Meet the Team
Our Clinicians
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Read Frederick B. Vivino, MD, MS's BioFrederick B. Vivino, MD, MS
Frederick B. Vivino, MD, MS
Dr. Vivino was the Director of the Penn Sjögren’s Syndrome Center, the Chief of Rheumatology at Penn Presbyterian, and a Professor of Clinical Medicine. He retired in July 2021. He directed one of the country’s largest Sjögren’s centers and has abundant clinical and research experience with this patient group. He was a co-investigator in the
SICCA (Sjögren’s International Collaborative Clinical Alliance) tissue registry. He is a former chair and current member of the Sjögren’s Foundation (SF) Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Recently, he oversaw the first phase development and publication of the Sjögren’s Foundation’s clinical practice guidelines for the oral, ocular, and rheumatologic manifestations of the disease.
Widely recognized in his field, Dr. Vivino has published numerous articles and presented internationally on the results of his Sjögren’s syndrome research. His areas of interest include: Novel treatments for Sjögren’s syndrome dry eyes and dry mouth, Salivary scintigraphy as an outcome measure in Sjögren’s syndrome, neurocognitive dysfunction in Sjögren’s syndrome, and histochemical features of the nonautoimmune sicca syndrome "chronic sialadenitis."
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Read Dana Direnzo, MD, MHS's BioDana Direnzo, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dana Direnzo, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dr. Dana DiRenzo is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Penn Sjogren's Center. She received her undergraduate medical degree from Temple University and completed residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Maryland. She then went on to complete a fellowship in Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital with additional obtainment of a Masters of Health Science (MHS) in the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. After fellowship, she was on faculty at Johns Hopkins (2019-2021) and a member of their Sjogren's Center and subsequently joined faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in July 2021. Her research interests in Sjogren's include health related quality of life (HRQoL) and she is on the steering committee for the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) for the Sjogren's working group. She leads the Prospective Longitudinal Study to Understand Sjogren's (PLUS). She additionally has expertise in inflammatory arthritis and musculoskeletal ultrasound with a RhMSUS certification.
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Read Chadwick Johr, MD's BioChadwick Johr, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Chadwick Johr, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Dr. Johr joined the Penn Sjogren's Center in 2011 where he has spent over 10 years honing his expertise in the care of patients with Sjogren's disease under the tutelage of Dr. Fred Vivino before assuming the directorship in 2022. Dr. Johr served as a member of the Sjogren's Foundation board of directors for six years, helping steer the Foundation in its goal to conquer the complexities of this serious multi-systemic disease. With a passion for patient and provider education, Dr. Johr has presented at three National Patient Conferences run by the Foundation and is a contributing author in the Sjogren's Book, 5th Edition,
Dr. Johr completed medical school at the Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey School of Medicine, residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Brown University, and adult rheumatology fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. As an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Dr. Johr serves as the Director of the Penn Sjogren's Center, Associate Program Director of the Penn-CHOP Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Combined Residency Program, and one of six Measey preceptors charged with teaching students internal medicine and doctoring skills at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
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Read Nora Sandorfi, MD's BioNora Sandorfi, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Nora Sandorfi, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Nora Sandorfi, MD is a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Penn Division of Rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her clinical practice is primarily focused on the treatment of the challenging condition, Sjögren's. During the past close to two decades, she has served as a Principal Investigator on numerous clinical trials in Sjögren's, contributed to multiple publications, and trained fellows at the Sjögren's specialty clinic. Dr. Sandorfi also regularly participates in multiple educational events organized for patients with Sjögren's. In her free time, she is an avid athlete and most importantly the proudest mom of her three young adult children.
Research Team
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Sally Thompson, MBE
Clinical Research Manager
Sally Thompson, MBE
Clinical Research Manager
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Lauren Baker
Clinical Research Coordinator
Lauren Baker
Clinical Research Coordinator
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Kathryn Doyle
Research Laboratory Manager
Kathryn Doyle
Research Laboratory Manager
