Faculty

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Pediatric Rheumatology Center of excellence headed by Dr. Lakshmi Nandini Moorthy at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is a state-of-the-art family-friendly medical center. Pediatric rheumatic diseases comprise a complex array of chronic diseases with fluctuating courses that often are challenging to diagnose and manage. The center is focusing on diagnoses and management of complex rheumatic diseases including: Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Spondyloarthropathy Hypermobility Disorders, Reactive arthritis, Polymyositis, Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Vasculitides, Systemic sclerosis, Linear Scleroderma and morphea, Fibromyalgia, Periodic Fever Syndromes, and  Regional Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes.  These diseases often lead to significant morbidity in children, disability that may be permanent and can potentially affect different aspects of growth, development and quality of life. Early diagnosis is essential to properly manage these children to prevent long-term complications. There is a critical need to develop a comprehensive clinical center for children with rheumatic diseases in New Jersey. This center will provide diagnosis, education, treatment and follow-up for children with

In addition to clinical care, Dr. Moorthy has set up pediatric rheumatology rotations for medical students, pediatric residents and adult rheumatology fellows. In addition, she collaborates with Rutgers University ork-study program to offer experience to undergraduate students as well. Dr. Moorthy has given over 35 talks for CME credit and has organized three well-attended pediatric rheumatology symposiums for the practitioners. She has received the American College of Rheumatology visiting professor award in Pediatric Rheumatology in 2009.

Dr. Moorthy’s primary research interest is in quality of life and physical functioning outcomes in pediatric lupus. Specifically, she has developed and validated a new outcome instrument used for measuring health-related quality of life in children with lupus called, Simple Measure of the Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngstersã (SMILEYã). She has been the recipient of the Arthritis Foundation Fellowship Award, UMDNJ Foundation Award and the Pfizer Clinical Scholar’s Grants and the Arthritis Foundation Clinical Investigator Award. She is currently conducting a multinational study on cross-cultural validation of SMILEYã, which involves over 50 institutions across the world. Already her work has resulted in publications in excellent peer reviewed journals and several presentations at national and international conferences.

Dr. Moorthy is currently board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology, a fellow member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (national and NJ chapter), member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA), Eastern Society of Pediatric Research, Pediatric Rheumatology European Society, New York Academy of Sciences and the Arthritis Foundation. She is the co-editor of the AAP pediatrics rheumatology section newsletter and a member of the ACR Pediatric Residency Committee. She reviews for several peer reviewed journals. She is actively involved in community-related activities in conjunction with the Arthritis Foundation.

Click here to view Dr. Moorthy's bibliography. 

Daniel Horton, MD, MSCE joined the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology as an Assistant Professor in August 2016. He is also a core faculty member of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research as well as an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health.

He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed pediatrics residency at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and pediatric rheumatology fellowship at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. He received a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where he focused on the study of drug uses and effects in large populations.

He performs research on the utilization, safety, and effectiveness of medications in children as well as the origins of childhood arthritis. He is currently funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance.

He enjoys working with young people with chronic illnesses and their families and is committed to researching questions that will improve their lives.

Research projects include:

Drugs, Germs, & Joints: Antibiotics, Gut Microbiota, & Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, a project to better understand what causes and affects the activity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Funding: National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Stopping medicines for juvenile idiopathic arthritis: perspectives of patients and families, a study to identify the factors most important to patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their parents in determining when to stop medications. Funding: Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology ResearchAlliance

Click here to view Dr. Horton's bibliography. 

Cynthia Salvant, MD,MS

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
E-mail: cs1484@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Phone: 732-235-4980

Cynthia Salvant, MD, MS joined the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology in October of 2019.

She is originally from Long Island, NY. She completed her undergraduate degree at State University of NY at Binghamton then went on to obtain her Masters in Biomedical sciences with a focus on Immunology at Long Island University. She completed her medical degree at Upstate Medical School in Syracuse, NY, pediatric internship and residency training at Cohen Children’s Medical Center Northwell Health System and her pediatric rheumatology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Salvant was involved in multiple Quality Improvement projects during her fellowship. Her interests include providing education to students, residents, and the pediatric community. She currently is very active in teaching of residents and medical students. She is part of faculty of Patient Centered Medicine course that focuses on the development of patient-centered clinical skills and on the clinical reason process. She is also acts as a mentor to residents & part of the committee in the recruitment of Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine. She is also part of the research group focusing on the effects of COVID-19 on immunosuppressed patients

Her Pediatric Rheumatology clinic is located at RWJ in New Brunswick and Edison.