About Us
Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation, Inc. (F-WSF) is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2015 by reputable rheumatologists in the United States. Registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, F-WSF's primary focus is on research and education.
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Our mission is to raise funds and provide support for patient-oriented scleroderma research, interdisciplinary education, and the overall well-being of individuals living with scleroderma worldwide. We achieve this by distributing funds to organizations actively involved in scleroderma research, education, and patient support.​
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Leadership
Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation is a passionate team of experts working to educate medical professionals, raise awareness and advance care for those affected by scleroderma.
Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc
Professor of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine
Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan
President, Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation
Dr. Khanna is Professor of Medicine and Director of the University of Michigan Scleroderma Program and holds the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professorship in Rheumatology.
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He received his medical training at University College of Medical Sciences in 1996 from India and completed his rheumatology fellowship at UCLA. He then completed a Masters in Clinical Research from UCLA.
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He is the Principal Investigator on National Institutes of Health and industry-sponsored clinical studies. He has designed and led trials of abatacept, riociguat, pirfenidone and tocilizumab in scleroderma and currently leading multiple trials in scleroderma. He has published over 550 peer reviewed publications and book chapters.
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Dr. Khanna also serves as a reviewer for several professional journals, society committees and training programs, and grant applications and has published in Lancet, JAMA, and NEJM. His current research focus is on developing, validating and refining outcome measures in rheumatic diseases and designing controlled trials.
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He received the 2011 Doctor of the Year award from the National Scleroderma Foundation and the prestigious 2015 Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award from the American College of Rheumatology. He was recently inducted into the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
Daniel E. Furst, MD
Carl M. Pearson Professor of Rheumatology
University of California at Los Angeles
Board, Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation
President, Scleroderma Foundation of California
Dr. Furst is Professor of Medicine at the University of California (emeritus) at UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology. He is also Adjunct Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and Research Professor at the University of Florence, Italy. He has part-time practices at the Arthritis Associates of Southern California and the Seattle Rheumatology Associates.
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Dr. Furst received his MD from Johns Hopkins University, where he completed his internship and residency. He completed two fellowships, one in rheumatology at UCLA Medical Center, and a second in clinical pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
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Currently, he serves on the boards of the Scleroderma Foundation of California, World Scleroderma Foundation and Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation. He is on the scientific advisory board of the Arthritis Foundation and the board of directors for the Foundation of the Collaboration of Research Rheumatologists of North America.
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He serves on the editorial review board of numerous clinical pharmacology and rheumatic disease journals and has written over 800 original articles/reviews/chapters and written or edited 14 books on rheumatic diseases.
David, an accomplished nonprofit leader with expertise in program development, holds an MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary, as well as an MBA and BS from Louisiana Tech University.
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For nearly six years, he excelled as the Director of Chapter Relations & Advocacy at the National Scleroderma Foundation. During his tenure, David demonstrated a purposeful approach to stakeholder engagement, problem-solving and leadership.
He successfully trained a nationwide network, resulting in record-breaking participation and the highest number of Senatorial meetings in the organization's history.
David facilitated impactful meetings between patient advocates and Congress members, contributing in $10 million in Congressionally directed support for scleroderma research.
Beyond his role at the National Scleroderma Foundation, he served on the steering committee of the NIAMS Coalition at NIH and actively participated in events like Rare Disease Day and conferences by the American College of Rheumatology and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
In addition to these professional contributions, David held leadership positions in various nonprofit organizations that include the Presbyterian Pan American School, Red Cloud Indian School, Cross Cultural Interpreting Services at Heartland Alliance and Chicago Lights.
Marco Matucci-Cerinic, MD, PhD, FRCP, FBSRhon
President, World Scleroderma Foundation
Professor of Rheumatology and Medicine, University of Florence, Italy
Dr. Matucci-Cerinic has supported Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation since its founding in 2015.
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He is Full Professor of Rheumatology and Medicine at the Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Chairman of the IRB committee of the Tuscan region and is a scientific consultant at Hospital San Raffaele. He works in the Rheumatology Division of the Careggi University Hospital of Florence and is a member of the prestigious British Royal College of Physicians, the American College of Rheumatology, the Italian Society of Rheumatology and is an honorary member of the British Society of Rheumatology.
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Dr Matucci-Cerinic has published more than 1,300 peer review manuscripts in the field of rheumatology, particularly on the pathogenesis, clinical features and treatment of scleroderma. He has served on various international and national committees as EULAR General Secretary, executive secretary of ILAR, Chairman of the European Scleroderma Trial and Research Group (EUSTAR) and vice-president of the Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium (SCTC).
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Currently, he serves as chair of World Scleroderma Foundation (WSF) and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Scleroderma & Related Diseases (JSRD). He is the associate editor of Arthritis Research & Therapy and Clinical & Experimental Rheumatology, past associate editor and co-editor of Rheumatology.
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He serves on the boards of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Rheumatology, Journal of Rheumatology, Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology and other rheumatology journals.