Dr. Dana P. Ascherman

Chester V. Oddis, MD is a noted researcher in the clinical, epidemiological and serologic description of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. He has completed epidemiological studies on the incidence of polymyositis and dermatomyositis as well as longitudinal studies on functional disability in myositis patients. His focus has been in the autoantibody patterns in patients with inflammatory myopathy and their peculiar immunogenetic associations. Dr. Oddis has written extensively on the diagnosis and management of patients with myositis. He has published and lectured on the use of novel immunosuppressive agents such as tacrolimus (formerly FK506) in the treatment of patients with refractory myositis. This represents the only reported experience of this particular drug in the pharmacologic treatment of inflammatory myopathy. In collaboration with the Department of Neurology, he has assessed the efficacy and utility of outpatient needle muscle biopsy in the diagnosis of inflammatory myopathy. This is important given the cost-containment focus of the current health-care market. Dr. Oddis is the co-investigator on an important national NIH funded study on the efficacy of doxycycline in preventing the progression of knee osteoarthritis in middle-aged women. This study is the first of its kind in assessing the effect of a disease-modifying agent in osteoarthritis. Board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Oddis received his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and his undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Penn State and fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Oddis is highly rated in 12 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Dermatomyositis, Myositis, Polymyositis, and Antisynthetase Syndrome.

Dr. Rohit Aggarwal, MD is a Rheumatology Specialist in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Aggarwal has extensive experience in Rheumatologic Muscular Diseases, Osteoporosis & Screening, and Arthritis & Arthropathy. He is affiliated with medical facilities such as Upmc East and Upmc Northwest. Dr. Aggarwal is highly rated in 20 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Myositis, and Antisynthetase Syndrome.

Robert Lafyatis, MD, is a rheumatologist and is certified in rheumatology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is  the Thomas Medsger Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from University of Cincinnati and completed his residency at Wake Forest School of Medicine, followed by his fellowship at National Institutes of Health. Dr. Lafyatis’s clinical interests include systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) and its complications in the skin and lungs. His research interests include understanding the underlying cause of scleroderma and finding new treatments. Dr. Lafyatis directs the University of Pittsburgh/University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Scleroderma Center and the National Institutes of Health, Center for Scleroderma Research Translation.  He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and co-authors the Textbook of Rheumatology chapter on Scleroderma Pathogenesis. Dr. Lafyatis is highly rated in 7 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), Scleroderma, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Scleroma, and Pancreaticoduodenectomy.