The ACR Reproductive Health Initiative (RHI) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder initiative that is being designed and developed to assist with the dissemination and implementation of scientifically sound information to address the unmet needs in the treatment and management of fertility, pregnancy, and lactation in those affected by autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases. The goal of the RHI is to take the Summit Report and the Guidelines “off the shelf and into the clinic” through a series of interventions designed to educate and raise awareness of the possibilities and implications in reproductive health for those with rheumatic disease.
The RHI will merge two large-scale efforts by the ACR in the reproductive and rheumatic disease space – the 2020 ACR Reproductive Health Guideline and the March 2015 ACR Reproductive Health Summit recommendations. The RHI will address current identified significant barriers to patient care, which include gaps in physician and provider knowledge, limited skill sets when addressing these issues, entrenched treatment patterns that may be outdated or complacent, and poor coordination among the variety of stakeholders who might care for these patients. The strategic direction will be guided by the ACR Executive Committee and the Committee on Corporate Relations, and implementation will be managed by Collaborative Initiatives (COIN) department staff under the oversight of the COIN Special Committee.
RHI Highlights
A CME activity focused on reproductive health is available within the Virtual Lupus Clinic. This CME activity is interactive and follows a female-identified lupus patient across multiple visits with a provider as she progresses from pregnancy prevention, to successful conception and birth, to postpartum/breastfeeding. The case is grounded in the 2020 ACR Reproductive Health Guideline.
RHI Tool Kit
Coming in Summer 2021
RHI Core Group Members
RHI’s Core Leadership team consists of a group of academic and community practitioners with expertise in rheumatology, reproductive health, contraception, pediatrics, medication safety, and patient advocacy.
Arthur Kavanaugh, MDRheumatology
Michael J. Battistone, MDRheumatology
Megan Clowse, MD, MPH Rheumatology
Stacy Ardoin, MDRheumatology
Andrew Wong, MD Rheumatology
Kristine Carandang, PhD, OT Occupational Therapy
Whitney White, PharmD, BCPSPharmacy
Kelly Wise, PharmD, BCACPPharmacy
Elise Berlan, MD, MPHPediatric & Adolescent Medicine