Sarcoidosis Symposium 2025 – Agenda

Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Location: TMC3 is 7255 Helix Park Avenue, Houston, TX 77030 (Levy Conference Room)
Total Duration: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Accreditation Statement: McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation: McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This event is funded by the Graham Distinguished University Chair endowment.
Hosted by UTHealth, McGovern Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Check-in & Breakfast (60 minutes)

8:00 AM – 8:10 AM
Opening Statement: UT Sarcoidosis Program the Past, Present, and the Vision
Speaker: Dr. Bela Patel
Graham Distinguished University Chair, Vice Dean of Healthcare Quality, Division Director of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, UTHealth Houston, TX.

8:10 AM – 8:40 AM

Keynote Address: Sarcoidosis in the Modern Era: Overview of epidemiology and global burden of sarcoidosis

  • Speaker: Elizabeth Frame
    Clinical Chief, Division of Rheumatology; Director, Sarcoidosis Clinic, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Session 1: Decoding Diagnosis: Pathology, Biomarkers, Genetics and Challenges Through Cases
8:40 AM – 9:55 AM

  1. Pathology: “Are all non-caseating granulomas sarcoidosis?” (8:40 – 8:55)
    Speaker: Dr. Bihong Zhao, UTHealth Houston, TX
  2. Biomarkers: “A novel approach to epitope discovery and development of IgG-based immunodiagnostics for Sarcoidosis” (8:55 – 9:10)
    Speaker: Dr. Lobelia Samavati, Professor of Medicine & Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Director of Center for sarcoidosis and interstitial lung disease, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
  3. Genetics: “Do genes determine diagnosis and phenotype in Sarcoidosis?” (9:10 – 9:25)
    Speaker: Dr. Courtney Montgomery, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK
  4. Case-Based Approach to Complex Diagnostic Dilemmas (9:25 – 9:45)
    Speaker: Dr. Logan Harper, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
    Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A (9:45 – 9:55)

9:55 AM – 10:05 AM Break (10 minutes)

Session 2: Beyond the Guidelines – Unraveling Neurosarcoidosis and Ocular Disease
10:05 AM – 11:05 AM

  1. Neurosarcoidosis: A Review of Diagnosis and Management Updates (10:05 – 10:20)
    Speaker: Dr. Giovanna S. Manzano (Brunetto), Neuroimmunologist, Massachusetts General Brigham Neurology, Boston, MA
  2. Neuromuscular Disorders in Sarcoidosis (10:20 – 10:35)
    Speaker: Dr. Rajesh Gupta, UTHealth Houston Neurosciences, TX
  3. Ocular Sarcoidosis: Recognition, Diagnosis, and Treatment Strategies (10:35 – 10:50)
    Speaker: Dr. Kelly Larkin, Memorial Herman Hospital and Retina Consultants of Texas, Houston, Texas
    Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A (10:50 – 11:05)

Session 3: Beyond the Guidelines – Skin and Joints Under Fire: Cutaneous and Rheumatologic Manifestations of Sarcoidosis
11:05 AM – 11:45 AM

  1. Cutaneous Sarcoidosis (11:05 – 11:20)
    Speaker: Dr. Megan Rogge, Department of Dermatology, UTHealth Houston, TX
  2. Rheumatologic Manifestations of Sarcoidosis –– Sarcoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory conditions (11:20 – 11:35)
    Speaker: Dr. Manjari Devidi, Medical Director, Lupus Clinic, UT Rheumatology, Co-Chair, UT Sarcoidosis Symposium, UTHealth Houston, TX
    Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A (11:35 – 11:45)

12:00 PM – 12:50 PM Lunch (50 minutes)

12:50 PM – 1:00 PM

Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation, Empowerment, and Progress (10 minutes)

Speaker: Mary McGowan, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, Chicago, IL

Session 4: Beyond the Guidelines – All About Cardio-Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM

  1. Pulmonary Sarcoidosis: Advances in Diagnosis, Management (1:00 – 1:15)
    Speaker: Dr. Pascal Kingah, UTHealth Houston, TX
  2. Cardiac Sarcoidosis Diagnosis and Manifestations (1:15 – 1:30)
    Speaker: Dr. Anju Bhardwaj, UTHealth Houston, TX
  3. From Heart Block to Ventricular Tachycardia: A Comprehensive Look at Cardiac Arrhythmias in Sarcoidosis (1:30 – 1:45)
    Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Chrispin, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
  4. Sarcoidosis-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension (1:45 – 2:00)
    Speaker: Dr. Farrah Kazzaz, UTHealth Houston, TX
    Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A (2:00 – 2:15)

Session 5: Beyond the Guidelines – Abdominal Disease
2:15 PM – 2:40 PM

  1. Abdominal Sarcoidosis: Navigating Hepatic, Splenic, GI, and Pancreatic Involvement (2:15 – 2:30)
    Speaker: Dr. Victor Machicao, UTHealth Houston, TX
    Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A (2:30 – 2:40)

2:40 PM – 2:50 PM Break (10 minutes)

Session 6: Initial Evaluation – A Practical Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Multisystem Sarcoidosis for All
2:50 PM – 3:45 PM

  1. Initial Evaluation – From Diagnosis to Multi-System Screening (2:50 – 3:05)
    Speaker: Dr. Kathy Chan, UTHealth Houston, TX
  2. Initial Evaluation – Electronic Health Record Templating (3:05 – 3:20)
    Speaker: UT Sarcoidosis Fellow –– Dr. Saad Farooq, UTHealth Houston, TX
  3. Treatment Guidelines Critique – What to Do When Data Lacks Quality (3:20 – 3:35)
    Speaker: Gautam Sikka, Medical Director, UT Sarcoidosis Program, UTHealth Houston, TX
    Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A (3:35 – 3:45)

3:45 PM – 4:00 PM Closing Remarks

Speaker: Dr. Gautam Sikka, Medical Director, UTHealth Sarcoidosis Program, Co-Chair, UTHealth Sarcoidosis Symposium, UTHealth Houston, TX

Adjourn by 4:00 PM (Approx.)