2025 V-Red Winners
The Vasculitis Recognizing Excellence in Diagnosis (V-RED) awards celebrate healthcare providers whose insight, persistence, and compassion have profoundly impacted the lives of people living with vasculitis.
For many patients, the journey to an accurate diagnosis is long and filled with uncertainty. It often takes a clinician who is inquisitive, caring, and determined—someone willing to look beyond the obvious—to uncover what others may have missed. V-RED honors those providers who make that life-changing difference.
This year’s winner shows how significant a physician’s persistence can be—diagnosing a rare disease in record time and guiding a patient from crisis to recovery through his dedication and compassion.
First Place Winner: Nathaniel Little, MD, Critical Care, Pulmonary & Sleep Associates
Forty-five-year-old Kristen Lindblom’s journey with vasculitis began in October 2024 with what she thought was a stubborn sinus infection. “My doctor prescribed antibiotics, changed them, and added prednisone when my breathing worsened. Within weeks I developed severe sinus inflammation, migraines, constant coughing, and lost my voice,” she recalled.
A chest X-ray revealed lesions, prompting an urgent CT scan that showed lung nodules. By then, her symptoms had intensified. “I was fortunate that Dr. Little, a pulmonologist, could see me quickly at the end of November,” Kristen said.
In the months that followed, her condition declined: the nodules grew, her sinus issues escalated, and the coughing became so severe she fractured several ribs.
Her diagnosis came relatively quickly – it took about three months – through extensive labs, CT scans, and a December bronchoscopy. When results remained inconclusive, she underwent an open lung biopsy, with samples sent to the University of Michigan. The findings confirmed granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA).
Dr. Little called to explain the diagnosis and arranged for immediate treatment. She was admitted to St. Anthony North Hospital in Westminster, Colorado, the next morning for high-dose IV steroids and rituximab and spent four days there.
Kristen’s initial regimen included daily prednisone and rituximab every six months. But by February 2025, her CT scan showed no improvement. Dr. Little consulted a rheumatologist at the University of Colorado Hospital, and Kristen was seen within days. “Together, we decided to start Tavneos® (avacopan). Within weeks, my symptoms began to significantly improve.”
She now takes Tavneos, nerve medication, Trelegy, and rituximab. Fatigue, breathing issues, and ongoing chest pain remain challenging, but her stability and function have improved.
Kristen expressed deep gratitude for Dr. Little, highlighting his remarkable dedication, compassion and commitment to patient care. She appreciated how he always went above and beyond, stayed in touch even outside regular hours and credits his persistence and expertise with fundamentally improving her outcome. She feels fortunate to have him on her care team, describing the experience as “hitting the jackpot.”
Kristen and her husband, Scott, live in Thornton, Colorado, where their 130-pound dog proudly serves as their “only child.”
Honorable Mention: Beth Rutstein, MD, MSCE, Division of Rheumatology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Before November 2024, Ethan Scott was a healthy, active 13-year-old from Abington, Pennsylvania. He loved to box and was constantly on the move. But in a matter of weeks, everything changed.
Ethan’s mom, Bonnie, remembers the first signs clearly. “It started as what seemed like a routine ear infection,” she said. “But quickly spread to both ears, worsened his hearing, and he became extremely congested and had difficulty breathing through his nose.”
Despite multiple rounds of antibiotics, Ethan continued to decline. Within three weeks, he developed low-grade fevers, fatigue, appetite loss, joint pain, and unusual bumps on his elbows. “At first, my husband, Kris, and I thought the joint pain was from boxing and his workouts,” Bonnie explained. “But when Ethan started limping, we knew that this was more than routine soreness.”
By early December, Ethan had red, light-sensitive eyes, and frequent nosebleeds. He had been seen multiple times by his pediatrician and an ENT, but neither could determine the cause. “We couldn’t keep going in circles any longer.” Bonnie said. “He was getting sicker and we needed answers.”
The decision was made to take Ethan to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) emergency room, where he was admitted that evening. Two days later, Ethan suffered a pulmonary hemorrhage, a life-threating complication that marked a critical turning point. Further testing—including kidney and skin biopsies, imaging, and bloodwork—revealed the cause: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA).
The rheumatology team, led by Beth Rutstein, MD, MSCE, became central to Ethan’s care. “From the moment she walked in, she reassured us we weren’t facing this alone,” Bonnie recalled. Dr. Rutstein coordinated inpatient care with nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, and dermatology.
Ethan faced the difficult side effects of prednisone, including sleepless nights and weight gain, adding to the challenges of his disease. He currently takes azathioprine and Bactrim,® and receives rituximab every six months.
Ethan has been in remission since August 2025, and his organs are now functioning normally. He recently ran in his first high school track meet and can be a normal teenager again. Ethan approaches life with a strength shaped by his medical journey.
Looking back, Bonnie and Kris credit Ethan’s recovery to the expertise, urgency, and compassion of Dr. Rutstein and the CHOP rheumatology team. “We felt a profound sense of comfort knowing we were in the best possible hands,” Bonnie said. Ethan’s quick diagnosis saved his life, and we are forever grateful that he now has a future filled with possibility.”
Honorable Mention: Daniel Ibarra-Taylor, PA, Intermountain Health's Saratoga Springs and Lehi Clinic
At just 34 years old, Janice Bacigalupo of Salt Lake City, Utah, has faced a lifetime of medical uncertainty. Married to Tim and the mother of one young son and two adult stepchildren, she recalled, “Looking back with the clarity of diagnosis, I believe I have had symptoms since early childhood.”
Recurrent mouth ulcers, severe leg pain, and chronic abdominal pain marked her early years, but the disease grew more complex over time, eventually affecting her gastrointestinal (GI) tract, heart, pancreas, nervous and immune systems. “The GI symptoms were the most persistent and progressively disabling,” Janice said.
Throughout these years of uncertainty, one constant in Janice’s medical journey was her gastroenterologist, Daniel Ibarra-Taylor, PA. First meeting Janice through a community charity program when she was uninsured, he became a steadfast advocate, helping unravel her complex medical history and guiding her through referrals and treatments.
It took nearly 20 years for Janice to receive a diagnosis. “I first sought medical care for GI symptoms around age 12 and was not formally diagnosed until January 2024, when I was accepted to Mayo Clinic,” she explained. For decades, her symptoms were treated as unrelated conditions. Only through persistence and careful documentation did she receive a diagnosis of Behçet’s disease.
“Imaging revealed severe colitis, recurrent pericarditis, pericardial effusions, and pleurisy. Biopsies showed bowel ischemia. Lab tests repeatedly demonstrated neutrophilic inflammation and immune activation without infection,” Janice said. A Mayo Clinic rheumatologist specializing in vasculitis ultimately confirmed the diagnosis.
Janice’s treatment plan involves immunosuppressants, biologics, and the ongoing management of a permanent feeding tube and implanted port. “These treatments and devices sustain my life but also add to the complexity of managing this disease,” she said. “These interventions have allowed me to regain weight, strength train between flares, work full-time, and actively parent my son.”
For over 13 years, Dan has been more than just Janice’s gastroenterologist; he has been a consistent source of guidance and advocacy. His tireless efforts in securing insurance approvals, referrals, and prioritizing Janice’s well-being have been integral to her ongoing treatment and ability to manage her condition.
Thank You to Our V-RED Award Sponsor
