About

Biography

My early work with outstanding mentors, who were pediatric rheumatologists, led me to pursue my clinical and research interests. During my fellowship, the unfortunate death of a patient from macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) prompted me to further study this life-threatening complication of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Currently, I focus on identifying risk factors and new therapeutic targets in MAS. Our transnational studies have identified interferon gamma (INF), a dimerized soluble cytokine, as a therapeutic target in patients suffering from MAS. This discovery provided the rationale for a new clinical trial that is currently underway.

My research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) Foundation. I have also received research grants from Sobi, Novartis and AB2Bio.

MD: Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Pediatric Medical Institute, Russia, 1986.

Residency: Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Medical Institute, Russia, 1988; Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 1998.

Fellowship: Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Pediatric Medical Institute, Russia, 1991; Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 1995.

Certification: Pediatrics, 1999.

Services and Specialties

Rheumatology, Lupus, Rare Lung Diseases

Research Areas

Rheumatology

Additional Languages

French, Russian

Insurance Information

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Publications

OP0166 LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP OF PATIENTS ADMINISTERED EMAPALUMAB, AN ANTI–INTERFERON-Γ MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY, TO TREAT MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION SYNDROME (MAS) SECONDARY TO SYSTEMIC JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS (SJIA). De Benedetti, F; Grom, A; Brogan, P; Bracaglia, C; Pardeo, M; Marucci, G; Eleftheriou, D; Papadopoulou, C; Schulert, G; Quartier, P; et al. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2023; 82:110-111.

Efficacy and safety of emapalumab in macrophage activation syndrome. De Benedetti, F; Grom, AA; Brogan, PA; Bracaglia, C; Pardeo, M; Marucci, G; Eleftheriou, D; Papadopoulou, C; Schulert, GS; Quartier, P; et al. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2023; 82:857-865.

Lung Ultrasound in Children With Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Vega-Fernandez, P; Ting, TV; Mar, DA; Schapiro, AH; Deluna, MD; Saper, VE; Grom, AA; Schulert, GS; Fairchild, RM. Arthritis Care and Research. 2023; 75:983-988.

Alternative Biologic Therapy in Children Failing Conventional TNFα Inhibitors for Refractory, Noninfectious, Chronic Anterior Uveitis. Miraldi Utz, V; Angeles-Han, ST; Mwase, N; Cassedy, A; Hennard, T; Lovell, DJ; Lopper, S; Brunner, HI; Dosunmu, EO; Grom, AA; et al. American Journal of Ophthalmology. 2022; 244:183-195.

Identification of Distinct Inflammatory Programs and Biomarkers in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Related Lung Disease by Serum Proteome Analysis. Chen, G; Deutsch, GH; Schulert, GS; Zheng, H; Jang, SR; Trapnell, B; Lee, PY; Macaubas, C; Ho, K; Schneider, C; et al. Arthritis and Rheumatology. 2022; 74:1271-1283.

International Consensus for the Dosing of Corticosteroids in Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Proliferative Lupus Nephritis. Chalhoub, NE; Wenderfer, SE; Levy, DM; Rouster-Stevens, K; Aggarwal, A; Savani, SI; Ruth, NM; Arkachaisri, T; Qiu, T; Merritt, A; et al. Arthritis and Rheumatology. 2022; 74:263-273.

S100 proteins, cytokines, and chemokines as tear biomarkers in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis. Angeles-Han, ST; Miraldi Utz, V; Thornton, S; Schulert, G; Rodriguez-Smith, J; Kauffman, A; Sproles, A; Mwase, N; Hennard, T; Grom, A; et al. Ocular Immunology and Inflammation (Informa). 2021; 29:1616-1620.

IFN-γ is essential for alveolar macrophage-driven pulmonary inflammation in macrophage activation syndrome. Gao, DK; Salomonis, N; Henderlight, M; Woods, C; Thakkar, K; Grom, AA; Thornton, S; Jordan, MB; Wikenheiser-Brokamp, KA; Schulert, GS. JCI insight. 2021; 6:e147593.

Inflammatory biomarkers in COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, Kawasaki disease, and macrophage activation syndrome: a cohort study. Rodriguez-Smith, JJ; Verweyen, EL; Clay, GM; Esteban, YM; de Loizaga, SR; Baker, EJ; Do, T; Dhakal, S; Lang, SM; Grom, AA; et al. The Lancet. Rheumatology. 2021; 3:e574-e584.

Distinct Gene Expression Signatures Characterize Strong Clinical Responders Versus Nonresponders to Canakinumab in Children With Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Verweyen, EL; Pickering, A; Grom, AA; Schulert, GS. Arthritis and Rheumatology. 2021; 73:1334-1340.

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