Providers/Grant Support
This activity is supported by an independent medical educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Credits Available
- Physicians—maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- Nurses—1.0 contact hour of nursing continuing professional development credit
- PAs—maximum of 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credit
Target Audience
This educational activity is intended for rheumatologists and other members of the health care team who care for patients with systemic sclerosis.
Program Overview
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) doesn’t progress the same from one patient to the next, so your approach to diagnosis and treatment should be personalized. Unravel the clinical implications of the vasculopathy-fibrosis axis and how it silently drives disease progression in this case-based activity. You’ll explore red flag phenotypes and uncover what ILD, PAH, and renal crisis can look like before they become life-threatening. With emerging therapies reshaping the treatment landscape, real-world strategies for multidisciplinary care are as crucial as patient-centered outcomes. Whether you're trying to catch subtle early signs or optimize care for progressive disease, get all the information you need to act strategically and sooner.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, learners should be able to:
- Describe the mechanisms underlying SSc pathogenesis with an emphasis on the vasculopathy-fibrosis axis and its relationship to clinical features and disease progression
- Apply guideline-recommended methods to enable early and accurate diagnosis of SSc and characterize its phenotypic variants, including features predictive of ILD, PAH, and renal crisis
- Interpret emerging clinical evidence and data to optimize the treatment of SSc, including the management of serious complications and progressive disease
Faculty
Flavia Castelino, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, Scleroderma Program
Director, Research Training
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Benjamin Korman, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, NY
PLANNING COMMITTEE
Flavia Castelino, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, Scleroderma Program
Director, Research Training
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Benjamin Korman, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, NY
Margaret Das, PhD
Medical Writer
The France Foundation
Old Lyme, CT
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, The France Foundation is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the health care team.
Credit Designation
Physician Credit Designation
The France Foundation designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses
The France Foundation designates this activity for 1.0 contact hour.
Physician Associates
The France Foundation has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credit. Approval is valid until December 19, 2026. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
All other health care professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.
Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, The France Foundation (TFF) requires that individuals in a position to control the content of an educational activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial entity. TFF resolves all conflicts of interest to ensure independence, objectivity, balance, and scientific rigor in all its educational programs.
Furthermore, TFF seeks to verify that all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in a CME/CE activity conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis. TFF is committed to providing learners with high-quality CME/CE activities that promote improvements in health care and not those of a commercial interest.
Planning committee members, faculty, reviewers, and activity staff have disclosed the following relevant financial relationships. All relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated.
Flavia Castelino, MD
Planning Committee, Faculty
- Non-CE Consulting for Boehringer Ingelheim, Mediar Therapeutics, and Takeda
- Contract research for Prometheus, Genentech, Horizon, and Boehringer Ingelheim
All final planning decisions concerning content, learning objectives, and evaluation questions were made by the non-conflicted planning committee member. Content was reviewed by a non-conflicted member of the planning committee to ensure that it is not commercially biased, is fair-balanced, and is based on scientific evidence and/or clinical reasoning.
Benjamin Korman, MD
Planning Committee, Faculty
No relevant financial disclosures
Margaret Das, PhD
Planning Committee, TFF Content Reviewer
No relevant financial disclosures
Patrick Harty, PhD
TFF Content Reviewer
No relevant financial disclosures
Amanda Noe
TFF Staff
No relevant financial disclosures
Emily Perkins
TFF Staff
No relevant financial disclosures
Heather Tarbox, MPH
TFF Staff
No relevant financial disclosures
Instructions For Participation and Credit
There are no fees for participating and receiving credit for this activity. Successful completion is achieved by reviewing the CE information, completing the pre-test, completing the activity, and completing the post-test and evaluation form. A score of at least 75% on the posttest is required to successfully complete this activity. The participant may take the test until successfully passed.
Credit Fulfillment
- If you are requesting AMA credits, ANCC credits, AAPA credits, or a certificate of participation, your certificate will be available for download
Technical Requirements
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Additionally, this site and its activities are best viewed using the latest operating system for your device.
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
TFF requires CME faculty (speakers) to disclose when products or procedures being discussed are off label, unlabeled, experimental and/or investigational, and any limitations on the information that is presented, such as data that are preliminary, or that represent ongoing research, interim analyses, and/or unsupported opinion. Faculty in this activity may discuss information about pharmaceutical agents that are outside of US Food and Drug Administration approved labeling.
This information is intended solely for continuing medical education and is not intended to promote off-label use of these medications. TFF does not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. If you have questions, contact the Medical Affairs Department of the manufacturer for the most recent prescribing information.
Disclaimer
The France Foundation presents this information for educational purposes only. The content is provided solely by faculty who have been selected because of recognized expertise in their field. Participants have the professional responsibility to ensure that products are prescribed and used appropriately on the basis of their own clinical judgment and accepted standards of care. The France Foundation and the commercial supporter(s) assume no liability for the information herein.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Copyright © 2026 The France Foundation. Any unauthorized use of any materials on the site may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws. You may view, copy, and download information or software ("Materials") found on the Site subject to the following terms, conditions, and exceptions:
- The materials are to be used solely for personal, noncommercial, informational, and educational purposes. The materials are not to be modified. They are to be distributed in the format provided with the source clearly identified. The copyright information or other proprietary notices may not be removed, changed, or altered.
- Materials may not be published, uploaded, posted, or transmitted (other than as set forth herein) without The France Foundation's prior written permission
PRIVACY POLICY
The France Foundation protects the privacy of personal and other information regarding participants and educational collaborators. The France Foundation will not release personally identifiable information to a third party without the individual's consent, except when such information is required for reporting purposes to the ACCME.
The France Foundation maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you.
Additional information regarding The France Foundation’s Privacy Policy can be viewed at http://www.francefoundation.com/privacy.
Contact Information
If you have questions about this CME activity, please contact The France Foundation at 860-434-1650 or [email protected].