The Bristol-Myers Squibb Pediatric Rheumatology Center at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is a leading, state-of-the-art rheumatology clinical center of excellence for children and adolescents.

Pediatric rheumatic diseases comprise a complex array of chronic diseases with fluctuating courses that often are challenging to diagnose and manage. These diseases often lead to significant morbidity in children—disability that may be permanent and can potentially affect different aspects of growth, development and quality of life. Early diagnosis is essential to properly manage these children to prevent long-term complications.

Our child-friendly and family-focused center provides comprehensive treatment, education and follow-up for pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases in New Jersey.

Our Mission:

1. To provide the best possible patient care for children with rheumatologic disorders
2. To develop a forum for teaching in rheumatologic pediatric diseases
3. To develop new research insights in the cause and treatment of these complex disorders

Our C.O.R.E. Focus

C = Clinical Care Services

The center is involved in the diagnoses and management of complex rheumatic diseases, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), spondyloarthropathy hypermobility disorders, reactive arthritis, polymyositis, juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), vasculitides, systemic sclerosis, linear scleroderma and morphea, fibromyalgia, periodic fever syndromes and regional musculoskeletal pain syndromes.

O = Outreach (Community Outreach)
The division serves the community by conducting outreach via Community Medical Education programs at other hospitals.

R = Research
Division faculty Drs. Lakshmi Moorthy and Alexis Boneparth are actively involved in research projects in pediatric rheumatology, both within the division and in collaborative projects. Faculty members are assisted in their research efforts each year by undergraduate and graduate students. Examples of research projects include:

• Health-related quality of life measure in pediatric lupus, whose objective was to conduct cross-cultural validation of Simple Measure of Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngsters© (SMILEY©) – Investigator: Dr. Moorthy
• ARCHIVE (A Registry for Children with Vasculitis e-entry): A Project Towards Establishment of a U.S./Canadian Diagnostic Registry of Children with Chronic Vasculitis, a multinational study to describe clinical features and response to treatment of patients with vasculitides – Investigators: Drs. Moorthy and Boneparth

Our physicians also have presented abstracts and published articles pertaining to pediatric rheumatology. Click here for a sample list.

E = Education
Our faculty is committed to teaching medical students, residents and adult rheumatology fellows about patients with pediatric rheumatic diseases. Faculty members serve as preceptors for case discussions and participate in lectures and as clerkship mentors, as well as assisting with physical diagnosis sessions.

Child Health Institute of New Jersey

89 French Street, Suite 2300

New Brunswick, NJ 08901

For Appointments: 732-235-4980

Chair

Lakshmi N. Moorthy, MD, MS