Division of Rheumatology

Division Director: James D. Katz, MD

Fellowship Director: Rodolfo Curiel, MD

Musculoskeletal pain is frequently the reason that patients visit primary care physicians, and bone and joint diseases are common causes of morbidity and disability in society. With our aging population, arthritis will become an even more important condition that physicians will be expected to deal with.

The Division of Rheumatology provides a full clinical and academic service with a large outpatient practice, ongoing clinical research projects, and programs in health care policy for children with disabilities. Focusing on both acute and long-term care, the program offers a unique training opportunity due to the integration of adult and pediatric rheumatology.

For more information, please refer to the MFA GW Docs Rheumatology website: Click here.

Patient Care Services

The division provides consultative services for the diagnosis and management of patients with both common and complex musculoskeletal problems, including bursitis and tendinitis, gout, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, back and neck pain, osteoporosis, and Lyme disease, as well as systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathies, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myopathies, and vasculitis. House staff actively participate in the outpatient faculty practice, which is run like a “teaching private practice.” The inpatient consultative service follows patients with musculoskeletal disorders on medical, surgery, orthopedics, and other hospital services. There is close interaction with other disciplines including orthopedics, renal medicine, dermatology, rehabilitation and physical therapy and programs at Children’s National Medical Center including prevocation assessment and the Adolescent Employment Readiness Center .

Teaching Program

The Division of Rheumatology offers an active teaching program covering the clinical, diagnostic laboratory, and research aspects of rheumatology. House officers are closely supervised by attending faculty, and trainees learn how to clinically assess and manage patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

The division has didactic seminars including journal club, clinical conference, research conference, radiology conference and interdepartmental conferences with orthopedics, pathology, and rehabilitation. In addition there are city-wide clinical rheumatology conferences.

Fellowship Training and Research

The division’s fellowship program is a two-year advanced medical training program fully accredited by the ACGME. In the recent past, fellows completing this program have all passed their board certifications and have gone on to both academic and private practice opportunities.

Rheumatology Faculty

James D. Katz, MD
Professor of Medicine; Director, Division of Rheumatology
Fields of Interest: Osteoporosis, System Lupus Erythematosus
Dr. Katz has been honored as Faculty Member of the Year by the George Washington University Department of Medicine and received the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. Dr Katz’s research interests, lectures, and publications have focused on pain, crystal-induced arthropathies, CR-1-cytoskeletal interactions in neutrophils, osteoporosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. He is a fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and a fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Rodolfo Curiel, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Fields of Interest: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Mandana Hashefi, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Fields of Interest: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis Psoriatic Arthritis, Inflammatory Myopathies, and Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography

Mahnaz Momeni, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Fields of Interest: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Osteoporosis

Patience White, MD
Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics
Fields of Interest: Pediatric Rheumatology

Nora Taylor, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine