Soumya Reddy, MD, assistant professor of rheumatology and co-director of the NYU Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Program.

"A fascinating look into the revolutionary new world of RA, covering advances in knowledge about the disease, research and treatment," said Lene Andersen, who is the community leader for www.MyRACentral.com and author of the award-winning blog, The Seated View. "This webinar provided high-quality information that can be used to advocate for change in treatment approaches and patient empowerment for both clinicians and those who live with RA."