Faculty

John D. Carter, M.D.
John D. Carter, M.D. is an Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Rheumatology. He also serves as the Director of Clinical Research. He is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1996. He then completed his internal medicine and rheumatology fellowship at the University of South Florida. His research interests include reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, and drug safety. His research focus is on Chlamydia-induced arthritis. He has published more than 50 original peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in May of 2006 to study a novel treatment for Chlamydia-induced reactive arthritis. He has been awarded over $1 million in investigator-initiated grants since 2006. Currently, he is the principal investigator for 11 clinical trials. He lectures extensively and has presented his research on a local, regional, and national level.

Joanne Valeriano-Marcet, M.D.
Joanne Valeriano-Marcet, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Program Director of the division of rheumatology. Her medical career started at Cornell University School of Medicine where she graduated AOA. She completed a 2 year clinical fellowship followed by a one year research fellowship in the Division of Rheumatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City in 1991. Her CV includes 27 peer reviewed articles as of 7/2006. Research interests include Osteoporosis, Medical Education, Rheumatoid. She has been principal, and co-investigator for both funded and Departmental studies involving Osteoporosis, Medical Education, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Spondyloarthropathies, and Reactive Arthritis. She lectures locally , regionally, and nationally on various topics including Osteoporosis, Joint Injection Training using Simulators ,Rheumatic Disease in the Elderly, Rheumatologic Emergencies, Crystal Arthritis and Rheumatic Manifestations of Malignancy. An additional academic appointment includes Director of the 4th year medical student Skin and Bones Clerkship.

Priya Reddy, M.D.
Dr. Priya (Gnanashanmugam) Reddy is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. She graduated from MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore University, India in 1997 and completed her internal medicine residency training at University of Illinois, Chicago - Michael Reese Hospital. She is board certified in internal medicine. After her training, she was Chief Resident for the Department of Medicine at Michael Reese Hospital which was then followed by an appointment as Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Training Program at Michael Reese Hospital.

She completed her rheumatology fellowship at the University of Washington, Seattle and is board certified in Rheumatology. She completed the Teaching Scholars Program at the University of Washington and completed projects in and research related to professionalism in medicine and the application of research methods in assessing medical education. She was also involved in research looking at the relationship between cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Helen Bateman, M.D.
Dr. Helen Bateman is currently a Clinical  Assistant Professor of Medicine at U.S.F. and Board Certified Staff Rheumatologist at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Bateman graduated from Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London University in 1989. Medical Residency included her appointment as Chief Medical Resident at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and East Orange VA Medical Center.

Rheumatology clinical and research fellowship was completed at Cornell University and Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, where Dr Bateman also served as Volunteer Faculty. She held an academic appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and worked in private practice for several years.

Publications in peer reviewed journals as well as chapters of various text books have included topics related to the diagnosis and management of Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Her Research interests remain focused on auto-immunity in rheumatic diseases, inflammatory arthritis. Additional areas of interest include Osteoporosis, as well as medical education projects using simulators for teaching joint injection and use of computer models for joint pattern recognition.

Louis Ricca, M.D.
Dr. Louis Ricca is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Rheumatology, and part time Staff Rheumatologist at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Louis Ricca  graduated from University of Miami medical school in 1962. He also received his fellowship training in rheumatology at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami, completed in 1966. He has over 25 years of experience in private practice before joining the VA hospital. He received the ABE Gorday award for outstanding staff member in 1995 while in private practice in St. Petersburg. He was the Chairman for the Department of Medicine from 1982-1986 at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. He was the Chief of Rheumatology at Bay Pines VA hospital from 1992-2002. He joined the rheumatology staff at JA Haley VA in 1993. He has had many publications throughout his career and continues to be actively involved in research both through USF and as an investigator for Radiant Research. His wisdom, and his extensive rheumatology and life experience spanning many changes in the field of rheumatology make him a very valuable asset for our team.

Ashley Gray Sterrett, M.D.                                                     

Dr. Ashley Gray Sterrett is a Clinical Assistant Professor at USF and full-time faculty at the James A. Haley VA hospital in Tampa. She received her MD from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia in 2004 and came to USF for residency in internal medicine. Dr. Sterrett also received her training in rheumatology from USF, completing her fellowship training in 2009. During her training in rheumatology, she was principally involved with the teaching of large joint injection to internal medicine residents. She is board certified in internal medicine and board eligible for rheumatology. She has two publications, including a book on rheumatology cases, and presented two research posters at the 2008 ACR meeting. During her training she was recognized for her research in education with a scholarship to a fellow research meeting in 2008.  Her ongoing research interests are educational and particularly the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound for the diagnosis and management of arthritis.

Program Coordinator

Kimberly Harding
Kim integrates the many aspects of our growing division, and fellowship program. She coordinates the schedules, of all staff, and fellows. She handles many of the administrative issues of the Rheumatology fellowship program, and is a major advocate for the fellows. She continues to insure that our division keeps abreast of all of the subspecialty requirements, and the evolving board and accreditation process