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Final Program


Schedule at a Glance
Legend
Program: Scientific Session
General Topic: Clinical

Gastrointestinal Manifestations of Connective Tissue Diseases: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Emerging Research

Tuesday, October 28, 2025
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Central Time

    Moderator(s)

  • CB

    Chiara Bellocchi, MD, PhD

    Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
    Milano, Milan, Italy

    Disclosure(s): AstraZeneca: Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Terminated, March 29, 2025)

  • Silvia Bellando-Randone, MD, PhD

    University of Florence
    Florence, Florence, Italy

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose

    • Session Coordinator(s)

  • Elizabeth Volkmann, MD, MS

    Associate Professor, Division of Rheumatology
    University of California, Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Disclosure(s): AbbVie/Abbott: Consultant (Ongoing); AstraZeneca: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); Atyr Pharma: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); Boehringer-Ingelheim: Consultant (Ongoing), Grant/Research Support (Ongoing), Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Ongoing); GlaxoSmithKlein(GSK): Consultant (Ongoing), Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); Horizon: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); Kadmon: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); Prometheus: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)

  • DeAnna Baker Frost, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston, South Carolina, United States

    Disclosure(s): Allogene: Consultant (Ongoing); Boehringer-Ingelheim: Consultant (Ongoing)

This session will review both clinical and translational aspects of gastrointestinal (GI) tract involvement in autoimmune rheumatic diseases. This multi-disciplinary session will feature the perspective of an expert gastroenterologist who review the diverse GI manifestations of autoimmune rheumatic diseases and guide the rheumatologist on how to diagnose these conditions and work collaboratively with gastroenterology. This session will also review the role of the gut microbiome in GI involvement, focusing on two novel areas: Using the gut microbiome to inform treatment decisions in rheumatoid arthritis and modifying the gut microbiome with nutritional approaches that may alleviate GI symptoms.

Learning Objectives:

  • Determine the optimal approach for diagnosing diverse GI manifestations of autoimmune rheumatic diseases
  • Evaluate the role of the gut microbiome in informing treatment decisions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
  • Define nutritional strategies that modify the gut microbiome and may alleviate symptoms of GI involvement in autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Presentations:

  • 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Central Time
    The Impact of the Gut Microbiome in Individuals at Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Speaker: Christopher Rooney, MD,PhD,MRCP – University of Leeds, UK

  • 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Central Time
    Gastrointestinal Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Impact of the Gut Microbiome on Treatment

    Speaker: Renuka Nayak, MD, PhD – University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

  • 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Central Time
    Nutrition and the Gut Microbiome: Dietary Modifications That May Ameliorate Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases

    Speaker: Elizabeth Volkmann, MD, MS – University of California, Los Angeles