USF Health, Tampa General Hospital Join FSR Sarcoidosis Clinic Alliance
Alliance is a worldwide hub for education and support for sarcoidosis patients, doctors
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and the collaborative pulmonology program of USF Health have joined the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) Global Sarcoidosis Clinic Alliance to advance care and research in sarcoidosis.
The Alliance is a hub of clinics and hospitals around the world, that through education, engagement, and support for sarcoidosis patients and clinicians, aim to improve the lives of people with the disease.
One of the founders of this initiative was the TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease & Lung Transplant, where the pulmonary program of USF Health/TGH is based.
“The TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease & Lung Transplant is thrilled to be one of the founders of the FSR Global Sarcoidosis Clinic Alliance. Our goal is to bring world-class, innovative pulmonary care to the Tampa Bay region and beyond and provide our team with the ability to collaborate with research and make an impact in improving the outcomes and care of patients with sarcoidosis,” said Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, MD, director of interstitial lung disease and sarcoidosis at the TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease & Lung Transplant, in a press release.
Bandyopadhyay is also a professor of internal medicine at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
In sarcoidosis, an overactive immune system leads to the growth of small clumps of inflammatory cells in different parts of the body, commonly the lungs and lymph nodes. It’s estimated to affect 175,000 people in the U.S. and 1.2 million worldwide, according to the FSR.
The FSR Global Sarcoidosis Clinic Alliance has 22 founding members. Membership is offered to select clinics that treat patients in underserved communities to improve access to relevant information, including patient support services and clinical trials.
The associated clinics and hospitals work to find a cure and offer evidence-based care, centered on people with sarcoidosis.
USF Health provides modern therapies, imaging, and molecular diagnosis tools, whereas the TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease & Lung Transplant contributes with surgical and medical experts offering cutting-edge trials and treatments.
“Joining forces with these two outstanding organizations furthers our mission to provide world-class care and helps move us forward in achieving our vision of becoming the safest and most innovative academic health system in America,” said Kiran Dhanireddy, MD, vice president and chief at TGH Transplant Institute and surgical director of Liver Transplantation. “These alliances reflect our multidisciplinary team’s deep dedication to research and innovation in providing vital care to lung patients globally.”
TGH and USF Health also joined the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Center Network, which works to find a cure for pulmonary fibrosis.
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