Sjogren's Conference at Baylor University

There is going to be a Sjogren's conference this weekend at Baylor University in Texas.  Since I'm located super far from Texas, I won't be able to attend.  Hopefully some other Sjoggies out there will be able to join and report back to the rest of us.

The other good new is that Baylor has recently opened its own Sjogren's Center that includes includes rheumatology, otolaryngology, dental medicine, and ophthalmology.  It joins the University of San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, and the National Institutes of Health which each have a Sjogren's Center or Clinic.  Every center offers a slightly different model in terms of the specialties of the physicians that practice there.

The purpose of these centers to provide a more comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and coordinated level of care to patients--a one stop shop for your most of your Sjogren's needs.  While nothing in medical care is ever quite that simple, the idea of having doctors located in the same hospital who focus on Sjogren's makes quite a lot of sense to me.  I do hope more of these centers start to emerge.  It will mean that more attention and funding is being given to Sjogren's, that physicians are focusing seriously on the disease, and those with Sjogren's will hopefully be diagnosed earlier and get better care.  Let's hope this is a growing trend!

Sjögren's syndrome conference at Baylor College of Medicine Oct. 27

HOUSTON -- (October 16, 2012) -- Learn more about Sjögren's (SHOW-grins) syndrome at the inaugural Sjögren's Syndrome Conference at Baylor College of Medicine Oct. 27. The conference will be held at the Lee and Joe Jamail Specialty Care Center, 1977 Butler Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, room E4.125. The event is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ending with a question-and-answer session with lecturers.

Since this disease has a wide range of symptoms, experts from more than five different specialties will be on hand presenting background information, as well as current research surrounding their field related to the disorder.

There will also be a presentation about the new Sjögren's Syndrome Clinic at BCM, which began seeing patients this summer.

Sjögren's syndrome is a disorder of the immune system that causes white blood cells to attack moisture-producing glands throughout the body. Symptoms include dry or burning eyes, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, peeling lips, increased dental decay and vaginal and skin dryness. People frequently experience severe fatigue and joint pain and many patients have involvement of other organs, including the lungs, kidneys, brain and digestive organs. Sjögren's can occur alone but many cases occur along with other autoimmune connective tissue diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or scleroderma.

For reservations, please contact Shani Corbière at sjogrens@att.net or call 281-221-0068.

Schedule of Conference Speakers:

9 a.m. - Introduction
Shani Corbière - Sjögren's Syndrome Houston support group director

9:10 a.m. - BCM Biology of Inflammation Center Dr. David Corry - chief of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at BCM

9:20 a.m. - BCM Sjögren's Syndrome Clinic Margaret Olfson - senior ophthalmic technician in ophthalmology at BCM

9:30 a.m. - Rheumatological Manifestations of Sjögren's Syndrome Dr. Tara Rizvi - assistant professor of medicine - rheumatology at BCM

9:50 a.m. - Dental/Oral Manifestations of Sjögren's Syndrome Dr. Charles F. Streckfus, professor, Diagnostic & Biomedical Sciences at University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston

10:10 a.m. - Question and Answer session

10:25 a.m. - Break

10:40 a.m. - Head and Neck Manifestations of Sjögren's Syndrome Dr. Nadia Mohyuddin - assistant professor of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery at BCM

11 a.m. - Eye Manifestations of Sjögren's Syndrome - Dr. Stephen Pflugfelder - professor of ophthalmology at BCM and director of the Sjögren's Syndrome Clinic

11:20 a.m. - New Research findings at BCM Dr. Cintia de Paiva - assistant professor of ophthalmology at BCM

11:35-1 p.m. - Question and Answer and Discussion