MUSC Health Rheumatology at Rutledge Tower

Dr. Jim Oates is a professor of medicine and Director of the Division of Rheumatology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He received a BS in chemistry at Bates College and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1991. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine and fellowship in rheumatology at Duke University Medical Center in 1996. He came to the Medical University of South Carolina in 1996 to complete a research fellowship and joined the faculty of the Division of Rheumatology in 1997.Dr. Oates' clinical and research interests are focused on systemic lupus erythematosus. He is involved in clinical trials of therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis and is the principal investigator on several studies at MUSC involving noninvasive markers of disease and mechanisms through which disease severity may increase among African-Americans. He is an active member of the M.U.S.C.L.E. Research Group. Dr. Oates has supported clinical research at a regional and national level by serving the President of the American Federation for Medical Research and President of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, where he now serves as an associate editor of its journal, the American Journal of Medical Sciences. He has received numerous awards, including: Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College; the Four Schools Physician Scientist Training Program Scholarship from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; the Senior Rheumatology Scholar Award from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR); the Arthritis Investigator Award from the ACR and its foundation; the Research Education Foundation (REF); the Merck Young Investigator Award; the REF/European League Against Rheumatism International Exchange Award; and, the Developing Scholar Award from the Medical University of South Carolina Health Sciences Foundation.

Dr. Samantha Minkin is a board-certified rheumatologist. She earned her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2016 and went on to complete her 3-year internal medicine residency at the University of Virginia. In 2019, Dr. Minkin returned to MUSC to pursue a fellowship in rheumatology, which she completed in 2021. After fellowship, Dr. Minkin was an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 2021 to 2023 before joining the faculty at MUSC in the same year. Her expertise is managing patients with systemic connective tissue diseases, including lupus, scleroderma, myositis, and vasculitis. Additionally, she specializes in treating inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

Aiken McNair, PA-C is a board certified Physician Assistant Assistant with a special interest in the diagnosis and management of inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. With a strong foundation in evidence-based care and a patient-centered approach, she is dedicated to helping patients manage chronic joint conditions and improve their quality of life. . Aiken trained at the Medical University of South Carolina and has been with the division of Rheuamtology for over 10 years.

Celine Ward, M.D. grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. She graduated from Notre-Dame de Nazareth with a French Baccalaureate. She then attended the French Faculty of Medicine-Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, for a seven-year medicine program. She graduated in 2011. Dr. Ward pursued an internal medicine residency at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. She then joined the Medical University of South Carolina for a two-year rheumatology fellowship from July 2015 through June 2017. Upon conclusion of her fellowship, Dr. Ward joined the MUSC Division of Rheumatology. She takes care of adult patients with systemic connective tissue diseases (lupus, scleroderma, vasculitis, and myositis) as well as inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis), with a particular interest in scleroderma and scleroderma-related conditions.

Dr. Katherine Silver specializes in the fields of adult and pediatric rheumatology. She attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina and graduated in 2009. She went on to complete residencies in both internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 2013, she returned to MUSC for additional training in rheumatology. Dr. Silver completed a combined fellowship in adult and pediatric rheumatology in 2017. During this time, she also obtained a masters degree in the area of clinical research. After completing her training, she joined the faculty at MUSC.Dr. Silver's clinical interests include scleroderma and connective tissue diseases, juvenile scleroderma, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Scleroderma is a rare and often poorly understood disease. Dr. Silver is passionate about providing comprehensive care to patients with this condition as well as having the opportunity to participate in clinical research in an effort to learn more about this disease.Another one of Dr. Silver's interests is transition medicine. Being trained in both adult and pediatric rheumatology, she is uniquely suited to help young adults with rheumatologic conditions transition from the world of pediatric rheumatology to that of adult rheumatology.

Dr. Jen Schmidt is a board-certified rheumatologist. She earned her medical degree from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2016 and went on to complete her 3-year internal medicine residency as well as a chief year at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Dr. Schmidt completed a fellowship in rheumatology at MUSC in 2022. After fellowship, Dr. Schmidt was an Instructor in Division of Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 2022-2023 prior to returning back to MUSC. Her expertise is managing patients with systemic connective tissue diseases, including lupus, scleroderma, myositis, and inflammatory arthritis.

Dr. Jessica English is an adult rheumatologist. She has a clinical and research interest in reproductive health in rheumatic diseases and in systemic lupus erythematosus. She is passionate about both patient care and research and seeks to understand the risk factors involved in adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with lupus. Clinically, she is dedicated to caring for all patients with a rheumatic disease diagnosis throughout their reproductive health journeys. Dr. English has been awarded several local research awards and has presented her work at national and international conferences. She is also passionate about education of future physicians and teaches in within the MUSC College of Medicine and provides lectures to Internal Medicine Residents. She also volunteers at local patient education events, helping people understand both lupus and reproductive health. As a faculty member, Dr. English will continue working to improve the lives of her patients through her dedication to providing exceptional patient care, commitment to innovate research, and education of both medical trainees and patients. She obtained her M.D degree from East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine before moving to Charleston for her internal medicine residency at MUSC. She became board-certified in internal medicine and was selected to serve an additional year as an internal medicine chief resident. She stayed at MUSC for her adult rheumatology fellowship and based on her leadership skills and overall proficiency, was again chosen as chief rheumatology fellow in her final year of training. Dr. English completed an additional year of training in rheumatology, utilizing her three-year fellowship to obtain a Master of Science in Clinical Research degree with a focus on pregnancy in patients with lupus.