• 4 Taft Court, Suite 175, Rockville, MD 20850
Covid and Mask Policy

About Our Practice

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide state-of-the-art, compassionate care for patients with arthritis, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, and other rheumatic diseases. After ensuring that you have an accurate diagnosis, we work with you to develop an individualized treatment program that best meets your personal needs and philosophy. Our goal is to ensure that you are a full participant in your family, work, and recreational activities.

Patient Portal

Our History

Healing for Over 50 Years

Founded in 1968 by Dr. Howard Levine, the Center for Rheumatic Diseases and Osteoporosis was the first rheumatology practice established in Montgomery County. We have cared for more than 100,000 patients referred by hundreds of physicians. Our patients come from as far north as Gettysburg, PA, from as far east as Annapolis and Delaware, and from D.C. and many counties in Virginia.

We participate with almost all locally available medical insurance plans including Medicare, Aetna, all Care First products including Blue Choice, United Healthcare including all Mamsi products, Johns Hopkins health plans, Cigna, OneNet PPO, and Adventist Healthnet. We are committed to continuing participation in as many insurance plans as possible, to allow continuity of care for our patients.

We are an integrated medical practice providing a full range of services to patients with rheumatic disorders and/or osteoporosis, including physician consultations and ongoing care for rheumatic diseases; DXA scan interpretation and physician consultation and ongoing care for osteoporosis; and on-site infusion therapy and laboratory blood drawing facilities.

Our Team

Get To Know Us

Anu Sharma, M.D. FACP FACR

Dr. Sharma is trained in adult and pediatric Rheumatology and is board certified in adult Rheumatology. Before beginning her residency training in Internal Medicine, Dr. Sharma lived in Bern, Switzerland and worked in a research capacity for the Maurice E. Mueller Center for Orthopedics, an affiliate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Sharma is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology. She sees adults and children (age 8 and older) with Rheumatologic conditions.

Dr. Sharma has been chosen by her peers to be listed in the Washingtonian Magazine “Best Physicians” editions since 2012

Dr. Sharma has been nominated as a new “up and coming doc to watch”, has been featured in the Washingtonian Magazine, and has appeared on WJLA’s Good Morning Washington.

Dr. Sharma was awarded the Marriott Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, by the Arthritis Foundation.

Seema Goyal, M.D. FACR RhMSUS

Before joining the Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Dr. Goyal served for 3 years as Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, then several years as a rheumatologist with the Princeton Medical Group in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Goyal has been chosen by her peers to be listed in the Washingtonian “Best Physicians” edition every year since joining our practice. Dr. Goyal is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Goyal sees adults with rheumatologic conditions.

Lauren Froning, MPH, PA-C

 

Lauren Froning, MPH, PA-C, is a board-certified Physician Assistant with specialized training in Rheumatology. Prior to transitioning into rheumatologic care, she practiced in Orthopedics, where she developed a strong foundation in musculoskeletal medicine and joint disorders.

Lauren has a strong background in public health and health policy. She earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) during PA school and has worked with the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) to advocate for PA education and health policy reform at the national level.

She is an active member of the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP), the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), and the Maryland Academy of Physician Assistants (MAPA). Lauren provides compassionate, evidence-based care to adult patients with rheumatologic conditions.

Administrator

Elizabeth Bernardo, BSN, RN

Infusion Nurse

Michelle Hinds, BSN, RN

Lead Coordinator

Jurlliana Orosco, CNA

infusion nurse

Marlyn Mejia, RN

front desk Coordinator

Ryan Paolo Bidavid

Patient coordinator

Luis Alejandro Mascardo

Patient Coordinator

Glen Kadusale

Eligibility & benefits
Scheduling Specialist

Jovan Ballesteros

PRIOR AUTH
Scheduling Specialist

Desiree Alimbuyao

PRIOR AUTH
Scheduling Specialist

Syrille Liban

ELIGIBILITY & BENEFITS
SCHEDULING SPECIALIST

MJ Silvano

Our office will be closed in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday - Monday, May 27th. We will return to the office on Tuesday, May 28th. Stay safe. Thank you!