Welcome to RheumMadness – the place for everyone who is crazy about rheumatology to connect, collaborate, compete, and learn together.

In RheumMadness, rheumatology learning concepts compete against each other in a tournament, much like basketball teams in the NCAA March Madness tournament. Participants (THAT’S YOU) learn about the teams by reading scouting reports written by rheumatology trainees and attendings from all around the world. Then, you fill out your own bracket to predict which team you think will win the tournament. Your picks are matched up against those of a blue ribbon panel of rheumatology experts. The more your picks match those of the panel, the more points you get, and the participants with the most correct predictions will be crowned the winners of RheumMadness!

In summary, here’s how to play:

1. Read “scouting reports” and listen to the RheumMadness podcast to learn about the teams in the tournament.
2. Submit your picks between March 1 through March 31, 2025.
3. Enjoy the tournament! The tournament results will be released in 4 rounds from April 1-7, 2025.

First time playing? Check out this quick explainer video (using the 2024 bracket):

 

Who makes RheumMadness?

Our leadership team is comprised of attendings, fellows, residents, and medical students from multiple different institutions.

Faculty Leadership

 

David Leverenz, MD, MEd is the creator and director of RheumMadness.  He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology.

 

 

Laura Arneson, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University

 

 

 

Akrithi Udupa Garren, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Medstar / Georgetown Washington Hospital Center.

 

 

Guy Katz, MD is an Instructor in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

 

 

Michael Macklin, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

 

 

Lisa Criscione-Schreiber, MD, MEd is an advisor and mentor for RheumMadness. She is a Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology.

 

Matthew Sparks, MD is the creator of NephMadness and serves an advisor and mentor for RheumMadness. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology.

 

Fellow Leaders

 

Lauren He, MD is a rheumatology fellow at the University of Michigan.

 

 

 

Ben Kellogg, MD is a rheumatology fellow at Duke University.

 

 

 

Sabahat Usmani, MD is a rheumatology fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin

 

 

Resident Leaders

 

Meridith Balbach, MD is an internal medicine resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

 

 

 

Amanda Rodriguez, DO is an internal medicine resident at Lankenau Medical Center

 

 

Eric Wilson, MD is an internal medicine resident at Duke University