The ability to intervene at the earliest phases in the pathogenesis of a chronic rheumatic disease caused by auto-inflammatory, autoimmune, or tissue injury mechanisms has th epotential to prevent disease manifestations and consequences, limited loss of quality of life, comorbidity, and costs to society. This issue is dedicated to exploring the stages of rheumatic disease, biologic mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis along with possible ways to study and screen for persons at risk with the ultimate goal of finding ways to prevent these devastating diseases.

Guest edited by Drs. Daniel J. Wallace and R. Swamy Venuturupalli, this issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics will cover several key areas of interest related to Best Practices and Challenges to the Practice of Rheumatology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman of Cedars-Sinai. Articles in this issue include, but are not limited to: The Economics of Rheumatology Practice in the United States, Manpower trends in rheumatology, Challenges to practicing rheumatology in an academic center, Challenges in practicing rheumatology in a government setting, Challenges to practicing rheumatology in a small private practice setting, Challenges to working in a large multispecialty organization, Challenges to practicing pediatric rheumatology, Clinical trials in rheumatology, Challenges in having an infusion center, Implementing treatment to target in the clinic, Future directions: implementing new technologies in clinical practice, Possible Challenges in Optimizing Medical Education for Rheumatologists, and the challenges of approaching and managing gout.

This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, guest edited by Dr. John Davis, will discuss Cancer and Rheumatic Diseases. This issue is one of four selected each year by series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman. Topics discussed in this issue include, but are not limited to: rheumatic drugs and malignancy potential, biologic drugs and cancer, methotrexate and cancer, managing rheumatoid arthritis with cancer, Sjogren’s Syndrome and cancer, lupus and cancer, scleroderma and cancer, cancer and spondylarthritis, and cancer immunotherapy.

This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Candace Feldman, is Part II of a two-part issue covering Health Disparities in Rheumatic Diseases. This issue is one of four selected each year by series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman. Topics discussed in this issue include, but are not limited to: Disparities in Lupus Care and Outcomes among U.S. Medicaid Beneficiaries, Understanding Risk Factors for Poor Outcomes in a Multiethnic Longitudinal Cohort, Impact of Psychosocial Factors on RA and Lupus Health Disparities, Racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in knee and hip osteoarthritis, Racial/ethnic Disparities in Osteoarthritis Management, Challenges and Strategies to Achieve Equitable Rheumatologic Care Across the World, Strategies to Reduce Disparities, Understanding and Addressing the Provider Biases and the Lack of Diversity in Lupus Clinical Trials, Community-engaged Research: Lupus Conversations, Leveraging Telemedicine as an Approach to Address Rheumatic Disease Health Disparities, and Understanding the Role and Challenges of Patient Preferences in Disparities in Rheumatic Disease Care.

Interdisciplinary Topics in Rheumatology, An Issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America

Guest edited by Drs. Jonathan Kay and Sergio Schwartzman, this issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics will cover Controversies in Rheumatology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman of Cedars-Sinai. Articles explore several questions, including, but not limited to: Is triple therapy or methotrexate plus a biologic the initial treatment of choice for RA patients; Is hypo or hyper-uricemia a risk requiring treatment for cardiac morbidity and mortality; Are there benefits and risks to biosimilars from a patient perspective; Should platelet-rich plasma be used to treat osteoarthritis; Is there a role for stem cell therapy to treat cartilage defects in osteoarthritis; Should any rheumatology patient, today, be treated with bone marrow ablation and stem cell transplantation; Is there effective prevention, prophylaxis, or treatment for CPPD arthritis; Is fibromyalgia a psychiatric disease or a pain syndrome; Should cyclophosphamide still be used to treat ANCA-associated vasculitis; Does methotrexate have a place in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis; Should hydroxychloroquine dosing be limited because of potential ocular toxicity; and Should generalized immunosuppression or targeted organ treatment be the best principle for overall management of SLE.

This issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Candace Feldman, will Health Disparities in Rheumatic Diseases. This issue is one of four selected each year by series Consulting Editor, Dr. Michael Weisman. Topics discussed in this issue include, but are not limited to: Disparities in Rheumatology Through the Lens of Critical Race Theory; Use of Quality Metrics to Identify Disparities in Lupus Care; The Role of Individual and Area-level Poverty on Lupus Disparities; Disparities in Lupus Care and Outcomes among U.S. Medicaid Beneficiaries; Disparities in Rheumatoid Arthritis Care; Disparities in Childhood-onset Lupus and Mental Health Care for Pediatric Lupus Patients; Disparities in Rheumatic Disease Care, Access and Outcomes in the First Nations Population; Impact of Psychosocial Factors on RA and Lupus Health Disparities; Racial and gender disparities among patients with Gout; Racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in knee and hip osteoarthritis; Racial/ethnic Disparities in Osteoarthritis Management; Racial disparities in systemic sclerosis; Community-engaged Research: Lupus Conversations; Leveraging Telemedicine as an Approach to Address Rheumatic Disease Health Disparities; Understanding the Role and Challenges of Patient Preferences in Disparities in Rheumatic Disease Care; Designing an Intervention to Improve Management and Care Coordination for High Risk Lupus Patients; Greatest Challenges and Strategies to Achieve Equitable Rheumatologic Care Across the World, among others.