Dana DiRenzo, MD, MHS
Dr. Dana DiRenzo is a rheumatologist who completed her rheumatology fellowship at Johns Hopkins in 2019. She spent the past several years researching ways to improve quality of life for people living with rheumatic disease. She has specifically explored how mental health and quality of life are impacted for those with rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, myositis and Sjogren’s syndrome.
In clinic, she enjoys talking to patients about diet, exercise, and stress reduction techniques. She became certified in mindfulness and mediation in 2019 and has led several research projects related to mindfulness looking at class-based formats as well as smartphone app programs. With the other members of the mindfulness team, she has scripted the exercises found on this website based on her prior training and experiences in the rheumatology clinic.
Carly Hunt, PhD
Dr. Carly Hunt is a counseling psychologist and research fellow in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her broad research interests lie in understanding and enhancing psychological and emotional resources that foster resilience in people living with chronic illness. More specifically, she is interested in developing new psychological treatments that can increase positive emotions and other protective factors. She also explores the benefits and barriers of practicing meditation regularly to self-manage pain. Dr. Hunt has personally practiced mindfulness meditation for over a decade and is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor. She has taught meditation in university and clinical research settings. Dr. Hunt believes that mindfulness-based practices can be a great support for managing the challenges that come with chronic illness. These practices are designed to help you gain greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings surrounding the experience of rheumatic disease, and to learn how to relate to your experience, and yourself, with kindness and compassion.
Neda Gould, PhD
Dr. Neda Gould is a clinical psychologist in the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is also the Director of the Johns Hopkins Mindfulness Program. Her area of expertise focuses on bringing mindfulness-based interventions and cognitive-behavioral therapy to patients with a diverse range of presenting issues, including depression, anxiety, pain, rheumatic and gastrointestinal disease, and other conditions that interfere with an individual’s quality of life. She also collaborates with other faculty in the school of medicine to better understand how these treatments work and develop ways to tailor treatments to specific populations.
Learn more about Dr. Gould’s work and research.
Erica Sibinga, MD, MHS
Dr. Erica Sibinga is a pediatrician and clinical researcher in the Division of General Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her research area is focused on adapting and evaluating mindfulness programming. She’s conducted research on mindfulness practices for youth and adults with and without medical conditions and have found that many people find mindfulness ideas and practices beneficial. She finds that mindfulness can be very helpful for the management of difficult thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.
Learn more about Dr. Sibinga’s work and research.
Clifton O. Bingham, III, MD
Dr. Bingham is a Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Rheumatology and Allergy at Johns Hopkins University. He is the Director for the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center and for Research in the Division of Rheumatology. His clinic interests including caring for people with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, and other forms of inflammatory arthritis. His research interests span from bench to bedside. He has authored numerous papers on patient reported outcomes and health-related quality of life. He also has helped to lead a clinical trial evaluating yoga for adults with arthritis.
Learn more about Dr. Bingham’s work and research.