Enida Xhaferi, MD, PhD
Albania
Anna Petoyan, MD
Armenia
Anna graduated as a medical doctor from the Yerevan State Medical University in 2013. She currently works as resident in rheumatology in the “Muratsan” University Hospital.
Her main research interests are antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and vasculitis.
Myriam Reisch, MD
Austria
Myriam studied at the Medical University of Vienna until 2019. Currently, she works as resident in the rheumatology department at the Medical University of Graz. Her research is focused on PMR and vasculitis.
She is an active member of the JÖGR (the Young Austrian Society of Rheumatology). She is very dedicated to clinical education and created the first rheumatological escape room in Europe.
Anastasyia Tushina, MD PhD
Belarus
Rositsa Dacheva, MD
Bulgaria
Rositsa graduated from the Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2013 . In 2020, she completed her rheumatology residency in UMHAT “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia.
She is currently working as a rheumatologist in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her interests include inflammatory arthritis, interstitial lung disease, treatment strategies, systemic sclerosis and musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Mirna Reihl, MD PhD
Croatia
Mirna graduated as a medical doctor from Zagreb Medical School, University of Zagreb, Croatia in November 2015. She started her rheumatology residency at the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb and University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb.
Her main interests are adult-onset Still’s disease and ultrasonography.
Veronika Balajkova, MD
Czech Republic
Veronika graduated as a medical doctor from Charles University (Prague, 2015). She currently works at the Institute of Rheumatology in Prague.
In 2015, she started her PhD with a special interest in neuropsychiatric lupus. She is also part of a research group on systemic lupus erythematosus supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic.
Morten Aagaard Nielsen, MD, PhD
Denmark
Morten graduated as a medical doctor in 2016 and completed his PhD in 2021 at Aarhus University. He is currently a rheumatology resident and postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University.
His main research interests include stromal cells/fibroblasts, arthritis in vitro models, checkpoint receptors, rheumatoid arthritis, autoinflammation and translational research.
Morten is a member of the Peer Mentoring EMEUNET Sub-committee.
Liis Puis, MD
Estonia
Anne Kerola, MD, PhD
Finland
Anne graduated from the medical faculty of the University of Helsinki in 2016. She is a soon-to graduate rheumatologist working currently in Lahti, Finland. She defended her thesis on the epidemiology of comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis in 2015. In 2021, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Preventive Cardio-Rheuma Clinic, Diakonhjemmet hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Her major research interests include cardiovascular comorbidities in rheumatic diseases.
Marc Scherlinger, MD, PhD
France
Marc graduated with his MD and PhD from Bordeaux University. After a two-year post-doctoral position at Harvard University, he is now working in Strasbourg as a young rheumatologist and researcher.
His interests are systemic lupus erythematosus, other systemic autoimmune diseases and CAR-T cells.
Nino Gobejishvili, MD
Georgia
Nino is the Head of the Georgian Young Rheumatologists Union (SARG) and currently works at the Aversi and Medical House Clinic in Tbilisi in Georgia.
Her professional and scientific interests focus on immune tolerance, especially in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and vasculitides.
Johanna Mucke, MD
Germany
Johanna received her MD from Heidelberg University. She is currently working as a clinical and research fellow in training in rheumatology at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf.
Her interests are systemic lupus erythematosus with a focus on treat-to-target and health-related quality-of-life, and synovial inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and connective tissue diseases. Johanna is an active member of the German Society of Young Rheumatologists (“AGJR”).
Nikos Vlachogiannis, MD, PhD
Greece
Nikos Vlachogiannis received his MD (2016) and PhD (2020) from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. He is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher and starting his residency in internal medicine at Laikon University Hospital in Athens, Greece.
His main research interests are innate immunity, fibrosis, systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Dóra Sárvári, MD
Hungary
Dóra Sárvári has been a medical doctor since 2016 and is currently working at the Immunology Department of Rheumatology Centrum, Budai Irgalmasrendi Kórház, Budapest, Hungary.
She teaches medical students and prepares presentations for immunology and rheumatology conferences. Her major interests include scleroderma and lupus, ultrasonography of joints and teaching medical students.
Ramona Valea, MD
Ireland
Ramona graduated from the “Carol Davila” University in Bucharest in 2010 and has completed her training in rheumatology in Romania and Ireland. She is currently a certified rheumatology consultant in Ireland. She was awarded a EULAR research fellowship in Dublin regarding the use of ultrasound in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia in 2014.
Her interests include patient care and imaging in rheumatic diseases.
Jennifer Ben Shimol, MD
Israel
Jennifer completed medical school at SUNY Downstate Medical Center followed by a residency in internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and a fellowship in rheumatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Currently, she works as a full-time rheumatologist at the Barzilai Medical Center. She is involved in research exploring the use of fluorescence optical imaging to evaluate response of synovitis to pharmaceutical treatment and developing AI software to help rheumatologists better evaluate their patients. She is also dedicated to educating clinicians at all levels of training.
Emanuele Bozzalla Cassione,MD
Italy and San Marino
Emanuele graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Milan) in 2016 and concluded his rheumatology residency at the Hospital ‘IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation’ in Pavia, where he currently works as a rheumatology consultant. Since 2021, he has been enrolled in the Experimental Medicine PhD Program at the University of Pavia.
His main areas of interest are rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial lung disease. Since November 2020, he has been an elected member of the Young Rheumatologists Committee of the Italian Society of Rheumatology (SIR Young).
Ouidade Aitisha Tabesh, MD, MSc
Lebanon
Ouidade is a rheumatologist at the Lebanese University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. She received her postdoctoral diploma in rheumatology from Saint Joseph University of Beirut and from Paris V University. She is a trained EULAR teacher in musculoskeletal ultrasonography. In addition, Ouidade has a Masters in clinical research from the Medical University of Vienna.
Her main interests are musculoskeletal ultrasonography, psoriatic arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and microcrystalline diseases.
Ona Montvydaite-Kreivaitiene, MD
Lithuania
Ona graduated as a medical doctor from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in 2011, and currently works at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas clinics and as an assistant at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. She is a member of the Council of the Association of Lithuanian Rheumatologists.
Her main areas of interest are MSK ultrasound and ultrasound-guided interventions.
Maja Bojadziovska, MD
Macedonia
Maja became a rheumatologist in 2010 and is currently working at the Clinical Hospital of Rheumatology in Skopje, Macedonia.
Her professional and scientific interests focus on patients with arthritis and postmenopausal osteoporosis. She also works as an assistant at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje.
Victoria Sadovici-Bobeica, MD, PhD
Moldova
Victoria is an assistant professor at the Department of Internal Medicine of the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemitanu” in Moldova and a rheumatologist at the International Hospital Medpark, Moldova. She graduated from the same university in 2009.
Her main research interests include systemic diseases and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Rifat Medjedovic, MD
Montenegro
Rifat received his MD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montenegro. He currently works as a specialist at the Department of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine of the Clinical Center of Montenegro.
His main interests are ultrasound imaging and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Jens Vikse, MD
Norway
Jens is a rheumatology fellow at Stavanger University Hospital, and a PhD student at University of Bergen. He is the author of an immunology textbook and is currently writing a rheumatology textbook for Norwegian medical students.
His main interests are IgG4-related disease, systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung disease.
Aleksandra Opinc-Rosiak, MD, PhD
Poland
Aleksandra graduated from the Medical University of Lodz in 2019. She is currently in the fourth year of her residency training in rheumatology at the Department of Rheumatology with Internal Medicine Subdivision USK-WAM in Lodz. She is also a research and teaching assistant at the Medical University of Lodz. In 2022, she received her PhD for research on cardiovascular involvement in IIM.
Her main interests include myositis, antisynthetase syndrome and ILD.
Vasilia Iorgoveanu-Stoian MD, PhD
Romania
Vasilia Iorgoveanu is a specialist in rheumatology in Bucharest, Romania. She received her PhD in salivary gland ultrasonography in Sjögren’s syndrome in 2019. She is a trained EULAR teacher in musculoskeletal ultrasonography.
Her main interests are autoimmune diseases, especially Sjögren’s syndrome, musculoskeletal ultrasonography and articular degenerative diseases.
Jelena Čolić, MD, PhD
Serbia
Jelena Čolić is an internal medicine specialist and rheumatology resident at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She defended her PhD in epidemiology on a clinical overview of haemostasis disturbance in systemic sclerosis in 2023 (collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, Sweden). She is an active member of the Serbian National Rheumatology Society and is involved as an EMEUNET member in a task force.
Her main interests are systemic sclerosis, microparticles and treatment.
Mario Leon-Garcia, MD
Spain
Mario Leon-García currently works as consultant rheumatologist and clinical researcher in Valme Universyty Hospital in Sevilla. He is an Associate Professor of Medical Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sevilla. He is also the Head of the Rheumatology Department, in Clínica Doctores Mario Leon in Mérida (Extremadura).
His main interest include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, other systemic autoinmune diseases and musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Heidi Kokkonen, MD, PhD
Sweden
Heidi Kokkonen is currently working as a resident physician at the Rheumatology Department, Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Norrlands University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden. She has recently been selected as a board member of the Swedish Rheumatology Association.
Her research area is risk factors for the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and she is also currently studying the associations of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prior to diagnosis of RA in relation to later development of RA and CVD.
Muriel Elhai, MD, PhD
Switzerland
Muriel Elhai is an assistant professor at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She received her PhD in the immunology of mouse models of systemic sclerosis in 2015. She is involved as an EMEUNET member in the EULAR task force on “updating the EULAR recommendations for the collaboration of patient research partners (PRPs) in scientific projects”.
Her main interests are systemic sclerosis, synovial fibroblasts and immunology, as well as PRP involvement in research.
Ufuk İlgen, MD
Turkey
Ufuk İlgen is a consultant rheumatologist and clinical researcher in Turkey. Dr İlgen is one of the co-founders of the Turkish Society for Rheumatology-Young (TSR-Young) and leader of the Peer and Field Relations Subgroup.
His main interests are autoimmunity, SLE, systemic sclerosis, FMF and amyloidosis.
Olena Zimba, MD
Ukraine
Dr Olena Zimba has been involved in rheumatology research since 2005 and was awarded her PhD degree for studies of connective tissue dysplasia in 2010. Since 2013, she has been undertaking post-doctoral research in systemic vasculitis. Her current research interests also include axial spondyloarthritis, cardiovascular issues in rheumatic diseases and rheumatology research methodology.
She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine N2 of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (Lviv, Ukraine), Associate Editor of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Secretary General of the Ukrainian Council of Science Editors (UCSE) and Research Fellow at the Department of Rheumatology, Immunology and Internal Medicine of University Hospital in Krakow, Poland. She is an associate editor and social media advisor of several rheumatology and general medicine journals, including Clinical Rheumatology (ILAR journal) and Rheumatology International.
Andrew Melville, MD
United Kingdom
Andrew Melville is a clinical research fellow and PhD candidate at the School of Infection & Immunity, University of Glasgow. Prior to this, he spent two years in Leeds as a rheumatology registrar and academic clinical fellow. He studied medicine in Cambridge and London, then did his pre-specialisation foundation and core medical training in London. During this time, he also undertook an MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences at NDORMs, Oxford University.
He has a strong clinical interest in musculoskeletal ultrasound. His current research focus is around prediction and mechanisms of flare in rheumatoid arthritis.
Su-Ann Yeoh, MD
United Kingdom
Su-Ann graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Nottingham in 2012. She currently works as a rheumatology clinical research fellow at University College London.
Her main research interests are bDMARDs, rheumatoid arthritis, T- cells, TNF and treatment strategies.