TMA Colorado Myositis Support Group Meeting
On December 13, TMA Colorado Support Group call will feature Dr. Richard Nash and Dr. David Korman from the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute. Their team is now involved in new studies using CAR-T therapy for rheumatologic conditions, including myositis (IIM).
Dr. Korman, MD is a rheumatologist in Denver, Colorado, and an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine–Rheumatology at the University of Colorado. His clinical work centers on complex autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including myositis and other systemic rheumatologic conditions. He collaborates with the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute on emerging cell-therapy approaches and serves as an investigator for clinical trials evaluating CAR-T cell therapy for autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Nash, MD is a hematologist / transplant physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute with extensive experience using autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) to treat autoimmune neurologic and rheumatologic diseases. He and his team have developed standard-of-care AHSCT treatment guidelines for multiple sclerosis (MS) and systemic sclerosis (SSc).
He is also an investigator for clinical trials evaluating CAR-T cell therapy for autoimmune conditions including myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, and is actively working to expand cell-therapy research for rare autoimmune diseases.
During the call, they will share recent data on IIM and CAR-T, provide general education on cell therapy for autoimmune diseases, and answer any questions we may have.
TMA Colorado Myositis Support Group has reactivated and meets on the second Saturday of each month at noon Mountain Time!
Meet Jim Milani, a TMA member who was moved by the efforts of the late Marianne Moyer and the TMA Southwest Florida’s success in organizing a Myositis Symposium for Physical and Occupational Therapists for Myositis Awareness Month. He called Rachel Bromley, TMA’s Senior Manager of Patient Education, Support and Advocacy to offer to organize one in his home state of Colorado. Rachel was ecstatic, as Marianne’s vision had always been for this event to branch out to other TMA groups! One catch though – TMA Colorado had been dormant for quite some time. So she swung for the fences and said “How about reactivating the Colorado group at the same time? You can connect more PTs and OTs that way, find a few volunteers to possibly help your efforts, and provide and receive support for myositis along the way!”
Jim replied with one word “SURE!” And so this journey began.
For the past 20 years, Jim has been a Physical Therapist and is Board Certified as a Geriatric Specialist. After several years of misdiagnoses, he was correctly diagnosed with IBM in late 2023. Despite this, Jim continues to pursue his love for activity and sports. He is passionate about sharing his personal and professional “fitness forward” philosophy, helping people understand how to modify and adapt exercises to their functional level. Jim resides in Colorado with his wife, Laura. He is a proud father of six adult children and has two grandchildren. Jim says his family and faith help him get through each day. While there is much about IBM that he cannot control, he focuses on what he can: his attitude and effort. #justkeepswimming
Anyone can join his meetings, Colorado resident or not. You can register here!