Our division is dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, and research in pediatric rheumatology. Our mission is to improve the care for children with rheumatic disease through clinical excellence, outreach, quality improvement, and discovery while training physicians and scientists for the essential ongoing work in all these areas.  We are home to a diverse group of physicians whose professional interests span across multiple areas of pediatric rheumatology:

Our division actively collaborates with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) and the Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group (PRCSG) in research for multiple rheumatic diseases. We have active clinical research programs in systemic lupus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, dermatomyositis, and mental health. Dr. Lisa Buckley and Dr. Alaina Davis are experts in quality improvement who guide clinical quality improvement in the division as well as education in quality improvement within and outside the division. Dr. Anna Patrick has developed a strong program in investigating lymphocyte biology in juvenile idiopathic arthritis and is actively involved in leading translational research initiatives in pediatric rheumatology at the national level.

Education and training are critical components of our mission. We are active in the education of medical students, residents, and fellows. 11 residents from VUMC have entered pediatric rheumatology training programs since 2013. Fellow graduates have begun careers in the Southeast and Midwest in positions within academic institutions with roles in clinical care, education, and research. Two graduates have completed combined fellowship in pediatric and adult rheumatology. Our division continues to be dedicated to the goal of addressing the shortage of pediatric rheumatologists, particularly in underserved areas in the Southeast.

The division has regular clinics in eight locations spanning as far east as Knoxville and as far west as Jackson. Given the rarity of pediatric rheumatologists, we believe this outreach is critical to our mission of providing the best care to children in need by improving accessibility.

I invite you to learn more about the division through our website and contact us regarding opportunities for education, training, and collaborations.

Best regards,

T. Brent Graham, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Division Director, Pediatric Rheumatology
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt