Honoring a Lifetime of Work in Rheumatology

Christopher Ritchlin, M.D., MPH, has made a career of teaching and mentoring. He is a professor of medicine and Chief of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, where he has helped to impart his wisdom to new generations of medical professionals.

As a founding member of GRAPPA, the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), he brought his years of expertise and insights to bear on important questions researchers are trying to unravel about psoriatic disease.

Dr. Ritchlin joined the NPF Medical Board in 2005 and currently is a member of the NPF Scientific Advisory Committee.  NPF has long been grateful to have one of the leading PsA experts representing the organization and serving the community. If you are a frequent listener of the Psound Bytes podcast, you have heard Dr. Ritchlin break down complex topics relating to psoriatic disease and deliver information in ways that the general audience can use and clearly understand.

Dr. Ritchlin has also been a voice of reason and source of information during the uncertain times of the pandemic. He serves as Co-Chair of the COVID-19 Task Force and has taken a lead role to disseminate what our community needs to know when it comes to COVID-19 and the many impacts of the pandemic.

Dr. Ritchlin has helped shape how the organization funds research by evaluating applications for NPF research and fellowship grants.

“Dr. Ritchlin embodies the best of what this organization has to offer,” says Randy Beranek, President and CEO of NPF. “His commitment to enriching our community and his fellow researchers through his knowledge and experience is unmatched, and I cannot think of a better recipient for this award.”

NPF is proud to honor Dr. Ritchlin with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and we thank him for his many years of service.