Scleroderma Center

Center Mission

• To provide state of the art, multidisciplinary care for patients with scleroderma
• To provide education and support for scleroderma patients and their families
• To provide access to new therapies for scleroderma via clinical trials
• To engage in clinical, translational and basic laboratory research on scleroderma to contribute to finding the cause and cure of scleroderma.

Center Goals

• To recruit new and current faculty members with an interest in vascular biology, genetics and fibrosis
• To hire needed staff in the areas of data management, research coordination and laboratory assistance
• To establish and name a scleroderma-dedicated research technician position
• To establish and name a research fellowship and recruit a qualified research fellow
• To obtain additional space for research as needed
• To improve patient education resources (website, newsletters)
• To develop other activities including a journal club, annual research symposium, travel awards for fellows and joint research grant proposals with non-Center investigators

The Center includes 5 full-time faculty members and 5 research staff. We currently collaborate with faculty from 8 other Divisions/Departments within the School of Medicine and a number of investigators from other institutions.

Our major resources include large, longitudinal databanks, serum and DNA banks, and tissue specimens (autopsies, skin/lung biopsies and lung transplant tissues). We have registries for systemic sclerosis in twins, childhood onset systemic sclerosis, and localized scleroderma and Raynaud disease.

Faculty clinical interests include the epidemiology, clinical and serologic classification of disease, organ system involvement, natural history and survival of systemic sclerosis and localized forms of scleroderma. Areas of translational research include vascular stiffness and endothelial dysfunction in SSc, serum cytokines as markers of vascular and endothelial dysfunction, immune cell and fibroblast dysfunction, and genetic contributions to disease etiology. Other emphases include basic pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in fibrosis of the skin and lungs, animal models of fibrosis, lung fibroblast function in interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, immunologic mechanisms in gastrointestinal hypomotility, cardiac disease in SSc, and abnormal T-cell function.

Over the past 40 years, we have published over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, and over 100 textbook chapters and other invited works on scleroderma and related diseases. We have trained 6 fellows who have gone on to develop scleroderma patient care and research programs at other institutions, nationally and internationally.

Adult Scleroderma Patient Appointments:

Please call 412-647-6700 to make an appointment.

Adult patients are seen at the Falk Medical Building, Arthritis and Autoimmunity Center.

Falk Medical Building, Suite 2B
3601 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Pediatric Scleroderma Patient Appointments:

Pediatric patients are seen at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic. The Pediatric Scleroderma Clinic is directed by Dr. Kathryn Torok.

To speak with an appointment scheduler, call 412-692-5081 (option 1), between 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday through Friday.