Discover a few of the publications from AWIR members engaged in rheumatology and related disciplines.
These works reflect ongoing efforts to deepen understanding, improve care, and inform practice. New contributions will be added as they become available.
Temporal Trends in the Incidence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in the United States (US): Holding Steady?
Since SLE is associated with significant morbidity and healthcare burden, estimates of SLE incidence are needed to inform research and public health initiatives, including rheumatology workforce planning. SLE incidence estimates may be affected by health care access or care-seeking behaviour (which may have been altered during COVID-19 pandemic years i.e. 2020-2022) and/or by changing environmental factors (e.g. viral triggers, climate change). Our objective is to estimate annual SLE incidence rates over time, using real-world US data.
These clinically relevant real-world data suggest SLE incidence in the US is holding steady, during the period 2016-2022. Potential limitations of our analyses include selection bias (all individuals had private insurance), short average follow-up time period, and possible outcome misclassification, including the possibility that some prevalent SLE cases were mis-characterized as incident. Additional/ongoing analyses will consider other important factors, such as urban-versus-rural residence, race/ethnicity, and environmental exposures over a longer time period.
Practice guidelines in enterprise article
At AWIR, we believe in leadership without boundaries. We are champions for change, challenging outdated practices and behaviors that have historically hindered equitable access to leadership roles.
Members of our organization have contributed to important new research published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. The article, titled “Seven Principles for Integrating Health Equity Considerations in the Practice Guideline Enterprise,” presents a framework to support the systematic inclusion of equity throughout the development of clinical practice guidelines. The principles outlined in the publication emphasize the need for deliberate planning, engagement with diverse communities, inclusive evidence synthesis, and evaluation of impact. By participating in this collaborative effort, our members are helping to shape more inclusive, patient-centered healthcare practices that address longstanding health disparities.
Enhancing health equity considerations in guidelines- health equity extension of the GIN-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist
We are pleased to share that members of our organization contributed to the recently published health equity extension of the GIN-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist, now available in eClinicalMedicine. This rigorously developed tool introduces 23 extension items across 17 domains of guideline development, offering structured guidance for integrating health equity considerations throughout the entire lifecycle of clinical and public health guidelines.
Developed through a global consensus process involving diverse interest holders, including patients with lived experience, the checklist aims to address persistent gaps in how health inequities are considered in guideline development. By formalizing strategies such as inclusive group composition, equity-relevant evidence synthesis, and tailored dissemination approaches, this extension supports the creation of more just, transparent, and actionable recommendations for populations historically excluded from health decision making processes. We are proud to support this collective effort to advance equitable guideline development worldwide.
The Influence of Race, Ethnicity, Historical Redlining on Psoriatic Disease Burden and Clinical Outcomes
Sharon Dowell MD1, Brittany Banbury MD2, Christopher Jenkins MD3,4,5, Emily E. Holladay MPH6, Fenglong Xie PhD6, Jingyi Zhang MS6, Grace C. Wright MD PhD7, Jeffrey R. Curtis MD MS MPH6,8 and Gail S. Kerr3,4, Arthritis Rheum, 2025, in publication.
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Journal Publications
1. Dowell S, Banbury B, Jenkins C, Holladay EE, Xie F, Zhang J, Wright GC, Curtis JR, Kerr GS. The Influence of Race, Ethnicity and Historical Redlining on Psoriatic Disease Burden and Clinical Outcomes. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2026 Mar;78(3):644-653. doi: 10.1002/art.43397. Epub 2025 Dec 19. PMID: 40999748.
2. Banbury B, Dowell S, Jenkins C, Holladay EE, Xie F, Zhang J, Wright GC, Curtis JR, Kerr GS. Where We Live Matters: Varied Disease Burden and Treatment Patterns in Psoriatic Arthritis in the United States. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025 Sep 11. doi: 10.1002/art.43377.
3. Dowell S, Swearingen CJ, Pedra-Nobre M, Wollaston D, Najmey S, Elliott CL, Ford TL, North H, Dore R, Dolatabadi S, Ramanujam T, Kennedy S, Ott S, Jileaeva I, Richardson A, Wright G, Kerr GS. Associations of Cost Sharing With Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Burden. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2023 Aug;5(8):381-387. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11575. Epub 2023 Jun 19. PMID: 37334885; PMCID: PMC10425581.
4. Dowell S, Yun H, Curtis JR, Chen L, Xie F, Pedra-Nobre M, Wollaston D, Najmey S, Elliott CL, Ford TL, North H, Dore R, Dolatabadi S, Ramanujam T, Kennedy S, Ott S, Jileaeva I, Richardson A, Kaine J, Wright G, Kerr GS. Geographic Variation in Disease Burden and Mismatch in Care of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in the United States. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2023 Apr;5(4):181-189. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11532. Epub 2023 Feb 21. PMID: 36811270; PMCID: PMC10100689.
5. Ban B, Gokaraju S, Worthing A, Maher K, Wright G, Kerr G. Increasing Advocacy Awareness in Early Career Rheumatologists: A Web-Based Educational Tool. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2022 Nov;74(11):1786-1791. doi: 10.1002/acr.24719. Epub 2022 Aug 6. PMID: 34057295.
Conference Abstracts
1. Bernatsky S, Dowell S, Banbury B, Curtis J, Wright G, Holladay E, Mudano A, Moura C, Kerr G. Temporal Trends in the Incidence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in the United States (US): Holding Steady?
[abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025; 77 (suppl 9).
https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/temporal-trends-in-the-incidence-of-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-sle-in-the-united-states-us-holding-steady/
2. Bacalao, M., Wright, G., Kerr, G., & Dowell, S. (2025). ABS1126 HIGH INTEREST AMONGST NON-ACADEMIC RHEUMATOLOGISTS FOR INVOLVEMENT IN CLINICAL TRIALS IN THE UNITED STATES. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 84, 1813.
3. Banbury B, Jenkins C, Dowell S, et al POS0960 Regional Variability in Psoriatic Arthritis Disease Characteristics, Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity: Examining Distribution of Patient Burden and Physician Care in the United States. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2024;83:689-690
4. Banbury B, Dowell S, Jenkins C, Holladay E, Xie F, Zhang J, Wright G, Curtis J, Kerr G. The Impact of Race and Ethnicity and Historical Redlining on Psoriatic Disease Burden0 [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024; 76 (suppl 9).
https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-race-and-ethnicity-and-historical-redlining-on-psoriatic-disease-burden/
5. Banbury B, Dowell S, Jenkins C, Holladay E, Clinton C, Xie F, Zhang J, Wright G, Curtis J, Kerr G. Greater Glucocorticoid and Less Biologic/Targeted Therapy Use in Midwest PsA Patients Despite Prevalent Comorbidity [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024; 76 (suppl 9).
https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/greater-glucocorticoid-and-less-biologic-targeted-therapy-use-in-midwest-psa-patients-despite-prevalent-comorbidity/
6. Dowell S, Yun H, Curtis J, Chen L, Pedra-Nobre M, Wollaston D, NAJMEY S, Lawrence-Elliott C, Lawrence-Ford T, North H, Dore R, Dolatabadi S, Ramanujam T, Winkler A, Kennedy S, Ott S, Ledbetter S, Wright G, Kerr G. The Distribution of Social Deprivation, Distance to Care and Disease Burden in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in the United States [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021; 73 (suppl 9).
7. Kerr G, Swearingen C, Pedra-Nobre M, Wollaston D, Najmey S, Lawrence-Elliott C, Lawrence Ford T, Dowell S, North H, Dore R, Dolatabadi S, Ramanujam T, Winkler A, Kennedy S, Jileaeva I, Richardson A, Kaine J, Wright G. Geographical Disparity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Burden Independent of Race/Ethnicity [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020; 72 (suppl 10).