Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) faculty member Laura Schanberg, MD, was recently honored with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Master Designation during the College’s annual meeting, Convergence, 2024. The honor is an Award of Merit from the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP) and reflects Schanberg’s outstanding contributions to the advancement of rheumatology.
The Master of the ARP Designation is one of the highest honors in the rheumatology field. The designation of Master is conferred on ARP members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through service to the ACR/ARP and advancements in research, practice, education, or advocacy.
Schanberg, a professor of pediatrics in the Duke School of Medicine’s Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, is a founding steering committee member of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Alliance (CARRA), and co-chair of the CARRA Registry’s Research and Registry Oversight Committee. The registry is the largest ongoing, observational registry in North America of clinical and patient-reported information about children and young adults with pediatric-onset rheumatic diseases. The registry makes it possible for affected children and families to participate in meaningful clinical and translational research to advance science. It has enrolled more than 13,500 patients at 74 active sites across North America and Israel and more than 90,000 clinical visits recorded.
Schanberg is an active and prolific researcher, currently co-leading a groundbreaking longitudinal study to develop a treatment protocol for children who have not responded to initial medication for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. She was the principal investigator for CARRA’s Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus (APPLE) trial, a multicenter randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of atorvastatin in preventing cardiovascular complications of systemic lupus erythematosus.
She was recognized as a Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Alumna in 2022 for her immense contributions to pediatric rheumatology research and her aptitude for mentoring young clinician researchers.
“The ACR Master Designation is especially important to me because it represents recognition by peers both within and outside of the pediatric rheumatology community,” Schanberg said. “As a fellow and junior faculty member, I always aspired to be a Master and looked up to my colleagues who achieved this designation. It is exciting to join them!”
The ACR’s Membership and Awards Committee, a joint committee composed of both ACR and ARP volunteers, reviews all nomination submissions. Nominees are considered for an award based on criteria that range from their academic and scholarly representation to their rheumatology service record both inside and outside the College.