Series Overview

Recently, there has been an increased focus on the impact of biologic agents on infectious complications and immunocompetence. Biologic agents are associated with a small but significant risk of certain types of infection, including common respiratory, skin, and soft tissue infections and several others. It is important for clinicians who use biologic therapeutics to understand and be facile in the management of a wide array of infectious complications.

Another important educational need that will be addressed involves how the current and forthcoming biologic therapies affect immunologic memory and a patient’s capacity to respond to an immunologic challenge.

This timely educational program in these areas will strengthen the ability of rheumatologists to manage the constant challenge of balancing therapeutic immune suppression and the risk of infectious complications.

Activity Director

Leonard H. Calabrese, DO
Professor of Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
  of Case Western Reserve University
RJ Fasenmyer Chair of Clinical Immunology
Theodore F Classen DO Chair of Osteopathic
  Research and Education
Vice Chairman, Department of Rheumatic
  and Immunologic Diseases
Cleveland, Ohio

Target Audience

This webcast series is intended for rheumatologists, immunologists, and allied health care professionals, including nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, who care for patients with autoimmune
diseases.

Accreditation

These activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Objectives

On completion of this educational series, participants will be able to:

• Describe the clinical significance and methods of assessment of immunocompetence in clinical trials of
  biologic therapeutics
• Discuss the relative rates of serious infections among biologic agents
• Assess the impact of biologic agents on humoral immunity and the response to vaccines
• Describe and clinically apply effective strategies of infection prophylaxis and aggressive management of common infectious problems encountered in patients receiving biologic therapies
   

 
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Center for Continuing Education acknowledges
an educational grant for support of this activity from
Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec.

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