Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue and can damage organs throughout the body. When it affects the kidneys, a condition known as lupus nephritis, the disease can become even more serious and requires careful, coordinated management.
But for patients navigating the condition, that care has not always happened in one place. Instead, patients and their families often find themselves synchronizing care across multiple specialists, appointments and treatment plans, making an already complex disease even more difficult to manage.
Now, a pioneering specialty clinic at USF Health is bringing rheumatology and nephrology together to provide patients with a fully integrated approach to diagnosing, treating and managing lupus nephritis and its kidney complications.
Elias Doumit, MD, left, and Natasa Pejcic, MD, right, meet with a patient during a visit at the USF Health Comprehensive Lupus Nephritis Clinic.
Launched in 2025, the USF Health Comprehensive Lupus Nephritis Clinic is designed
specifically to provide integrated, same-day multidisciplinary care for patients with
lupus nephritis.
Its mission is simple; involve the right specialists early, develop a unified treatment
plan and make it easier for patients to navigate a complex disease.
“We wanted a one-stop shop for patients,” said Elias Doumit, MD, associate professor
in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension,
director of the Glomerular Disease Program and principal director of the USF Health
Comprehensive Lupus Nephritis Clinic. “Having a multidisciplinary team helps us provide
diagnosis as early as possible so we can treat symptoms aggressively and prevent any
inflammation from progressing.”
The clinic is a joint venture between USF Health and Tampa General Hospital (TGH),
bringing together the organizations’ expertise and resources to strengthen care for
patients and to expand its services for patients.
Rather than making separate trips to see different specialists, patients can meet
with multiple members of their care team during a single clinic visit, improving coordination
and supporting early intervention while reducing the burden on patients.
“We want to make this journey as easy as possible. Our goal is to give patients the care, support and hope they need to live healthy lives,” said Anastasiya Bagrova, MD, assistant professor and associate program director in the USF Rheumatology fellowship program.
The clinic, held on the first Monday and Thursday of each month, has built a strong patient population in the short time since it opened and is working to expand its multidisciplinary offerings.
“Every patient with lupus is different, and it is important to see specialists from both areas,” said Natasa Pejcic, MD, assistant professor in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Division of Rheumatology, co-director of the Comprehensive Lupus Nephritis Clinic. “We need our nephrology colleagues because they are focusing on the kidneys. They can help our patients get to optimal kidney function, blood pressure and help us navigate the complications of the disease. It’s very important for our patients to see both specialists.”
Approximately half of patients with systemic lupus develop some form of kidney involvement, often within the first few years after the initial diagnosis. This risk underscores the importance of early detection and treatment, as ongoing inflammation can cause irreversible kidney damage. Without treatment, the condition may progress to kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Regular monitoring of kidney function and early recognition of signs of kidney involvement can help determine when treatment needs to be adjusted or intensified.
Jia Yi, MD
“Early detection is the key,” said Jia Yi, MD, assistant professor and associate program director for the USF Nephrology and Hypertension fellowship program and associate director of Glomerular Disease. “If we catch it early, there is a good chance we can put it into remission early.”
The close relationship with TGH helps extend care beyond the outpatient setting. Many clinic patients are hospitalized at TGH and may require procedures, interventions or other specialized care during their treatment. Because the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare is located just a short distance from the hospital, physicians can walk over to TGH to visit their hospitalized patients, helping maintain continuity of care between the clinic and hospital.
For patients with newly diagnosed or active disease, timely access to treatment can be critical. By coordinating the authorization and medication process through TGH Specialty Pharmacy, the care team can work to reduce delays and help patients begin the medications they need as quickly as possible.
This integrated approach allows physicians to focus not only on making an accurate diagnosis, but also on ensuring patients can move promptly from diagnosis to treatment.
Some patients also receive infusion therapy through TGH, allowing them to receive their prescribed treatments in a coordinated setting close to their care team.
Adding to its patient care focus, a key feature of the Comprehensive Lupus Nephritis Clinic is its academic and research integration, giving eligible patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials. Two clinical trials are currently underway.
As the program grows, the care team is working to develop a database that would eventually
allow lupus researchers to study laboratory markers, treatment response, inflammation
and genetics, helping build a deeper understanding of lupus nephritis and how patients
respond to different therapies.
The care team also hopes to expand the clinic’s multidisciplinary model beyond rheumatology
and nephrology. They are exploring future collaborations with include fetal-maternal
medicine for patients with high-risk pregnancies, dermatology for lupus-related skin
disease and social work to address socioeconomic challenges.
For an appointment with USF Health, call (813) 821-8038.
The USF Health Comprehensive Lupus Nephritis Clinic multidisciplinary team:
- Dr. Elias Doumit: Nephrology and Hypertension
- Dr. Natasa Pejcic: Rheumatology
- Dr. Anastasiya Bagrova: Rheumatology
- Dr. Jia Yi: Nephrology and Hypertension