Dr. Kam Shojania is a leader in the field of rheumatology. His research specialty is the efficacy of different medications on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Dr. Shojania graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine in 1989 and interned at the University of Manitoba. He was a resident in internal medicine and then chief medical resident at the University of British Columbia. After serving as a fellow in rheumatology at UBC, he joined the University’s Faculty of Medicine as 1995. One year later, he was named Medical Director of the Vancouver Pain Clinic, a position he held for five years. He has served as a clinical assistant professor at UBC since 1998 and was awarded the Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching from the UBC Faculty of Medicine in 2003.

The Arthritis Society awarded Dr. Shojania a Clinician Teacher Award in 2001 to improve the teaching curriculum in rheumatology and attract new recruits to the field. As part of this five-year grant, Dr. Shojania set up a rheumatology teaching Web site to inform and educate medical students and residents about rheumatology.
In addition to his research, Dr. Shojania has an active private practice in Richmond and was the director of Clinical Trials with the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada from 2000 to 20006 and continues to do clinical trials there. He is a staff rheumatologist at Vancouver General Hospital.

A frequent lecturer, media guest and conference participant on the subject of arthritis, Dr. Shojania has made presentations across North America and Europe. He has also authored articles and book chapters on the treatment of arthritis.

At UBC, Dr. Shojania serves on the Rheumatology Post Graduate Fellowship Committee, the CME Committee and is a past member of the Clinical Research Ethics Board. He is Director, Continuing Medical Education at UBC’s Division of Rheumatology. He is a fellow with the American College of Rheumatology, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Rheumatology Association, where he sits on the Education, Website, Scientific and abstract selection committees. He is a member of the Canadian Rheumatology Research Consortium and the Spondylitis Consortium of Canada.

Publications

1. Inman RD, Shojania K, Keystone E, Haraoui B, Leombuno JP, Maksymowych WP.  Efficacy of lower dose infliximab in active ankylosing spondylitis – Interim results of a Canadian study.  Arthritis Rheum 2006;54(9 Suppl):S471      -Infliximab is a breakthrough in the treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis – a crippling spinal disease that usually affects people in their twenties.  Unfortunately the cost is more than $30,000 yearly.  This important study shows that a lower dose of infliximab is effective for AS and may help induce third party payers and provincial formularies to cover the cost.
2. Maksymowych WP, Olczynski W, Sampalis J, Shojania K. The Maastricht and Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada Enthesitis Scores (MASES and SPENT): A comparison of their reliability and responsiveness. J Rheumatol 2006;33:382
   -Enthesitis (inflammation of the tendon and ligament insertion into bone) is a characteristic feature of spondyloarthropathies, including ankylosing spondylitis.  The current scoring mechanisms are cumbersome and not very clinically relevant.  This study looks at the standard European criteria and compares them to a Canadian version.
3. Dunne J, Dutz J, Shojania K, Ng B, van Eeden S. Treatment of severe Raynaud's phenomenon with bosentan in a patient with systemic sclerosis. Rheumatology.2006;45(7):911-2.
   -Raynauds phenomenon and digital gangrene is a complication of Scleroderma – a debilitating connective tissue disease that affects predominantly young women.  This case report highlights the remarkable improvement in digital gangrene using bosentan, a drug for pulmonary hypertension.
4. Bansback NJ, Regier DA, Ara R, Brennan A, Shojania K, Esdaile JM, Anis AH, Marra CA. An Overview of Economic Evaluations for Drugs Used in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Focus on Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha Antagonists. Drugs 2005;65(4):473-496.
   -Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) antagonists are very effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but often cost more than $20,000 per year.  This study looks at a cost effectiveness analysis of these agents.
5. Nahar I, Shojania K, Marra CA, Alamgir AH, Anis AH.  Infliximab: A qualitative review of its role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.  Annals Pharmacother 2003;37(9): 1256-65.
   -This review article focuses on infliximab in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease including cost effectiveness.