MICHAEL E. WEINBLATT, MD

Michael E. Weinblatt, MD, is Co-Director of Clinical Rheumatology and Director of Therapeutics Unit in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a lecturer in pharmacology at Harvard Medical School.

He earned his BA at McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) in Westminster and his MD magna cum laude at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He completed an internship and residency in medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed a clinical fellowship in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a clinical fellowship in rheumatology at Robert B. Brigham Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Weinblatt’s major research interests are therapeutic interventions in rheumatoid arthritis. He wrote a book entitled The Arthritis Action Program. An Integrated Plan of Traditional and Complementary Therapies as well as numerous reviews, textbook chapters, and abstracts. He is the author or coauthor of nearly 100 articles published in such peer-reviewed journals as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Journal of Rheumatology. Dr. Weinblatt is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Clinical Practice and an invited reviewer for New England Journal of Medicine, Arthritis and Rheumatism, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, among others. A member of several professional organizations, he is Past President of the American College of Rheumatology.

LOUIS KURITZKY, MD

Louis Kuritzky, MD is a family physician affiliated with the University of Florida, Department of Community Health and Family Medicine as a clinical assistant professor. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, and completed his internship at Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio.

Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Florida in 1983, where he continues his academic affiliation, Dr. Kuritzky had been a member of the UCLA Family Medicine Clinical Faculty. His current professional society participation includes the American Society of Hypertension, Florida Medical Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Kuritzky has received certification as a Specialist in Hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension.

Dr. Kuritzky has spent the majority of his career as an educator, and given literally hundreds of presentations, including at local and national meetings of professional societies. He has also written textbook chapters and contributed over 100 publications to the literature, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Comprehensive Therapy, and Hospital Practice.

CLIFTON O. BINGHAM III, MD

Clifton O. Bingham III, MD, is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and Attending Physician at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Bingham earned his BA at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and his MD at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. He completed a clinical fellowship in rheumatology and another clinical fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a research fellowship in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, reviews, textbook chapters, and abstracts on interleukin-3, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, molecular and cellular biology of the mast cell, mediators of inflammation, biologic agents, and other related topics. Dr. Bingham is a member of the American College of Rheumatology, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and Osteoarthritis Research Society International. His many honors and awards include the 2005-2006 Arthritis Investigator Award from the National Arthritis Foundation.

KAREN H. COSTENBADER, MD, MPH

Karen H. Costenbader, MD, MPH is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

She earned her BA with honors at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Dr. Costenbader earned her MD at Harvard Medical School and MPH at Harvard School of Public Health. She completed an internship in medicine, a residency in medicine, and a fellowship in rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She completed a clinical research fellowship at Robert B. Brigham Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, Clinical Research Center at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, also in Boston.

As a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator, Dr. Costenbader has conducted research on epidemiology and risk factors for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis; effects of statins on lipid levels, inflammation, and endothelial function in SLE; hormones and genes in women’s health; and other topics. She is the author or co-author of articles on these and related topics that are published in American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Rheumatology, Arthritis Care Research, and American Journal of Medicine, to name a few. She is an ad hoc reviewer for Lancet, Arthritis and Rheumatism, and Arthritis Care and Research, to name a few. Dr. Costenbader is the recipient of many honors, including the Arthritis Foundation Arthritis Investigator Award, American College of Rheumatology Clinical Investigator Award, and Katherine Swan Ginsburg Memorial Award for Research in Rheumatic Diseases. She is a member of the American Medical Association, American College of Rheumatology, American College of Physicians, and Massachusetts Medical Society.

DAVID S. KOUNTZ, MD

David S. Kountz, MD is associate professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Primary Care in the Department of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In addition, he is medical director of the Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Group, the 450-physician multispecialty group practice of the school.

Dr. Kountz completed his undergraduate education at Princeton University and medical school at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He then served his internship, residency, and chief residency in medicine at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Kountz has completed nondegreed fellowships in primary care faculty development (Michigan State University) and health care management (University of North Carolina).

Dr. Kountz has published numerous articles and abstracts on a variety of primary care topics, mostly related to cardiovascular disease and the impact of managed care on medical education. He is currently funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, evaluating the feasibility of innovative educational strategies for residents in managed care settings, as well as the study of the quality of diabetes care in managed care. Dr. Kountz serves on the editorial board of Ethnicity and Disease, and is a reviewer for Academic Medicine and Annals of Internal Medicine. He is a member of several national organizations, including fellowships in the American College of Physicians and the Association for Academic Minority Physicians. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB). Dr. Kountz has received numerous awards for teaching and community service, including recognition as "intern of the year" and "resident of the year" during his training. He was awarded the Battafarano Practicing Physician Award of Excellence at Hahnemann University School of Medicine in 1994, as well as the Frances Black Humanitarian Award from the Friend's Health Network for his work with inmates as well as his participation on a grant to develop a primary care clinic in Minsk, Belarus, and the Award of Honor from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. In 2002, Dr. Kountz was elected to the Stuart D. Cook Master Educators' Guild of UMDNJ.

LESLIE D. MCDOWELL, BSN, MSN, NP

Leslie D. McDowell, BSN, MSN, NP, is an Adult Registered Nurse Practitioner in an office-based practice specializing in rheumatology in Waynesville, North Carolina.

Ms. McDowell earned her BSN from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and her MSN from the University of Florida. She is certified as an adult registered nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

She has conducted regional and national invited presentations on fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and collaborative practice. Ms. McDowell is the coauthor of an article on ankle sprains published in The Nurse Practitioner and the author of a patient education brochure entitled Arthritis and Sexuality, Practical Ways to Cope. She is a member of the Society of Nurses in Advanced Practice and Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, sitting on the Nurse Practitioner/PA Training Task Force and Clinical Care Text Evaluation Task Force.

MARTIN M. MINER, MD

Dr. Martin Miner currently practices at Swansea Family Practice in Swansea, Massachusetts. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in Family Medicine at the Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College with his AB in Biology and received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Upon receiving his MD, he completed his residency at Brown University and spent time working with the Indian Health Service Corps.

Dr. Miner presently holds memberships in the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians. He has published in the areas of ED and CVD, BPH and LUTS and male sexuality. He has given numerous presentations and is currently active in several research studies on men’s health. He was chosen the Brown Teacher of the Year in 2003.