Rheumatology Board
The Specialty Boards and Advisory Committees aim to maintain a composition that reflects the diversity and complexity of the physician and patient populations that certification serves. They include both practicing physician members and public members representing interdisciplinary healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers.
Dr. Kazi is the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Internal Medicine and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is also the Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at UT Southwestern. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Dr. Kazi previously served as the Chair of the Registries and Health Information Technology Committee of the American College of Rheumatology overseeing the development of the RISE registry. Dr. Kazi continues to lead efforts in rheumatology to promote improvement in the delivery of health care through the principles of co-production.
Dr. Kazi earned his medical degree from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, and completed his residency, chief residency and fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
As of August 2024, Dr. Kazi reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Kazi is the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Internal Medicine and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is also the Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at UT Southwestern. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Dr. Kazi previously served as the Chair of the Registries and Health Information Technology Committee of the American College of Rheumatology overseeing the development of the RISE registry. Dr. Kazi continues to lead efforts in rheumatology to promote improvement in the delivery of health care through the principles of co-production.
Dr. Kazi earned his medical degree from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, and completed his residency, chief residency and fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
As of August 2024, Dr. Kazi reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Carlson is a private rheumatologist at New Haven Rheumatology in New Haven, Connecticut. She is ABIM Board Certified in Rheumatology. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University School of Medicine and works with rheumatology fellows a few weeks per year attending the rheumatology service. She also works with Yale medical students in her outpatient office during their primary care and psychiatry clerkship providing rheumatology teaching. Dr. Carlson is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. She is the co-coordinator for the musculoskeletal block for the second-year medical students, designing the curriculum for the musculoskeletal block and delivering lectures on rheumatology to the students.
Dr. Carlson enjoys volunteering at the New Haven Health Project working with medical students, nursing students, physician assistant students and master’s students providing health screenings to clients at the local food bank.
Dr. Carlson received her bachelor's degree in biology from Yale University and earned her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. She completed her internal medicine residency training, chief residency and rheumatology fellowship at the University of Connecticut.
As of March 2025, Dr. Carlson reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Carlson is a private rheumatologist at New Haven Rheumatology in New Haven, Connecticut. She is ABIM Board Certified in Rheumatology. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University School of Medicine and works with rheumatology fellows a few weeks per year attending the rheumatology service. She also works with Yale medical students in her outpatient office during their primary care and psychiatry clerkship providing rheumatology teaching. Dr. Carlson is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. She is the co-coordinator for the musculoskeletal block for the second-year medical students, designing the curriculum for the musculoskeletal block and delivering lectures on rheumatology to the students.
Dr. Carlson enjoys volunteering at the New Haven Health Project working with medical students, nursing students, physician assistant students and master’s students providing health screenings to clients at the local food bank.
Dr. Carlson received her bachelor's degree in biology from Yale University and earned her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. She completed her internal medicine residency training, chief residency and rheumatology fellowship at the University of Connecticut.
As of March 2025, Dr. Carlson reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Dave is a rheumatologist practicing in Seattle and Bainbridge Island, Washington. He has served as Co-Chair of the Arthritis Foundation Great West Chapter, Vice President of the King County Medical Society, an Executive Committee Member of the American College of Physicians Washington Chapter and as a board member of the Washington State Medical Association. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Dr. Dave graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honors in History and a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Dave completed a Master of Public Health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He completed his internship and residency at Stanford Health Care and a fellowship in rheumatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
As of August 2024, Dr. Dave reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Dave is a rheumatologist practicing in Seattle and Bainbridge Island, Washington. He has served as Co-Chair of the Arthritis Foundation Great West Chapter, Vice President of the King County Medical Society, an Executive Committee Member of the American College of Physicians Washington Chapter and as a board member of the Washington State Medical Association. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Dr. Dave graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honors in History and a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Dave completed a Master of Public Health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He completed his internship and residency at Stanford Health Care and a fellowship in rheumatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
As of August 2024, Dr. Dave reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Liebowitz is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City with an affiliate appointment at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
His research and writings have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, Arthritis Care and Research, and The Journal of Graduate Medical Education, among other journals. He participated in fellowships with the American Federation for Aging Research (Medical Student Training in Aging Research), the American Austrian Foundation (Max Kade Clinical Clerkship in Vienna, Austria), and the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (through Yale School of Medicine).
He is a co-editor of the textbook “Clinical Innovation in Rheumatology: Past, Present, and Future” and a co-editor of the textbook series “Interdisciplinary Rheumatology.” He is also a staff writer for The Rheumatologist, a periodical that reaches over 10,000 readers. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Dr. Liebowitz completed undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He attended medical school at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. He completed rheumatology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and was nominated for the 2019 Distinguished Fellow Award from the American College of Rheumatology.
As of April 2025, Dr. Liebowitz reported the following external relationships:
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed:
- Wiley, receiving compensation for authorship.
Dr. Liebowitz is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City with an affiliate appointment at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
His research and writings have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, Arthritis Care and Research, and The Journal of Graduate Medical Education, among other journals. He participated in fellowships with the American Federation for Aging Research (Medical Student Training in Aging Research), the American Austrian Foundation (Max Kade Clinical Clerkship in Vienna, Austria), and the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (through Yale School of Medicine).
He is a co-editor of the textbook “Clinical Innovation in Rheumatology: Past, Present, and Future” and a co-editor of the textbook series “Interdisciplinary Rheumatology.” He is also a staff writer for The Rheumatologist, a periodical that reaches over 10,000 readers. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Dr. Liebowitz completed undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He attended medical school at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. He completed rheumatology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and was nominated for the 2019 Distinguished Fellow Award from the American College of Rheumatology.
As of April 2025, Dr. Liebowitz reported the following external relationships:
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed:
- Wiley, receiving compensation for authorship.
Dr. O’Dell is the Robert Grissom Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair of Internal Medicine and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). He recently stepped down after 35 years of service as the residency program director. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
In 1989, Dr. O’Dell founded the Rheumatoid Arthritis Investigational Network (RAIN) to conduct investigator-initiated clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis. RAIN popularized combination DMARD [disease-modifying antirheumatic drug] therapy, discovered Triple Therapy and demonstrated its equivalence to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, resulting in three first-author publications in The New England Journal of Medicine. The latter trial won the Arthritis Foundation’s Howley Prize in 2013 for the most impactful clinical research. RAIN has also demonstrated the equivalence of allopurinol to febuxostat and the effectiveness of a treat-to-target approach in the management of gout.
Dr. O’Dell has received numerous honors for his research, including the Distinguished Research Award from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the UNMC Distinguished Scientist Award, the UNMC Research Leadership Award and the Department of Internal Medicine’s Career Research Award and Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award.
Dr. O’Dell is a frequently invited speaker at Grand Rounds and national and state rheumatological meetings. He has won many teaching awards including the UNMC Laureate Award, the Osler Award in Internal Medicine, the FP Teacher of the Year and the Internal Medicine Platinum Top Teacher Award.
A master of ACR and the American College of Physicians, Dr. O’Dell has served on and chaired many ACR committees including a term as president on the board of directors. He also served as President of the Rheumatology Research Foundation. In 2020, he received ACR’s highest award—the Presidential Gold Medal.
Dr. O’Dell earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with high distinction from the University of Nebraska and his medical degree from UNMC, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed his residency and chief residency at UNMC and a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Colorado. He has been a member of the UNMC faculty since 1984.
As of April 2025, Dr. O’Dell reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. O’Dell is the Robert Grissom Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair of Internal Medicine and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). He recently stepped down after 35 years of service as the residency program director. He is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
In 1989, Dr. O’Dell founded the Rheumatoid Arthritis Investigational Network (RAIN) to conduct investigator-initiated clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis. RAIN popularized combination DMARD [disease-modifying antirheumatic drug] therapy, discovered Triple Therapy and demonstrated its equivalence to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, resulting in three first-author publications in The New England Journal of Medicine. The latter trial won the Arthritis Foundation’s Howley Prize in 2013 for the most impactful clinical research. RAIN has also demonstrated the equivalence of allopurinol to febuxostat and the effectiveness of a treat-to-target approach in the management of gout.
Dr. O’Dell has received numerous honors for his research, including the Distinguished Research Award from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the UNMC Distinguished Scientist Award, the UNMC Research Leadership Award and the Department of Internal Medicine’s Career Research Award and Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award.
Dr. O’Dell is a frequently invited speaker at Grand Rounds and national and state rheumatological meetings. He has won many teaching awards including the UNMC Laureate Award, the Osler Award in Internal Medicine, the FP Teacher of the Year and the Internal Medicine Platinum Top Teacher Award.
A master of ACR and the American College of Physicians, Dr. O’Dell has served on and chaired many ACR committees including a term as president on the board of directors. He also served as President of the Rheumatology Research Foundation. In 2020, he received ACR’s highest award—the Presidential Gold Medal.
Dr. O’Dell earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with high distinction from the University of Nebraska and his medical degree from UNMC, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed his residency and chief residency at UNMC and a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Colorado. He has been a member of the UNMC faculty since 1984.
As of April 2025, Dr. O’Dell reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Scielzo is an Associate Professor, the Associate Director of Education in Internal Medicine and the Evaluation and Assessment Analyst for Graduate Medical Education at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In her role, she works extensively with the oversight of resident and faculty physician training.
Her research has three main themes: psychometrics, mentoring/training, and assessment and evaluation. Dr. Scielzo is well-versed in survey design and measurement best practices to ensure the most reliable and valid inferences possible. Her mentoring/training research has helped to identify underlying mechanisms of successful skill and information transference, and her research in assessment/evaluation has helped effectively quantify the impacts of interventions. These three skillsets combined enable Dr. Scielzo to identify training needs, optimize training interventions and ensure the highest quality inferences possible. Moreover, she also has some preliminary rheumatology-specific research.
Dr. Scielzo has previously held positions in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas Arlington and at the Institute for Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She received her doctorate and master's degrees from UCF.
Finally, she herself is a rheumatic patient, and is passionate about her role and making a difference for other patients, and ensuring the highest quality of care is provided to them.
As of March 2025, Dr. Scielzo reported the no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Scielzo is an Associate Professor, the Associate Director of Education in Internal Medicine and the Evaluation and Assessment Analyst for Graduate Medical Education at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In her role, she works extensively with the oversight of resident and faculty physician training.
Her research has three main themes: psychometrics, mentoring/training, and assessment and evaluation. Dr. Scielzo is well-versed in survey design and measurement best practices to ensure the most reliable and valid inferences possible. Her mentoring/training research has helped to identify underlying mechanisms of successful skill and information transference, and her research in assessment/evaluation has helped effectively quantify the impacts of interventions. These three skillsets combined enable Dr. Scielzo to identify training needs, optimize training interventions and ensure the highest quality inferences possible. Moreover, she also has some preliminary rheumatology-specific research.
Dr. Scielzo has previously held positions in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas Arlington and at the Institute for Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She received her doctorate and master's degrees from UCF.
Finally, she herself is a rheumatic patient, and is passionate about her role and making a difference for other patients, and ensuring the highest quality of care is provided to them.
As of March 2025, Dr. Scielzo reported the no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Smith is a specialty clinical pharmacist at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She works under the pharmacy’s rheumatology service where she leverages her diverse background in both traditional and alternative medicine to provide comprehensive disease state management and specialty medication education. At Penn State Health, she emphasizes the importance of empowering patients through education and active participation in their treatment plans. Since graduating from Wilkes University in 2014, Dr. Smith has completed advanced certifications in medication therapy management through the American Pharmacist Association (APhA) and the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network (PPCN). In 2023, Dr. Smith received the Certified Specialty Pharmacist® Certificant (CSP) and Board-Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialist (BCMTMS) designations.
Furthermore, her dedication to professional development was accentuated by her completion of the ASHP University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate for Pharmacists. Dr. Smith is deeply committed to education and training the next generations of pharmacists. She currently teaches a pharmacy elective at her alma mater, Wilkes University. Over the last two years, Dr. Smith has been able to share her passion for rheumatology and was invited to present continuing education for pharmacists on the state and national levels at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, respectively.
Dr. Smith is the recipient of a few distinct awards: the Upsher-Smith and NASPA Excellence in Innovation Award in 2024, the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association “Top Ten under Ten” Award 2024, the Pharmacy Podcasts – “Pharmacy 50” #28 and #26 Most Influential Pharmacy Leader for 2023 and 2024, and the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) First Time Faculty Speaker 2023.
As of April 2025, Dr. Smith reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Smith is a specialty clinical pharmacist at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She works under the pharmacy’s rheumatology service where she leverages her diverse background in both traditional and alternative medicine to provide comprehensive disease state management and specialty medication education. At Penn State Health, she emphasizes the importance of empowering patients through education and active participation in their treatment plans. Since graduating from Wilkes University in 2014, Dr. Smith has completed advanced certifications in medication therapy management through the American Pharmacist Association (APhA) and the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network (PPCN). In 2023, Dr. Smith received the Certified Specialty Pharmacist® Certificant (CSP) and Board-Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialist (BCMTMS) designations.
Furthermore, her dedication to professional development was accentuated by her completion of the ASHP University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Teaching Certificate for Pharmacists. Dr. Smith is deeply committed to education and training the next generations of pharmacists. She currently teaches a pharmacy elective at her alma mater, Wilkes University. Over the last two years, Dr. Smith has been able to share her passion for rheumatology and was invited to present continuing education for pharmacists on the state and national levels at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, respectively.
Dr. Smith is the recipient of a few distinct awards: the Upsher-Smith and NASPA Excellence in Innovation Award in 2024, the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association “Top Ten under Ten” Award 2024, the Pharmacy Podcasts – “Pharmacy 50” #28 and #26 Most Influential Pharmacy Leader for 2023 and 2024, and the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) First Time Faculty Speaker 2023.
As of April 2025, Dr. Smith reported no ongoing external relationships.
Dr. Wasko is retired Division Director of Rheumatology for Allegheny Health Network. Under her leadership, the Division grew from four members to over twenty practitioners, and opened a rheumatology fellowship to train two fellows each year. She is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Previously, Dr. Wasko served as a rheumatologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Wasko previously served on the ABIM Rheumatology Exam-Writing Committee for six years. She was voted annually to the Best Doctors in Pittsburgh list, 2012 to 2020, as well as voted one of the Best Doctors in America, 2003 to 2020. She has fifteen years of external funding for investigator-initiated clinical research, serving as primary investigator and co-investigator on rheumatoid arthritis-related studies. Her work has resulted in a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Arthritis and Rheumatology and The Journal of the American Medical Association.
As of March 2025, Dr. Wasko reported the following external relationships:
Dr. Wasko provides lectures for a family medicine continuing medical education course, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses and honoraria.
Dr. Wasko is retired Division Director of Rheumatology for Allegheny Health Network. Under her leadership, the Division grew from four members to over twenty practitioners, and opened a rheumatology fellowship to train two fellows each year. She is ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Previously, Dr. Wasko served as a rheumatologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Wasko previously served on the ABIM Rheumatology Exam-Writing Committee for six years. She was voted annually to the Best Doctors in Pittsburgh list, 2012 to 2020, as well as voted one of the Best Doctors in America, 2003 to 2020. She has fifteen years of external funding for investigator-initiated clinical research, serving as primary investigator and co-investigator on rheumatoid arthritis-related studies. Her work has resulted in a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Arthritis and Rheumatology and The Journal of the American Medical Association.
As of March 2025, Dr. Wasko reported the following external relationships:
Dr. Wasko provides lectures for a family medicine continuing medical education course, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses and honoraria.