About Us

Dr. Dinesh Khanna is a distinguished Professor of Medicine and the Director of the University of Michigan Scleroderma Program. He holds the prestigious Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professorship in Rheumatology.

 

Education and Training:

• Medical degree from University College of Medical Sciences, India (1996)

• Rheumatology fellowship at UCLA

• Master's in Clinical Research from UCLA

 

Research and Leadership: Dr. Khanna is the Principal Investigator on numerous clinical studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and industry partners. He has designed and led clinical trials for treatments including abatacept, riociguat, pirfenidone and tocilizumab for scleroderma. He currently leads multiple ongoing trials in scleroderma and has authored over 550 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

 

Professional Contributions: Dr. Khanna serves as a reviewer for several professional journals and participates in various society committees, training programs, and grant reviews. His research focuses on developing, validating, and refining outcome measures in rheumatic diseases and designing controlled trials. His work has been published in prominent journals such as Lancet, JAMA and NEJM.

 

Awards and Honors:

• 2011 Doctor of the Year, National Scleroderma Foundation

• 2015 Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award, American College of Rheumatology

• Recent induction into the American Society of Clinical Investigation

Dr. Daniel E. Furst is an esteemed Professor of Medicine (emeritus) at UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology. He also holds adjunct professorships at the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of Florence in Italy. Additionally, he practices part-time at Arthritis Associates of Southern California and Seattle Rheumatology Associates.

 

Education and Training:

• MD from Johns Hopkins University

• Internship and residency at Johns Hopkins University

• Fellowship in rheumatology at UCLA Medical Center

• Fellowship in clinical pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

 

Professional Roles: Dr. Furst serves on the boards of the Scleroderma Foundation of California, World Scleroderma Foundation and Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation. He is also a member of 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.

 

Editorial and Research Contributions: Dr. Furst is on the editorial review boards of numerous clinical pharmacology and rheumatic disease journals. He has authored over 800 original articles, reviews, and book chapters, and has written or edited 14 books on rheumatic diseases.

David Murad is an accomplished nonprofit leader with a background in program development. He holds an MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary, and both an MBA and a BS from Louisiana Tech University.

 

Professional Rare Disease Experience:

​

Managing Director; Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation

David Murad has been serving as Managing Director since 2022. He oversees relationships with partner organizations, sponsors, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. In collaboration with the Office of Continuing Medical Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Michigan Medical School, David led the development and launch of the pioneering CME program, Early Detection and Diagnosis of Scleroderma: Educating Primary Care Physicians and Allied Health Professionals.

 

Director of Chapter Relations & Advocacy; National Scleroderma Foundation

David served in this role for nearly six years, showcasing his skills in stakeholder engagement, problem-solving and leadership. He trained a nationwide network, achieving record-breaking participation and the highest number of Senatorial meetings in the organization's history. David also facilitated impactful meetings between patient advocates and Congress members, which helped to secure $10 million in Congressionally directed support for scleroderma research.

 

• Steffens Scleroderma Foundation; social media

• Steering Committee Member, NIAMS Coalition at NIH

• Advocate and exhibitor; Rare Disease Day and conferences by the American College of Rheumatology and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association

 

Leadership Positions in Other Nonprofits:

• Presbyterian Pan American School

• Red Cloud Indian School

• Cross Cultural Interpreting Services at Heartland Alliance

• Chicago Lights

Dr. Marco Matucci-Cerinic has been a strong supporter of the Friends of World Scleroderma Foundation since its founding in 2015.

 

Professional Roles:

• Full Professor of Rheumatology and Medicine at the Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence

• Chairman of the IRB committee of the Tuscan region

• Scientific consultant at Hospital San Raffaele

• Member of the Rheumatology Division at Careggi University Hospital, Florence

• Member of the British Royal College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, Italian Society of Rheumatology

• Honorary member of the British Society of Rheumatology

 

Research and Publications: Dr. Matucci-Cerinic has published over 1,300 peer-reviewed manuscripts, focusing on the pathogenesis, clinical features and treatment of scleroderma. He has held leadership positions in various international and national committees, including:

• EULAR General Secretary

• Executive Secretary of ILAR

• Chairman of the European Scleroderma Trial and Research Group (EUSTAR)

• Vice-President of the Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium (SCTC)

 

Current Positions:

• Chair of the World Scleroderma Foundation (WSF)

• Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Scleroderma & Related Diseases (JSRD)

• Associate Editor of Arthritis Research & Therapy and Clinical & Experimental Rheumatology

• Past Associate Editor and Co-Editor of Rheumatology

 

Editorial Board Memberships:

• Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases

• Rheumatology

• Journal of Rheumatology

• Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology

• Other leading rheumatology journal