My name is Irene Miniati and I am a young medical doctor working as a rheumatologist with Professor Matucci Cerinic at the University of Florence in Italy. I work in the outpatient department, with a special interest in the care of scleroderma patients. I am a co-author, with Professor Matucci Cerinic, of the main medical article, "Systemic Sclerosis" in the ISN's book, Voices of Scleroderma Volume 3.

My principal field of interest is autologous stem cell transplantation in scleroderma, a treatment that has emerged in the last decade. In Florence we started this procedure three years ago, thanks also to the help that Professor Tyndall from Basel, Switzerland, has given to us.

I like to take part to the events and the activities that our local scleroderma patient association organizes. For this reason it is really a pleasure for me to be introduced in a network of scleroderma patients from all over the world. My email is irene_miniati@hotmail.com.

ISN: Dr. Marco Matucci-Cerinic. Author of more than 200 scientific publications, he is considered a world thought leader in scleroderma, angiogenesis and Raynaud's phenomenon. He is a long-standing member of the ISN Medical Advisory Board, and the featured expert in ISN's forthcoming book, Voices of Scleroderma Volume 3. New page, posted 09-01-05.