Video: The State of Scleroderma Treatments & Outcomes

Scleroderma Foundation eLetter

eLetter #403

Greetings!

African-American Scleroderma Education Program

Save the Date icon The Scleroderma Foundation is proud to announce a new program coming this fall. On Saturday, Sept. 24, we are teaming up with Virginia Steen, M.D., and Laura Hummers, M.D., ScM, to present the first African-American Scleroderma Education Program.

This special event for patients, caregivers and family members will be held at the Tremont Plaza Hotel, 222 St. Paul Place, in Baltimore, Md.

Dr. Steen is a member of the Foundation's Medical Advisory Board and is a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hummers is co-director of Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center, and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Additional program speakers will be announced in the future. For more information about this program, email Kerri Connolly, Director of Programs and Services, at kconnolly@scleroderma.org.

National Conference Update

We're just about a month away from this year's National Patient Education Conference in San Francisco July 8-10. Have you registered for the conference program and reserved your hotel room yet?

Hurry to make your plans to attend this excellent event so you don't miss out on quality programs with leading experts from the scleroderma community! Learn more today!

Dental & Pharmacy Workshops Added to Program

David Leader, D.M.D., will host "Dental Issues Related to Scleroderma." Scleroderma may contribute to unique problems related to the mouth and the teeth. Managing dental and oral care can be particularly challenging, due to the changes that can occur in your face and mouth. This workshop provides practical tips for managing your day-to-day mouth and dental care and coordinating your care with your dentist.

JoAnna Harper, Pharm.D, RPh, will lead "Making Pharmacy Phun." This workshop is designed to give the patient and their loved ones a basic understanding of pharmacy and pharmacology. This includes defining the terminology used in pharmacy, how some of your medications work through drawings and/or cartoons, and precautions to take with kidney or liver dysfunction. Other practical topics will be discussed including: the role your pharmacist plays in your health care team, how to get the most out of your prescriptions (and possible ways to save money), common scleroderma-related medication concerns (including pediatric concerns) and tips from pharmacists and doctors about your medication.

Study: Quality of Care for Scleroderma Patients

A new study led by Dinesh Khanna, M.D., MSc, University of Michigan, has developed quality indicators to help evaluate and improve care for scleroderma patients.

Download the full "Quality Indicator Set for Systemic Sclerosis" study.

Teleseminar
Sex & Scleroderma - June 15

You're invited by the Southern California Chapter to a teleseminar at 11 a.m. (Pacific) Wednesday, June 15, about Sex and Scleroderma. The session will be led by Elaine Furst, B.S.N., R.N.

To access the teleseminar, call (877) 216-1555. Use the passcode 981555.

[Video] The State of Scleroderma Treatments

Daniel Furst, M.D., Division of Rheumatology, University of California-Los Angeles, and Christopher Denton, Ph.D., Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, England, discussed the current status of scleroderma treatments and outcomes at the 2011 EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) Congress that was held May 25-28 in London.

Watch the video now.