30 Fellows Trained
The annual Geoff Carr Fellowship has trained over 30 fellows in best practices in diagnosing and treating lupus. Each fellow has participated in critical lupus research.
Improving Quality of Life
It currently takes an average of 6 years for a patient to get a proper diagnosis of lupus. The education received by these fellows is changing the quality of life and outcomes for many lupus patients. The Fellowship is open to applicants from around the world with preference given to Canadians.
Geoff Carr Fellows contributing to improving the lives of lupus patients
MD, Tala El Tal
The Hospital for Sick Children
Current Lupus Ontario Fellow
Area of study/focus while completing the Fellowship?
Neuropsychiatric lupus or NPSLE
How will the Geoff Carr Fellowship impact your future career?
The Fellowship has provided me with the funding to be able to do my fellowship and pursue my research.
Why should people donate to the Geoff Carr Fellowship/lupus research campaign?
There are 51 people per 100,000 of population in Canada have SLE, approximately 20% of this population occurs during childhood. Typically adolescence is a critical time period for neurodevelopment. There continues to be a number of unanswered questions in SLE and donations will help us address this.
What are your hopes for lupus research if adequate funding is available?
Neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) was recently ranked one of the highest prioritized yet understudied research domains and continues to be a grey area. It remains one of the most challenging manifestations of SLE owing to the broad spectrum of syndromes that it encompasses, and our limited understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. NPSLE is associated with reduced patient quality of life and functioning. It affects approximately 30-50% of patients with childhood SLE (cSLE), of which up to 60% have cognitive dysfunction, ranging from mild to severe. It may adversely impact school and psychosocial functioning, treatment adherence, and quality of life for children with cSLE. My hopes are that more funding could help us understand this domain better.
Dr. Ambika Gupta
Trillium Health Partners
2021-2022 Lupus Ontario Fellow
Area of study/focus while completing the Fellowship?
Neuropsychiatric SLE and diagnosis of SLE
How does the Geoff Carr Fellowship impact careers?
I worked with and leaned from extraordinary mentors, such as Dr. Murray Urowitz, Dr. Dafna Gladman and Dr. Zahi Touma. I had the opportunity to develop sub-specialty expertise in diagnosing and treating patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). I learned to listen carefully to the patient’s story, be detail oriented, call patients in for an in-person exam when needed even during a pandemic, and not to be afraid to ask other specialists for advice!
Over the last year, I also had the opportunity to participate in clinical research with Dr Touma, specifically looking at neuropsychiatric SLE. I am currently in the process of finalizing my research manuscript which analyzes clusters of SLE patients according to cognitive function, self-reported outcomes and disease activity, and assesses the stability of clusters over a one-year period. In November 2021, I presented my findings at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting and will be doing an oral presentation at the Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Meeting in February 2022.
What’s next?
I am now starting practice at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ontario, and will also be working at an outpatient clinic in the area. I hope to develop a specialized clinic for patients with SLE locally as well. I am extremely thankful for the Geoff Carr Lupus fellowship and Lupus Ontario, for giving me the opportunity to receive sub-specialty training in SLE.
MD, PhD. Konstantinos Tselios
Assistant Professor, McMaster University -2014-2017 Lupus Ontario Fellow
Area of study/focus while completing the Fellowship?
Cardiovascular disease in lupus
How did the Geoff Carr Fellowship impact your future career?
The Geoff Carr Fellowship was instrumental for my future career. It gave me the support I needed to gain further knowledge in SLE and be able to transfer that expertise to the McMaster Lupus Clinic.
Why should people donate to the Geoff Carr Fellowship/lupus research campaign?
Lupus affects primarily young women and its impact on their quality of life can be devastating. Additional training in the very few lupus centres is much needed, even for specialists, in order to understand lupus and the peculiar characteristics of such patients. The Geoff Carr Fellowship is the only dedicated Canadian Fellowship for SLE and, thus, fundamental for the training of physicians in this disease.
What are your hopes for lupus research if adequate funding is available?
My true hope is to understand how we can “harness” or “reset” the immune system to correct the disorders that are present in lupus and try to cure this disease once and for all.
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