Top US Experts in Psoriatic Arthritis Identified

Treating psoriatic arthritis can be challenging. As a condition with no cure, its symptoms can appear in stages: patients typically notice the scaly skin patches of psoriasis before developing joint problems. Other patients, however, first experience the stiff, swollen, and painful joints associated with the condition and only later display symptoms of psoriasis.

Also complicating treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis is the potential for serious disease progression. Additionally, some patients with psoriatic arthritis will develop arthritis mutilans, a relatively rare disease that leads to permanent and disabling deformities of the hands.¹ Still others will experience problems with blurred vision and eye infections, in addition to the increased risk for cardiovascular disease faced by all individuals with psoriatic arthritis.

Given the varied presentations of the disease and the potential for numerous complications, even seasoned rheumatologists may benefit from consulting with top experts in psoriatic arthritis or referring patients for expert care. To help identify the providers and researchers with leading expertise in psoriatic arthritis and other specialties, Expertscape has developed an online physician ranking search tool.

To help understand the platform’s methodology, the following is an overview of how Expertscape determines the top experts for each of its 29,000 and growing searchable fields.

Ranking Medical Expertise

Determining expertise in any field or topic is at least somewhat subjective. But when seeking a useful medical consult, doing so is necessary. To facilitate the process, Expertscape gives users the ability to find experts in different categories of clinical interest.  The platform delivers search results by employing an algorithm designed to reveal rankings of expertise.

It begins with the PubMed database, seeking published articles containing the specified search term. In order to ensure currency, the platform limits that search to the past 10 years. Each article then receives a score for the type of publication, with study authors scoring higher than individuals with published opinion letters. Scores also go up if the expert is a lead author rather than a contributing researcher. More prestigious journals also increase an expert’s score in the algorithm. Once all points are tallied, Expertscape delivers its list of expert rankings. The delivered results can be provided on a global level or narrowed by specific geographic regions.

Meet Expertscape’s Top Psoriatic Arthritis Specialists in the United States

Philip Mease, MD

Philip Mease, MD, is a Seattle-based rheumatologist affiliated with Swedish Medical Center. While Dr Mease has a wide range of clinical interests, he indicated in a telephone interview with Rheumatology Advisor that his current research is strongly focus on emerging classes of medication for psoriatic arthritis. “In order to really keep people in remission or low disease activity,” Dr Mease explains, one must recognize that, “the effectiveness of these drugs will sometimes wear off. In my practice, where I see more severe patients, we have to cycle through drugs.”

Dr Mease recently published a study in The Lancet on the effectiveness of interleukin-23 inhibitors, “an exciting class of emerging medication.” Thanks to his ongoing research into other medications classes, Dr Mease says that in comparison to the past, “It’s a pretty good time to be experiencing [psoriatic arthritis] because in virtually all cases we can get to a state of intermission with relative safety.” 

In addition to research, Dr Mease is editor or co-editor of several critical textbooks for psoriatic arthritis. He also has a busy clinical practice that is open to patient referrals and virtual patient care. “At a medical content level, I’ve been surprised by how much we’ve been able to communicate [with patients via telemedicine],” he says. “With psoriatic arthritis, I can do a certain amount of visual evaluation with skin checks, obvious joint swelling, and dactylitis…90% of what we get done in the office is getting done in an ethical and responsible way [via telemedicine].”

Arthur Kavanaugh, MD

Arthur Kavanaugh, MD, is professor of medicine and the director of the Center for Innovative Medicine at UC San Diego Health. He maintains a clinical practice as a rheumatologist and immunologist with locations in San Diego and La Jolla, California. Dr Kavanaugh is also head of the Kavanaugh Lab, conducting research on lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, scleroderma, and gout in addition to psoriatic arthritis.

Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH

Christopher Ritchlin, MD, MPH, is professor and chief of the department of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. He also leads the school’s Ritchlin Lab, conducting research into why bones are reabsorbed and the causes of new bone growth in individuals with inflammatory arthritic conditions such as psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Ritchlin is also director of the Clinical Immunology Research Unit, where he conducts Investigator New Drug trials for treating psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Alice Gottlieb, MD, PhD

Alice Gottlieb, MD, PhD, is medical director at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine, both in New York City. One of the pioneers of tumor necrosis factor-blocking therapy for psoriasis, her current research involves the use of targeted immunobiologic agents in treatment. Her work is building a foundation to develop new biologic drugs for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Dr Gottlieb maintains a clinical practice at Mount Sinai Beth Israel as a triple-boarded physician in dermatology, rheumatology, and internal medicine.

Alexis R. Ogdie-Beatty, MD, MSCE

Alexis R. Ogdie-Beatty, MD, MSCE, is associate professor of epidemiology and associate professor of medicine at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She directs the Penn Psoriatic Arthritis program, where she sees clinic patients while investigating causes of and treatments for psoriatic arthritis. Dr Ogdie-Beatty is currently studying the cardiovascular outcomes of patients with psoriatic arthritis. She is also working to identify early psoriatic arthritis detection methods for patients who present with psoriasis, as well as the use of imaging in diagnosing psoriatic arthritis. 

Although not every Expertscape-listed physician will open to or available for colleague consultations. those like Dr Mease who are willing to share their expertise will contribute to the dissemination of shared knowledge for the benefit of both clinicians and patients alike.

Reference

Psoriatic arthritis. Mayo Clinic website. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/psoriatic-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354076. Accessed September 13, 2020.