The Churg Strauss Syndrome Association (CSSA) is pleased to nominate Dr. Peter Merkel, the Director of the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium, to the 2010 Rare Disease Research Hall of Fame. The CSSA would not exist without the encouragement and support of Dr. Merkel, who saw a need for patient support and advocacy for those with CSS, a very rare form of vasculitis. Dr. Merkel, a renown vasculitis researcher, is also a caring physician, a staunch supporter of vasculitis patient advocacy groups, a mentor to young physicians interested in vasculitis and an engaging public speaker who makes the topic of vasculitis research interesting and exciting.

Vasculitis, or inflammation of blood vessels, is a family of rare diseases that affects people of all ages. Vasculitis causes weakening or narrowing of blood vessels which may lead to organ and tissue damage and even death. Churg Strauss Syndrome is a rare, potentially life threatening form of vasculitis involving small to medium sized blood vessels. It is a systemic disease which may cause damage to the lungs, skin, nerves, joints, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and heart. Late onset or worsening asthma and hypereosinophilia are hallmarks of the disease. There is much to learn about CSS to ensure earlier diagnosis, and to improve treatment and quality of life for patients. More knowledge is needed to prevent patients from permanently suffering from the effects of the disease as well as to prevent deaths due to late diagnoses and refractory disease. Under Dr. Merkel's leadership with the VCRC, important information is being learned about CSS and other vasculitic diseases.

Dr. Merkel is a professor of medicine in the rheumatology and the clinical epidemiology unit at Boston University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and performed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his Master’s of Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health, and later served as a clinical and research fellow in the Division of Rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Merkel's research interests have focused on designing and conducting clinical trials and clinical epidemiological studies for complex multi-system rheumatic diseases including vasculitis and scleroderma. His interest in vasculitis lead him to apply for research funding to study this family of rare diseases. Dr. Merkel was instrumental in applying for funding to create a consortium consisting of an integrated group of academic medical centers, patient support organizations, and clinical research resources dedicated to conducting clinical research in different forms of vasculitis and improving the care of patients with vasculitis.  The Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium was first funded in 2003, and in 2009 received renewal of the grant for an additional five year period by the National Institutes of Health, specifically the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR). By conducting a series of longitudinal cohort studies, biomarker discovery projects, multi-center clinical trials, and outcome measure development projects, the Consortium is addressing serious unmet medical and scientific needs for this group of complex rare diseases. The VCRC website and electronic resources are important for patients and medical professionals worldwide. The VCRC Fellowship Program has successfully trained new clinical investigators, each of whom remains engaged in academic research in vasculitis as well as patient care. VCRC Study Sites include Boston University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, University of Toronto, University of Utah, as well as several research partners in Europe.

Dr. Merkel's work and the work of the entire VCRC team of dedicated researchers is giving real hope for the future to patients with Churg Strauss Syndrome and other forms of vasculitis. His commitment to research alone would earn him a place in the Hall of Fame, but he also volunteers his time to work closely with vasculitis patient support groups, inspires and mentors young researchers, speaks passionately about vasculitis and rare disease research, and provides expert and compassionate care to his patients.