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Final Program


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

Recognizing Grief and Depression: Why It Matters in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases

Sunday, October 26, 2025
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Central Time

    Moderator(s)

  • RG

    Rebecca Gillett, MS, OT

    Insight Wellness, LLC
    Centennial, Colorado, United States

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

  • Adena Batterman, LCSW,MSW

    Senior Manager
    Hospital for Special Surgery
    Harrington Park, New Jersey, United States

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

    • Session Coordinator(s)

  • KK

    Kimberly Kimpton, PT

    Self employed
    Centennial, Colorado, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

This discussion will include perspectives on grief and depression from three panelists: a patient who has lived with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and depression for over three decades, a physician, and a clinical social worker who specializes in addressing the emotional impact of living with rheumatic disease, including grief and resiliency. The panelists will share their experiences related to how grief and depression show up in pediatric and adult patients with rheumatic diseases, the relationship between depression and grief, and strategies for how providers can best support the emotional health of their patients who are facing losses in their abilities and the impact on self-concept and identity.

Panelists will address prescribing and monitoring medications. Panelists will also take questions from the audience about their experiences and recommendations for helping patients cope with grief. Possible discussion questions: How does grief show up in the clinic/how to know what to look for? What is the relationship between depression and grief? What are strategies for helping patients manage their grief? As a patient, how do you differentiate whether you are experiencing grief or symptoms of depression? What can doctors do to recognize and support grief in their practice? How do you intervene with someone who is grieving?

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the similarities and differences between depression and grief in patients with rheumatic diseases
  • Identify various strategies and resources to support patients coping with grief
  • Describe how grief and depression affect patient outcomes and adherence to therapies
  • Outline methods for evaluation of grief and depression and how to apply them
  • Discuss the basic medications available to treat depression and grief, how they vary, their possible side effects, and how they are monitored

Presentations:

  • 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Central Time
    Depression/Grief Lecture 1

    Speaker: Courtney Wells, PhD, MPH, MSW – University of Wisconsin-River Falls

  • 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Central Time
    Meds and Monitoring

    Speaker: Hanna Zembrzuska, MD – University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

  • 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Central Time
    Depression/Grief Lecture 2

    Speaker: Barbara Slusher, PA-C,MSW – Hope Health