update from section chief
Richard Bucala, MD, PhD
rheumatology, allergy & immunology
D
uring the COVID-19 pandemic, the Section of Rheumatology, Allergy &
Immunology contributed its expertise to further our understanding of the many manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Rheumatologists have much expertise with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases that they can offer in diagnosing and treating the diverse manifestations of COVID, as well as to post-COVID or long-hauler syndrome, says Richard Bucala, MD, PhD, chief of Rheumatology, Allergy, &
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annual report 2021
Immunology). The knowledge is derived from the section’s experience with diseases associated with such long-term immunologic sequelae as postinfectious arthritis, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, and the antiphospholipid syndrome. During the vaccine rollouts in Connecticut,
the section’s allergy & immunology faculty worked closely with community physicians and Governor Ned Lamont’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Team to study patients who appeared to have allergic reactions to vaccination. Several faculty contributed to a study of patients from U.S. hospitals,
