Clinical Steering Committee 2008

Donald P. Tashkin M.D.
Professor of Medicine Medical Director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory.
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Areas of Interest:
Effects of marijuana and crack cocaine on the lung
Marijuana and lung carcinogenesis
Early intervention (e.g., inhaled corticosteroids, smoking cessation) in COPD
Microelectronic monitoring of medication adherence in asthma and COPD
Novel pharmacologic approaches to treatment of asthma and COPD
HRCT and physiologic assessment of small airways involvement in asthma
Treatment of scleroderma lung disease


James R. Seibold MD, FACP, FACR
Director of the Scleroderma Program
University of Michigan.
He had been on the faculty of UMDNJ from 1980-2004 where he had served as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Director of the Clinical Research Center and as the W.H. Conzen Chair of Clinical Pharmacology. Author of more than 300 scientific publications, he is considered a world thought leader in scleroderma, Raynaud's phenomenon and interventional research in the rheumatologic diseases. He has received multiple awards from arthritis and scleroderma patient organizations and appears on virtually every listing of "Best Doctors".

Dr. Seibold is currently the President of the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium


Kevin K. Brown MD
Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine
Acting Head of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Associate Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine, University Of Colorado

Areas of Interest:
Interstitial Lung Disease, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Autoimmune-related Lung Disease
Patients with interstitial lung disease
Mechanisms responsible for the initiation and progression of lung fibrosis.
Lung disease in patients with autoimmune disorders such rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, among others


Richard M. Silver M.D.
Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Medical University Of South Carolina

Areas of Interest:
scleroderma
scleroderma lung disease, now the leading cause of death among patients with scleroderma
childhood rheumatic diseases
He played an instrumental role in the design and development of the Scleroderma Lung Study (SLS) and continues to serve as principlal investigator for the SLS's Biological Samples Repository.

In addition, Dr. Silver is principal investigator of a Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center (MCRC) for the Study of Rheumatic Diseases in African-Americans funded by NIAMS. Dr. Silver has led the efforts to coordinate care for children in South Carolina with rheumatic diseases for the past 25 years, and he continues to provide clinical care and conduct clinical research


Virginia Steen MD
Professor, Director, Rheumatology Fellowship program
Georgetown University Hospital
Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy Division

Areas of Interest:
Evaluation and treatment of scleroderma
Systemic lupus erythematosis
Myositis and undifferentiated CTD