The mission of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University’s Division of
Rheumatology is to pursue research that will directly benefit patient care for rheumatic
diseases and to educate future rheumatologists in this endeavor.
Current Research Projects:
Senile and Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis in Special Populations
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders
Diabetes Mellitus
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Cardiovascular Disease
Health Care Disparities in Rheumatic Diseases
Current Research Funding
Principal Investigator: Laura Carbone, MD Title: Development of a Novel Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitor as a Strategy for Treating
Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury Source of Funding: Department of Defense Funding Period:9/30/2021-9/29/2025
Principal Investigator: Laura Carbone, MD Title: FY2024 Rheumatology Foundation Fellowship Training Award for Workforce Expansion Source of Funding: Rheumatology Research Foundation Funding Period: 7/1/2024-6/30/2026
Principal Investigator: Laura Carbone, MD Title: Calculator for Length of Use of Bisphosphonates Source of Funding: NIH R09 Funding Period: 9/15/2022-6/30/2027
Principal Investigator: Rachel Elam, MD Title: Fracture Risk Assessment in Persons with Rheumatoid Arthritis Source of Funding: Rheumatology Research Foundation Scientist Development Award
Principal Investigator: Rachel Elam, MD Title: Development of a fracture absolute risk assessment tool for persons with type 2 diabetes Source of Funding: Augusta University Career Development Scholars Program
Principal Investigator:Hong Shi, MD
Title:Perivascular Adipose tissue in the pathogenesis of lupus vasculopathy
Source of Funding:NIH K08
Funding Period:I 01/2024-12/2028
Current Clinical Trials
A Phase II, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Parallel-group, Efficacy
and Safety Study of at Least 48 Weeks of Oral BI 685509 Treatment in Adults With Early
Progressive Diffuse Cutaneous
Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Principal Investigator: Elena Schiopu
Institution: Augusta University/MCG-Med-Rheumatology
Period: 9/21/2022—
A Phase 2, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group
Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Nipocalimab in Participants with Active
Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies (SPIREA)
Sponsor: Janssen Research & Development LLC
Principal Investigator: Elena Schiopu
Institution: Augusta University/MCG-Med-Rheumatology
Period: 4/1/2023—
A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Investigate the Efficacy
and Safety of Oral Brepocitinib in Adults with Dermatomyositis (VALOR PVT-2201-301)
Sponsor: Priovant Therapeutics, Inc.
Principal Investigator: Elena Schiopu
Institution: Augusta University/MCG-Med-Rheumatology
Period: TBD
Recent Faculty Publications
Laura Carbone, MD
Carbone, L.; Bůžková, P.; Fink, H.A.; Robbins, J.A.; Barzilay, J.I.; Elam, R.E.; Isales, C.;
Connelly, M.A.; Mukamal, K.J. Plasma Levels of Branched Chain Amino Acids, Incident
Hip Fractures and Bone Mineral Density of the Hip and Spine. The Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology & Metabolism 2023, doi:10.1210/clinem/dgad275. FULL TEXT
Robbins JA, Buzkova P, Barzilay JI, Cauley JA, Fink HA, Carbone LD, Chen Z, Stein PK, Elam RE, Jalal D, Sheets K, and Mukamal K. Mortality following
hip fracture in older adults with and without coronary heart disease. Am J Med. (2023
Apr 24);S0002-9343(23)00244-9. Doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2023.03.036. Epub ahead of print.
PMID: 37100188 FULL TEXT
Le, B.; Gonzalez, B.; Weaver, F.; Sinnott, B.; Ray, C.; Chu, E.; Premji, S.; Raiford,
M.; Mayur, O.; Carbone, L. Malunions following lower extremity fractures in veterans with a spinal cord injury/disorder.
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine March 28, 2023, 1-7, doi:10.1080/10790268.2023.2188391.
FULL TEXT
Shi H, Goo B, Kim D, Kress TC, Ogbi M, Mintz J, Wu H, Belin de Chantemèle EJ, Stepp
D, Long X, Guha A, Lee R, Carbone L, Annex BH, Hui DY, Kim HW, Weintraub NL. Perivascular adipose tissue promotes vascular
dysfunction in murine lupus. Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 16;14:1095034. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1095034.
PMID: 37006244; PMCID: PMC10062185. FULL TEXT
Mohanty N, San T *, Bell S *, Jalla R *, Williams J *, Fordjour I *, Siddiquee N *,
Gavrilova-Jordan L, Carbone LD, and Elam RE. Initial presentation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis as urethral
mass mimicking urethral cancer: A case report. Case Reports in Women’s Health. (2023
Mar 13); 37:e00498. doi.org/10.1016/j.crwh.2023.e00498. PMID: 36968550 FULL TEXT
Barzilay JI, Buzkova P, Fink HA, Cauley JA, Carbone L, Elam R, Robbins JA, Stein P, Sheets K, Jalal D, Mukamal KJ. The associations of
markers of endothelial dysfunction with hip fracture risk. Arch Osteoporos. (2023
Mar 2);18(1):39. doi: 10.1007/s11657-023-01226-w. PMID: 36859726 FULL TEXT
Elam RE, Ray CE, Miskevics S, Weaver FM, Gonzalez B, Obremskey W, Carbone LD. Predictors of lower extremity fracture-related amputation in persons with traumatic
spinal cord injury: a case-control study. Spinal Cord. (2023 Feb 16). doi: 10.1038/s41393-023-00879-1.
Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36797477
Elam, R.E., Ray, C.E., Miskevics, S., Weaver, F.M., Gonzalez, B., Obremskey, W., Carbone, L.D.,. Predictors of lower extremity fracture-related amputation in persons with traumatic
spinal cord injury: a case–control study. Spinal Cord (2023). FULL TEXT
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta,
Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam; Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven; Elam, Rachel FULL TEXT
Etingen B, Carbone LD, Guihan M, Ray C, Aslam H, Elam R, Weaver FM. Lower extremity fracture prevention and management in persons with spinal cord injuries
and disorders: The patient perspective. J Spinal Cord Med. 2021 Apr 8:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2021.1907675. Epub ahead
of print. PMID: 33830880. FULL TEXT
Guihan M, Roddick K, Cervinka T, Ray C, Sutton C, Carbone L, Weaver FM. Physical and occupational therapist rehabilitation of lower extremity fractures in
veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders. J Spinal Cord Med. 2021 Mar 11:1-9. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2021.1890680. Epub ahead
of print. PMID: 33705274. FULL TEXT
Harvey NC, Kanis JA, Liu E, Cooper C, Lorentzon M, Bea JW, Carbone L, Cespedes Feliciano EM, Laddu DR, Schnatz PF, Shadyab AH, Stefanick ML, Wactawski-Wende
J, Crandall CJ, Johansson H, McCloskey E. Predictive Value of DXA Appendicular Lean Mass for Incident Fractures, Falls, and
Mortality, Independent of Prior Falls, FRAX, and BMD: Findings from the Women's Health
Initiative (WHI). J Bone Miner Res. 2021 Apr;36(4):654-661. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.4239. Epub 2021 Jan 28.
PMID: 33450071; PMCID: PMC7610603. FULL TEXT
Carbone LD, Johnson K, Larson JC, Thomas F, Wactawski-Wende J, Bollinger K, Chen Z, Watsky M.
Association of vitamin D with incident glaucoma: findings from the Women's Health
Initiative. J Investig Med. 2021 Jan 11:jim-2020-001645. doi: 10.1136/jim-2020-001645. Epub ahead
of print. PMID: 33431603. FULL TEXT
Madera-Acosta A, Johnson-Wall H, Carbone LD, Meszaros A, Berman AE, White J. Cannabidiol (CBD) oil toxicity mimicking extraglandular complications of Sjögren's
syndrome. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2021 Feb 27;5(1):rkab010. doi: 10.1093/rap/rkab010. PMID: 33748661;
PMCID: PMC7962723. FULL TEXT
Elam RE, Jackson N, Machua W, and Carbone L. Osteoporosis. Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Updated January 20, 2021. Available at: HERE
Weaver FM, Gonzalez B, Ray C, Etingen B, Schwartz A, Burns S, Le B, Aslam H, Priebe
M, Carbone LD. Factors influencing providers' decisions on management of bone health in people with
spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord. 2021 Jul;59(7):787-795. doi: 10.1038/s41393-020-00589-y. Epub 2020 Nov
25. PMID: 33239741. FULL TEXT
Alyce Oliver, MD
Peterkin-McCalman R, Waller JL, Le B, Oliver AM, Manning E, Elam RE, Kheda M, Nahman NS Jr, Carbone LD. Fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and end-stage renal disease. Arch Osteoporos. 2020 Sep 18;15(1):146. doi: 10.1007/s11657-020-00815-3. PMID: 32948922.
FULL TEXT
Paudyal S, Waller JL, Oliver A, Le B, Zleik N, Nahman NS Jr, Carbone L. Rheumatoid Arthritis and Mortality in End Stage Renal Disease. J Clin Rheumatol. 2020 Mar;26(2):48-53. PMID: 32073514. FULL TEXT
Hong Shi, MD
Shi H, Goo B, Kim D, Kress TC, Ogbi M, Mintz J, Wu H, Belin de Chantemèle EJ, Stepp
D, Long X, Guha A, Lee R, Carbone L, Annex BH, Hui DY, Kim HW, Weintraub NL. Perivascular adipose tissue promotes vascular
dysfunction in murine lupus. Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 16;14:1095034. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1095034.
PMID: 37006244; PMCID: PMC10062185. FULL TEXT
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta, Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam; Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven;
Elam, Rachel FULL TEXT
Shi H, Kim HW, Weintraub NL. Macrophage immunometabolism in perivascular adipose tissue.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2021 Feb;41(2):731-733. doi: 10.1161/atvbaha.120.315779. Epub 2021 Jan 27. PMID:
33746500; PMCID: PMC7978142. FULL TEXT
Rachel Elam, MD
Carbone L, Bůžková P, Robbins JA, Fink HA, Barzilay JI,Elam RE, Isales C, Connelly M, and Mukamal K. Plasma Levels of Branched Chain Amino Acids,
Incident Hip Fractures and Bone Mineral Density of the Hip and Spine. J Clin Endocrinol
Metab. 2023 May 18:dgad275. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37200158 FULL TEXT
Robbins JA, Buzkova P, Barzilay JI, Cauley JA, Fink HA, Carbone LD, Chen Z, Stein
PK,Elam RE,Jalal D, Sheets K, and Mukamal K. Mortality following hip fracture in older adults
with and without coronary heart disease. Am J Med. (2023 Apr 24);S0002-9343(23)00244-9.
Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37100188 FULL TEXT
Mohanty N, San T *, Bell S *, Jalla R *, Williams J *, Fordjour I *, Siddiquee N *,
Gavrilova-Jordan L, Carbone LD, andElam RE. Initial presentation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis as urethral mass mimicking
urethral cancer: A case report.Case Reports in Women’s Health. (2023 Mar 13); 37:e00498. PMID: 36968550 FULL TEXT
Barzilay JI, Buzkova P, Fink HA, Cauley JA, Carbone L,Elam R,Robbins JA, Stein P, Sheets K, Jalal D, Mukamal KJ. The associations of markers of
endothelial dysfunction with hip fracture risk. Arch Osteoporos. (2023 Mar 2);18(1):39.
PMID: 36859726.FULL TEXT
Bucur P, Weber M, Agrawal R, Madera-Acosta AI, Elam RE. Pulmonary-Renal Syndrome from Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine-Induced Antineutrophil
Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA)-Associated Vasculitis: A Systematic Review. Pharmaceuticals. 2023; 16(6):846. FULL TEXT
Elam, R.E., Ray, C.E., Miskevics, S. et al. Predictors of lower extremity fracture-related amputation in persons with traumatic
spinal cord injury: a case–control study. Spinal Cord (2023). FULL TEXT
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta,
Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam; Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven; Elam, Rachel FULL TEXT
Barzilay JI, Bůžková P, Kuller LH, Cauley JA, Fink HA, Robbins JA, Carbone LD, Elam RE, and Mukamal KJ. The Association of Lipids and Lipoproteins with Hip Fracture Risk:
The Cardiovascular Health Study. American Journal of Medicine. 2022 Jun 6:S0002-9343(22)00432-6. Doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.05.024. Epub ahead of
print. PMID: 35679877 FULL TEXT
Elam RE, Bůžková P, Barzilay JI, Wang Z, Nemet I, Budoff MJ, Cauley JA, Fink HA, Lee Y, Robbins
JA, Wang M, Hazen SL, Mozaffarian D, Carbone LD. Trimethylamine N-oxide and hip fracture
and bone mineral density in older adults: The cardiovascular health study. Bone. 161 (2022)May 13:116432. doi:10.1016/j.bone.2022.116431. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35577327
FULL TEXT
Elam RE, Arora V, Oliver AM. (May 2022) Close, but no cigar: A case report of cannabis arteritis
from smoking blunts. The Rheumatologist. pp. 43-44. www.the-rheumatologist.org
Elam RE, Doan J, Weaver F, Ray CE, Miskevics S, Gonzalez B, Obremskey WT, and Carbone LD
(2022). “Pathological” fractures in spinal cord injuries and disorders: Insight into
International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision Coding. The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2022.2042658 PMID 35254231 FULL TEXT
Sinnott, B., Ray, C., Weaver, F., Gonzalez, B., Chu, E., Premji, S., Raiford, M.,
Elam, R., Miskevics, S., Parada, S. and Carbone, L. (2022), Risk Factors and Consequences
of Lower Extremity Fracture Nonunions in Veterans With Spinal Cord Injury. JBMR Plus
e10595. FULL TEXT PMID: 35309860
Stein PK, Buzkova P, Fink HA, Robbins, JA, Mukamal KJ, Cauley JA, Carbone LD, Elam RE, McMillan DW, Valderrabano R, and Barzilay JI. (2021) Cardiovascular Autonomic Nervous
System Function and Hip Fracture Risk: The Cardiovascular Health Study. Arch Osteoporos. 2021 Oct 31;16(1):163 PMID: 34719754 FULL TEXT
Rice C, Kosuru V, White JJ, Beek CV, Elam RE, Clemenshaw M, Carbone L and James L (2021). Membranous nephropathy complicating
relapsing polychondritis: A case report. J Clini Nephrol.5: 084-087. FULL TEXT
Etingen B, Weaver F, Guihan M, Ray C, Elam RE, and Carbone LD (2021). Lower Extremity Fracture Prevention and Management in Persons
with Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders: The Patient Perspective. J Spinal Cord Med 8:1-11. PMID: 33830880 FULL TEXT
Elam RE, Jackson N, Machua W, and Carbone L. Osteoporosis. Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Updated
January 20, 2021. Available at: FULL TEXT
Noelle Rolle, MBBS, FACR
ACR Fellows-in-Training Subcommittee, Saygin D, Lin J, Rolle NA, Mamut M. Report of the American College of Rheumatology Fellows-in-Training Subcommittee:
experiences of rheumatology fellows early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Arthritis Rheumatol.
2022 Aug;74(8):1457-1458. doi: 10.1002/art.42135. Epub 2022 Jun 27. PMID: 35373922;
PMCID: PMC9082478.
Alkilany R, Hanson JA, Rolle NA, Fields RA, Sibbitt WL Jr. Acute Surgical Abdomen Due to Sporadic Polyarteritis Nodosa.
J Clin Rheumatol. 2021 Jun 1;27(4):e138-e140. doi: 10.1097/RHU.0000000000000891. PMID:
30142116
Elena Schiopu, MD
Ritchlin, Christopher T, et al. “Sustained and Improved Guselkumab Response in Patients
with Active Psoriatic Arthritis Regardless of Baseline Demographic and Disease Characteristics:
Pooled Results through Week 52 of Two Phase III, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Studies.”
RMD Open, vol. 8, no. 1, 2022. FULL TEXT
Jo J, Mills D, Dentinger A, Chamberland D, Abdulaziz NM, Wang X, Schiopu E, Gandikota G. Photoacoustic Imaging of COVID-19 Vaccine Site Inflammation of Autoimmune
Disease Patients. Sensors. 2023; 23(5):2789. FULL TEXT
Imaging of enthesitis by an LED-based photoacoustic system (Erratum). Jo J, Xu G, Schiopu E, Chamberland D, Gandikota G, Wang X. J Biomed Opt. 2021 May;26(5):059801. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.26.5.059801.
PMID: 33998200 FULL TEXT
Detecting joint inflammation by an LED-based photoacoustic imaging system: a feasibility
study (Erratum). Jo J, Xu G, Zhu Y, Burton M, Sarazin J, Schiopu E, Gandikota G, Wang X. J Biomed Opt. 2021 May;26(5):059802. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.26.5.059802.
PMID: 34008353 FULL TEXT
Efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in patients taking immunosuppressants. Shen C, Risk M, Schiopu E, Hayek SS, Xie T, Holevinski L, Akin C, Freed G, Zhao L. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 Jun;81(6):875-880.
doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-222045. Epub 2022 Feb 23. PMID: 35197265 FULL TEXT
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Risk of Type 1 Diabetes. Chen X, Affinati AH, Lee Y, Turcu AF, Henry NL, Schiopu E, Qin A, Othus M, Clauw D, Ramnath N, Zhao L. Diabetes Care. 2022 May 1;45(5):1170-1176.
doi: 10.2337/dc21-2213. PMID: 35238899 FULL TEXT
Comparative Effectiveness of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccines Against
the Delta Variant. Risk M, Shen C, Hayek SS, Holevinski L, Schiopu E, Freed G, Akin C, Zhao L. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 24;75(1):e623-e629. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac106.
PMID: 35137006 FULL TEXT
Successful use of secukinumab in two melanoma patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced
inflammatory arthropathy. Ma VT, Lao CD, Fecher LA, Schiopu E. Immunotherapy. 2022 Jun;14(8):593-598. doi: 10.2217/imt-2021-0274. Epub 2022 Apr
13. PMID: 35416067 FULL TEXT
Sustained and improved guselkumab response in patients with active psoriatic arthritis
regardless of baseline demographic and disease characteristics: pooled results through
week 52 of two phase III, randomised, placebo-controlled studies. Ritchlin CT, Mease PJ, Boehncke WH, Tesser J, Schiopu E, Chakravarty SD, Kollmeier AP, Xu XL, Shawi M, Jiang Y, Sheng S, Wang Y, Xu S, Merola
JF, McInnes IB, Deodhar A. RMD Open. 2022 Mar;8(1):e002195. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002195.
PMID: 35296534 FULL TEXT
COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against omicron (B.1.1.529) variant infection and hospitalisation
in patients taking immunosuppressive medications: a retrospective cohort study. Risk M, Hayek SS, Schiopu E, Yuan L, Shen C, Shi X, Freed G, Zhao L. Lancet Rheumatol. 2022 Aug 16. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(22)00216-8.
Online ahead of print. PMID: 35991760 FULL TEXT
* Only publications in the past two years have been listed.
Recent Fellow Publications
Irina Madera Acosta, MD
Bucur P, Weber M, Agrawal R, Madera-Acosta AI, Elam RE. Pulmonary-Renal Syndrome from Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine-Induced Antineutrophil
Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA)-Associated Vasculitis: A Systematic Review. Pharmaceuticals. 2023; 16(6):846. FULL TEXT
Madera-Acosta A, Johnson-Wall H, Carbone LD, Meszaros A, Berman AE, White J. Cannabidiol (CBD) oil toxicity mimicking extraglandular complications of Sjögren's
syndrome. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2021 Feb 27;5(1):rkab010. doi: 10.1093/rap/rkab010. PMID: 33748661;
PMCID: PMC7962723. FULL TEXT
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta, Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam; Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven; Elam, Rachel
Adam Meszaros, MD
Madera-Acosta A, Johnson-Wall H, Carbone LD, Meszaros A, Berman AE, White J. Cannabidiol (CBD) oil toxicity mimicking extraglandular complications of Sjögren's
syndrome. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2021 Feb 27;5(1):rkab010. doi: 10.1093/rap/rkab010. PMID: 33748661;
PMCID: PMC7962723. FULL TEXT
Christopher Rice, MD
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta, Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam;
Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven; Elam, Rachel
Stephen Bell, MD
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta,
Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam; Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven; Elam, Rachel
Anam Qureshi, MBBS
"Sex and racial differences in systemic lupus erythematosus among U.S. adults in the
All of Us Research Program" by Rice, Christopher; Nag Ayyala, Deepak; Shi, Hong; Madera-Acosta,
Adria; Bell, Stephen; Qureshi, Anam; Carbone, Laura; Coughlin, Steven; Elam, Rachel
* Only publications in the past two years have been listed.