The Department of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine will welcome Allen Anandarajah, MBBS, MS, as its new chief of the Division of Rheumatology.
Anandarajah’s appointment comes at the conclusion of a nationwide search for the next leader of IU’s celebrated group of rheumatologists. Physician-educators in this division care for patients in disease-specific clinics, treating and managing an array of rheumatic disorders including gout, lupus, osteoarthritis, myositis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma, and participating in collaborative and innovated research on these topics.
His anticipated start date is April 1, 2026.
Anandarajah’s clinical skills and administrative approach strike the perfect tone for the division’s future, said department Chair David Aronoff, MD.
“Over the course of his career, Dr. Anandarajah has distinguished himself as a clinician, educator, researcher and leader in the field,” Aronoff said. “With his guidance, I know our Division of Rheumatology will continue to improve the lives of so many Hoosiers facing musculoskeletal and autoimmune conditions, and, through cutting-edge research, advance the quality of care and treatment options available to patients worldwide.”
“I am honored to join IU School of Medicine and am excited to lead the division of rheumatology,” Anandarajah said. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty from various divisions, institutes and the school in delivering high-quality care for our patients, providing state-of-the-art education resources for our learners, and advancing cutting-edge research programs for our community.”
For more than 20 years, Anandarajah has been a faculty member at New York’s University of Rochester Medical Center, in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology. He has held several roles in those two decades, including clinical director of the division from 2006 to 2017. He is currently a professor of medicine, director of the early arthritis clinic, and serves as his department’s associate chair for wellness.
Anandarajah’s clinical practice focuses on the treatment of adults with rheumatoid arthritis. His research focuses on the role that imaging studies have in the evaluation of inflammatory arthritis. He has authored more than 35 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to national guidelines, and served as principal investigator for numerous clinical trials. His work has advanced the understanding of inflammatory arthritis, improved care coordination, and addressed disparities in rheumatology research and practice.
Anandarajah earned his medical degree from the University of Nigeria and completed postgraduate training in internal medicine and rheumatology in Ireland and the United States. He completed his internal medicine residency training at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Pennsylvania followed by a rheumatology fellowship at the University of Rochester.
He joined the faculty at the University of Rochester upon completion of his fellowship in 2003. Three years later, he was appointed director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology. He was appointed associate professor of medicine in 2010 and professor of medicine in 2020. In 2021, he took on the additional leadership role of an associate chair within the department.
IU School of Medicine’s Division of Rheumatology consists of roughly 20 faculty members, including full-time, part-time and affiliates. Its inpatient service includes coverage at four hospitals, serving more than 800 patients annually; and its outpatient services are spread throughout six locations in the Indianapolis area.
The division’s fellowship program, which began in 1976, welcomes two fellows each year, and provides intensive clinical training that gives young specialists the necessary skills to deliver expert medical care to patients with rheumatic diseases. Since 2010, the Division of Rheumatology has been led by Steven Hugenberg, MD, who joined the department faculty in 1987 after completing both residency and fellowship training at IU School of Medicine.
Hugenberg has been a pillar of leadership within the division over those decades, serving as fellowship director and rheumatology section chief at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. He will remain in these roles as Anandarajah becomes division chief.
“I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Hugenberg for his steadfast service to the Department of Medicine,” Aronoff said. “He has proven his dedication to our school’s tripartite mission, and I know he will continue to be a guiding light within the division as we enter this new chapter of leadership.”
