Yale Rheumatology Program in Global and Community Health

Mission

The Yale Rheumatology Program in Global and Community Health brings together faculty with expertise in rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease, and global and community health. Our work seeks to promote research, capacity building, education, and collaboration on issues of priority in the field of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, and to address challenges arising in the setting of resource disparities. Additionally, the program provides a network for faculty and trainees developing international or community-based partnerships aimed at understanding how diverse geographies, ethnic, genetic, and environmental variability, or health system disparities uniquely influence epidemiology and outcomes of rheumatologic and musculoskeletal diseases. Underpinning the program’s initiatives, are the principles of equity, sustainability, and innovation.

Activities

We sponsor periodic presentations in conjunction with the RESCUE Research-in-Progress meetings of the Yale Section of Rheumatology. Contact us if you are interested in participating!

August 6, 2025: Speaker: Edward Mpoza, GEMINI Fellow. Presentation Title: Treatment Response, Predictors of Outcomes, Health-Related Quality of Life and HIV Co-Morbidity among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Uganda
June 11, 2025: Speaker: Carla Cecilia Villanueva Colina, Global Health Fellow. Presentation Title: Cost-effectiveness for the Integration of Osteoporosis Screening and Management into HIV Routine Care in Perú
April 2, 2025: Speaker: Valeria Alejandra Navarro Galarza, Global Health Fellow. Presentation Title: COPCORD Lima, Peru: Unveiling the Prevalence of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disorders among Individuals Living with HIV: A Pilot Study
May 22, 2024: Speaker: Joselito Malca Hernandez, Global Health Fellow, Presentation Title: Expanding The Toolbox for Prevention of Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis Among People Aging with HIV in Peru: A Validation Study
February 21, 2024: Speaker: Kai Chen, Assistant Professor, Presentation Title: Climate Change and Health Outcomes
December 20, 2023: Diego Cabrera, Resident, Yale-Waterbury Internal Medicine Residency Program. Presentation Title: The Musculoskeletal Outcomes among Women Aging with HIV in Peru
September 13, 2023: Speaker: William Odell, Presentation Title: Analysis of Cold Chain Items in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines
June 21, 2023: Speaker: Ahmed Abdeen, Global Health Fellow, Presentation Title: Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Hand Osteoarthritis Among Patients with HIV in Peru
May 17, 2023: Speaker: Zhao Ni, Assistant Professor, Presentation Title: Developing Health Interventions to Promote Health
January 31, 2023: Mario Felix, Clinical Fellow, Yale Rheumatology Fellowship Program. Presentation Title: Harnessing machine learning to predict lupus outcomes through the integration of social determinants of health factors and traditional clinical data

Projects

Research and Clinical Projects
Category	Project Title	Collaborating Partners
Research & Scholarship	Ugandan Registry of RMDs in HIV (GEMINI)	Makerere University College of Health Sciences
Research & Scholarship	Musculoskeletal and Other Non-Communicable Disease Care Among Persons Living with HIV in Peru: A National Physician Survey	Peruvian Ministry of Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Research & Scholarship	Expanding the toolbox for prevention of sarcopenia and osteoporosis among people aging with HIV in Peru: A validation study	Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Research & Scholarship	A Pilot Educational Intervention to Improve Knowledge and Readiness for Self-Management among Patients with Rheumatic Diseases in Uganda	The Arthritis Association of Uganda, Makerere University College of Health Sciences
Research & Scholarship	Effect of Antenatal Disease Activity on Offspring Health among Women with Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis	DANBIO, University of Copenhagen, Danish Fetal Medicine Database, Aarhus University
Research & Scholarship	Harnessing machine learning to predict lupus outcomes through the integration of social determinants of health factors and traditional clinical data	(LUMINA Cohort), The Lupus in Minorities: Nature versus Nurture (LUMINA), UAB, Emory University
Research & Scholarship	Treatment of chronic chikungunya arthritis with low-dose methotrexate	Institute of Diagnostic Medicine of Cariri, Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil
Research & Scholarship	Research Capacity Building Programs for Noncommunicable Diseases in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review	Yale Network for Global NCDs
Research & Scholarship	Strategies for the Prevention of Bone Loss among Patients with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in China	Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Research & Scholarship	Impact of COVID-19 on Patients with Rheumatic Disease and Rheumatology Practice	COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Collaborative Network
Education & Training Exchanges	GEMINI Scholar Exchange	Makerere University College of Health Sciences
Education & Training Exchanges	Advanced Rheumatology Education and Practice in Rwanda	National University of Rwanda
Education & Training Exchanges	Rheumatology Research Summer Exchange Program	Tsinghua University/Peking Union Medical College
Clinical Initiatives	Lupus Wellness Program	Yale Lupus Program
Clinical Initiatives	Cornell Scott Hill Health Center FQHC Rheumatology Clinic	Cornell Scott Hill Health Center
Clinical Initiatives	Veteran’s Administration Home-Based Rheumatology Program	VA Home-Based Primary Care Program
Clinical Initiatives	Indian Health Service Elective (in development)	Northern Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock Service Unit

Community Engagement

2024 Walk to End Lupus Now

Lupus Walk

Imagine a day when doctors can say, “There is a cure for lupus.” Until that day, there is work to be done. Our team participates in the annual Walk to End Lupus Now, an event dedicated to raising awareness about lupus and supporting those affected by the disease. This community gathering not only brings together patients, families, and healthcare professionals but also helps fund research and resources for lupus education and support services.