Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology

June 2026

Welcome from Rick Bucala, MD, PhD

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Dear Colleagues,

It’s an exciting time of growth for our section as we expand our team and introduce new programs to enhance our educational, research, and clinical efforts. As I noted in our last newsletter, we recently welcomed several new faculty members, including Shivani Garg, MD, PhD, and Katelyn Wong, MD, who are featured in the newsletter below. In the coming months, I will share more details about some of our new programs, which will focus on lupus, autoimmune lung disease, exercise interventions, and ultrasound training. I look forward to updating you soon.

In just a few weeks, we will welcome our new clinical fellows, who will work alongside our faculty while they continue their training. Erica Licari, MD; and Mai Nguyen, MD, PhD, will join our Allergy & Immunology Fellowship Program, and Alisha Eskew, MD; Alyssa Mitson-Salazar, MD, PhD; and Soziema Salia, MD, will join our Rheumatology Fellowship Program. We look forward to welcoming them to our team!

Please join me in congratulating two of our faculty members who were recently honored by the university for their exceptional mentorship of students and trainees: Evelyn Hsieh, MD, received the inaugural mid-career faculty award from the Fund for Physician-Scientist Mentorship for her mentorship of early-career physician-scientists, and Joseph Craft, MD, received a Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Mentor Award for his mentorship of graduate students in basic sciences. Congratulations!

If you have news or updates about your work that you would like to share, please reach out to us.

Thank you for your continued contributions to our patients, trainees, and colleagues. I look forward to building on this momentum together.

Sincerely,

Rick Bucala, MD, PhD
Chief, Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology
Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Professor of Pathology and of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)

Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology Spotlight

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T Cells, Not B Cells, Are the Culprit of Kidney Damage in Lupus
Scientists in the lab of Joseph Craft, MD, uncovered self-renewing immune cells that continually supply T cells that damage the kidneys in lupus patients.
Putting Patients at the Center of Lupus Research and Care
Shivani Garg, MD, PhD, director of the Lupus Clinical Research Program and co‑director of the Yale Lupus Program, is dedicated to patient-centered lupus research and care.
Outpatient Raynaud Treatment Saves Fingers and Toes
Yale is expanding access to a cutting-edge outpatient treatment to help patients whose fingers and toes are damaged by severe Raynaud phenomenon. By administering epoprostenol infusion to patients in outpatient settings, physicians can help prevent progressive loss of hand function and amputation.
Caring for Patients at Every Stage of Life
Katelyn Wong, MD, enjoys the changing role she plays as she cares for children, adolescents, and adults with a variety of allergic and immunologic conditions.
Four In Five: Women Carry the Burden of Autoimmune Disorders in America
Nationwide, more than 80% of patients living with autoimmune disorders are women, yet doctors and scientists don’t fully understand why.

In the News

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Cost of Physical Therapy Varies Widely From State-to-State
A new Yale study led by Joshua Skydel, MD, examines cost variation for physical therapy across the United States and found that costs vary substantially by location and insurance status.
Source: Yale News
Suffer From Seasonal Allergies? These Tips Will Help You Find Relief
In a Q&A, allergist and immunologist Florence Ida Hsu, MD, shares some practical advice for seasonal allergy sufferers.
Source: Yale News
Why Children Still Get the Sleepier Allergy Drug
First-generation oral antihistamines can be replaced with safer alternatives through relatively simple system changes, according to new research published in Pediatrics.
Source: Medscape (with Dr. Katelyn Wong)

T Cells, Not B Cells, Are the Culprit of Kidney Damage in Lupus

Putting Patients at the Center of Lupus Research and Care

Outpatient Raynaud Treatment Saves Fingers and Toes

Caring for Patients at Every Stage of Life

Four In Five: Women Carry the Burden of Autoimmune Disorders in America

Cost of Physical Therapy Varies Widely From State-to-State

Suffer From Seasonal Allergies? These Tips Will Help You Find Relief

Why Children Still Get the Sleepier Allergy Drug