Rheumatology Faculty

Division Chief
Program Director, Rheumatology Fellowship
J. Harold Harrison, MD, Distinguished Chair in Rheumatology
Professor, Medicine

lcarbone@augusta.edu

Dr. Carbone was appointed Division Chief of Rheumatology in the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in 2013. She graduated summa cum laude from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ and received her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Carbone did her internship and residency at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. She completed her Rheumatology Fellowship and Masters degree in Epidemiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, and Hospice and Palliative Care. Dr. Carbone practices Rheumatology, with a focus on osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases. Her research interests are in osteoporosis and related bone diseases. She has coauthored over 150 publications, and is currently supported by the grants from the Rheumatology Research Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the NIH. She has served on NIH and VA study sections. Dr. Carbone is Program Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at MCG.

Dr. Carbone's Profile

PUBMED PUBLICATIONS

Alyce Oliver, PhD, MD

Joseph P. Bailey, M.D. Chair in Rheumatology Professor, Medicine

aloliver@augusta.edu

Dr. Oliver's academic clinical interest and passion are diagnosing and treating inflammatory arthritides, specifically rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. She provides compassionate, holistic, patient-centered care and strives to improve the lives of those with rheumatic disease. She has a reputation for providing exceptional treatment while forming trusting, long-term relationships with her patients. Dr. Oliver also co-directs the Uveitis specialty clinic with Ophthalmologist, Dr. Diego Espinoza. This clinic focuses on diagnosing and treating inflammatory eye conditions and their underlying systemic conditions. Dr. Oliver is board certified in both Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology (FACR) and the American College of Physicians (FACP). Dr. Oliver was a voting member on the FDA's Arthritis Advisory Committee for 7 years and served as its Chair her final year. She is honored to be the Joseph P. Bailey, MD Chair in Rheumatology.

In addition to providing outstanding patient care for those with autoimmune disease, Dr. Oliver is passionate and committed to teaching others about the medical fields of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. She is the Program Director for the MCG Internal Medicine Residency Program and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Medicine. Prior to this, she served as the Program Director for the MCG Rheumatology Fellowship for 7 years and as the Associate Program Director for 3 years. She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor society and serves as the co-counselor. Dr. Oliver was the 2019 recipient of the Distinguished Faculty award for Patient Care, the 2016 beneficiary of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award and inductee into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS), and the 2015 awardee of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Clinical Science Teaching. She has won numerous “Exemplary Teaching Awards” and was inducted into the Augusta University Academy of Educators in 2013. Dr. Oliver is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where her interest in understanding the intricacies of the immune system began. This scientific curiosity led her to conduct basic research in B cell differentiation, maturation, and cellular trafficking. She obtained both her PhD and later her medical degree (MD) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She successfully completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Cincinnati and her Rheumatology Fellowship at Duke University.

Dr. Oliver's Profile

PubMed Publications

Hong Shi, MD

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

hoshi@augusta.edu

Dr. Shi is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology where she runs a lupus clinic. She received her medical degree from Tongji Medical University in China and practiced in clinic for several years. She did her Internal Medicine Residency at Montefiore Health System, New York, then she completed her Rheumatology Fellowship at University of Michigan Medical Center. Dr. Shi’s clinical practice is diagnosing and treating inflammatory arthritis, myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, cutaneous lupus, systemic vasculitis and other autoimmune diseases. She is interested in developing comprehensive yet personalized treatment plans for patients with autoimmune disease, to maximize the effectiveness and minimize the side effects of the medications used to treat them. Her research interests are cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Dr. Shi's Profile

PubMed Publications

Rachel Elam, MD, MS

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

relam@augusta.edu

Dr. Elam is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. Dr. Elam’s clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis and patient-centered treatment of autoimmune, musculoskeletal and bone diseases, including inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis), myositis, Sjögren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic vasculitis, and osteoporosis, among others. Her research interests are in improving holistic health of patients with autoimmune disease through optimizing preventive care for common complications of these conditions and their treatments, namely, fractures, infections, and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Elam is also passionate about educating the next generation of physicians about rheumatology, and as such, is active in teaching medical students at MCGMedical College of Georgia.Dr. Elam was born in Atlanta, GAGeorgia and grew up in the metro Atlanta area. She graduated summa cum laude from UGAUniversity of Georgia. At UGAUniversity of Georgia, Dr. Elam was a member of the prestigious Foundation Fellowship. Dr. Elam then went to the Johns Hopkins University to study public health, where she graduated with a Masters of Science in Biostatistics. Dr. Elam’s time working in public health inspired her to become a physician. She trained at MCGMedical College of Georgia at Augusta University, completing her medical degree, residency in Internal Medicine, and finally, her Rheumatology fellowship all here in Augusta, GAGeorgia. Dr. Elam is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. She is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology and the Georgia Society of Rheumatology.

Dr. Elam's Profile

PubMed Publications

Noelle A. Rolle, MBBS, FACR, FACP

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

Dr. Noelle A. Rolle is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology where she is the Associate Program Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship, Co-Director of the lupus clinic and Core Faculty for the Internal Medicine Program. She's a Bahamian who completed medical school at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica before completing her Internal Medicine Residency at Harlem Hospital/Columbia University, Chief Residency at The University of Central Florida and Rheumatology Fellowship at the University of New Mexico. She's board-certified in Internal Medicine and Adult Rheumatology and has a passion for teaching.

She is actively involved with the American College of Rheumatology where she is the Chair of the Collaborative Initiatives Committee. She's a Georgia Chapter Leader for the Association of Women in Rheumatology, a fellow of the American College of Physicians and member of the Georgia Society of Rheumatology and Caribbean Association for Rheumatology.

Dr. Rolle's Profile

PubMed Publications

Elena Schiopu, MD

Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology

eschiopu@augusta.edu

Dr. Schiopu is the Director of Clinical Trials for the Division of Rheumatology. She graduated from “Gr.T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania and did her medical training at Robert Wood Johnson medical school in New Jersey to Wayne State University in Detroit, after which she became faculty at University of Michigan in the Scleroderma Program, Director of the Myositis Program and the Rheumatology Lead for the combined Oncology-Rheumatology Initiative in immune checkpoint inhibitors. Her clinical research includes the first randomized controlled trial in myositis (RIM trial) and developing outcome measures in Scleroderma (CRISS) and Myositis (TIS), StopRA, photoacoustic imaging in Rheumatic structures. She currently serves in the scientific committee of the International Myositis Assessment & Clinical Studies Group (IMACS), and was a member of the University of Michigan IRB, the University of Michigan Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) on the President’s and Provost’s COVID-19 Faculty Council in 2020, and the first rheumatologist to mentor a team from the University of Michigan Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) Graduate Innovative Design in Biomedical Engineering course for the 2019-2020 academic year. She is a passionate educator and among others, she was honored by the University of Michigan Learning Environment Task Force (LETF) for her exemplary work in cultivating and upholding a positive learning environment for U-M Medical School students (2017), and received the Dean award in 2019 as an MD PhD candidate switched his residency application from Ob-Gyn to Medicine after working with her. She is an advisory member of the Scleroderma Foundation, The Myositis Association and Sjogren’s Foundation and feels privileged to be part of the greater Augusta medical community.

Dr. Schiopu's Profile

PubMed Publications

Umair Javaid, DO

Assistant Professor, Rheumatology

mjavaid@augusta.edu

Dr. Javaid is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. He grew up in Athens, Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Biology. Dr. Javaid went on to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Georgia for medical school. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Palmetto General Hospital in South Florida where he also served as the Chief Resident during his last year of training. He remained in South Florida to complete his fellowship training in Rheumatology at Larkin Community Hospital and served as the Chief Fellow in his final year. Dr. Javaid is also board certified in Internal Medicine and a member of the American College of Rheumatology. His clinical focus encompasses treatment of general rheumatic diseases such as systemic autoimmune disease, inflammatory arthritis, vasculitis, myositis, connective tissue diseases, and osteoporosis. He endeavors to expand access to rheumatology to underserved populations in the community. He is enthusiastic about educating his patients about their diseases in order to empower them with the tools needed to achieve the best clinical outcomes. His excitement for teaching extends to the medical students, residents, and fellows whom he feels privileged to teach.

Dr. Javaid's Profile

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Rheumatology Faculty