At the Scleroderma Research Foundation, research is at the center of all we do.
What is CONQUER?
In 2018, The SRF launched the CONQUER Registry (an acronym for COllaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry) – a first-of-its-kind nationwide patient registry and biosample repository aimed at improving care and developing more effective, personalized therapies for systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) patients.
CONQUER was created through a collaborative effort among the largest scleroderma centers in the U.S. With the goal of enrolling thousands of scleroderma patients from around the country, researchers and clinicians will be able to learn as much as possible about all forms of scleroderma in patients of all backgrounds and ethnicities, and use that knowledge to advance research and discovery.
How the CONQUER Registry Works
- Scleroderma patients participate through their routine clinical visits (2x/year), contributing Clinical data & Blood samples
- Patients also contribute data through Patient-Reported Outcome surveys. (This can be done at the patient’s convenience.)
- Enrolled Patients receive the most modern standard of care. There are no experimental therapies involved in CONQUER.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for CONQUER, the national scleroderma patient registry, you must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Have systemic scleroderma
- Be within first 5 years of first non-Raynaud’s symptom (Enrollment is time sensitive)
- You can participate in CONQUER even if you are enrolled in another registry.
CONQUER will benefit every scleroderma patient, even those unable to enroll.
How Do I Participate in CONQUER?
- The 17 institutions listed below are the sites participating in the CONQUER REGISTRY Project.
- We do anticipate that other expert sites will be added over time and are in the process of evaluating such additions now. If you are a patient at one of these participating centers, ask your doctor about enrolling in CONQUER.
- Otherwise, please contact the Scleroderma Research Foundation at info@srfcure.org or call us at 800.441.CURE (2873).
CONQUER Sites
Columbia University, New York
Principal Investigator: Elana Bernstein, MD, MSc
Primary Contact Person: Niki Pradhan, Research Coordinator
np2749@cumc.columbia.edu
212.342.6815
Duke University, North Carolina
Principal Investigator: Ankoor Shah, MD
Primary Contact Person: Karissa Grier, Research Coordinator
karissa.grier@duke.edu
Georgetown University, Washington, D. C.
Principal Investigator: Virginia Steen, MD
Primary Contact Person: Peyton Murray, Research Coordinator
pm1141@georgetown.edu
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
Principal Investigator: Jessica Gordon, MD
Primary Contact Person: Kaitlin Schultz, Research Assistant
schultzk@hss.edu
212.774.7620
Johns Hopkins University, Maryland
Principal Investigators: Ami Shah, MD and Laura Hummers, MD
Primary Contact Person: Adrianne Woods, Research Coordinator
awoods9@jhmi.edu
410.550.6820
Mass General Hospital, Massachusetts
Principal Investigator: Flavia Castelino, MD
Primary Contact Person: Alexandra Poeschla, Research Coordinator
apoeschla@mgh.harvard.edu
507.923.0814
Mayo Clinic, Minnesota
Principal Investigator: Ashima Makol, MD
Primary Contact Person: Jenni Sletten, Research Coordinator
Sletten.Jennifer@mayo.edu
507.284.4797
Medical University of South Carolina
Principal Investigator: Faye Hant, DO, MSCR
Primary Contact Person: Brittany Frasier, Research Coordinator
frasibri@musc.edu
Northwestern University, Illinois
Principal Investigator: Carrie L. Richardson, MD
Primary Contact People:
Kathleen Aren, Research Coordinator
kathleen.aren@northwestern.edu
Alexandra Soriano, Research Coordinator
alexandra.soriano@northwestern.edu
312.503.1120
Stanford University, California
Principal Investigator: Lori Chung, MD, MS
Primary Contact Person: Swarna Nandyala, Research Coordinator
swarnan@stanford.edu
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Principal Investigator: Shervin Assassi, MD
Primary Contact Person: Samuel Theodore, Research Coordinator
samuel.theodore@uth.tmc.edu
University of California, Los Angeles
Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Volkmann, MD, MS
Primary Contact Person: Nancy R. Lopez, Research Coordinator
NancyRLopez@mednet.ucla.edu
University of Michigan
Principal Investigator: Dinesh Khanna, MD
Primary Contact People:
Danielle Ochocki, Research Coordinator
dochocki@med.umich.edu
Rosemary Gedert, Research Coordinator
rgedert@med.umich.edu
Riley Bennett
rileybe@med.umich.edu
University of Minnesota
Principal Investigator: Jerry Molitor, MD
Primary Contact Person: Ben Teng, Research Coordinator
tang0266@umn.edu
612.624.5617
University of Pennsylvania
Principal Investigator: Nora Sandorfi, MD
Primary Contact People:
Lauren Baker, Research Coordinator
Lauren.Baker@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Lizzy Robinson, Research Coordinator
Elizabeth.Robinson@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215.614.4430
University of Utah
Principal Investigator: Tracy Frech, MD
Primary Contact Person: Inge Stijleman, Research Coordinator
inge.stijleman@hsc.utah.edu
801.213.1368
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tennessee
Principal Investigator: Tracy Frech, MD
Primary Contact Person: Sarah Wood, Research Coordinator
sarah.wood@vumc.org
615.322.3635
WEBINAR SERIES
Learn About CONQUER
Watch an informative webinar explaining the importance of the CONQUER Registry and how it could lead to finding a cure.

How Does My Data Get Used, and Is It Protected?
- Your clinical data and blood samples will be de-identified so no one can get personal information about you.
- CONQUER data is protected in a secure data center at the University of Utah. This Data Coordinating Center (DCC), based at the University of Utah School of Medicine, provides a central repository for data generated by each of the CONQUER sites. The DCC also works with each of the CONQUER Principal Investigators and Research Coordinators to implement CONQUER-wide standards for data collection and analysis in order to ensure uniformity and quality of the data. The DCC implements regular monitoring activities and performs statistical analyses for many manuscripts published on behalf of CONQUER.
- CONQUER blood samples are stored separately at the University of Texas-Houston – the largest biorepository of scleroderma samples in the world
What is the Benefit to Me?
- Your participation will help accelerate advances in clinical care
- This registry supports the development of new therapies
- Patients enrolled in CONQUER will experience heightened scrutiny and care in a formal setting
- In the future, CONQUER will include a clinical trials platform for rapid testing of new drugs and enrolled patients may be eligible to participate in these trials.
Still Want More Information About Conquer?
- Watch the CONQUER Webinar here
- Read more about it here
- Email info@srfcure.org for any questions you may have.
OUR RESEARCH
Dive Deeper into Our Research
Dig into the details of our research program to understand more about the science behind what our elite researchers are doing to find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.