Exagen Diagnostics Appoints New Board Member

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Exagen Diagnostics, a leading medical diagnostic company focused in rheumatology, today announced the addition of Arthur Weinstein, M.D., MACR, FRCP, as its newest board member and adviser to Exagen's scientific team.

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Dr. Weinstein is professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center and Associate Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Director, Section of Rheumatology, at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. He is board certified in rheumatology and diagnostic immunology. He attended medical school at the University of Toronto and trained in internal medicine and rheumatology in Toronto and at the Hammersmith Hospital in London. Dr. Weinstein has held faculty positions at medical schools in Toronto and the United States and has been elected a Master of the American College of Rheumatology (MACR) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) of the United Kingdom.

Dr. Weinstein's areas of interest include clinical, laboratory and treatment studies in SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), as well as Lyme disease, rheumatoid arthritis and connective tissue diseases.  He has authored/co-authored over 100 clinical and research papers and chapters. Some of his earliest studies related to complement metabolism and the usefulness of complement in the diagnosis of SLE.

Dr. Weinstein has helped train more than 50 rheumatologists in the United States and abroad and has volunteered for many nonprofit organizations, including the American College of Rheumatology, Arthritis Foundation, Canadian Arthritis Society, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA).  He has been involved in the formation and expansion of lupus clinics in many hospitals, has been chairman of the LFA-DC/MD/VA Medical Scientific Advisory Council and is currently co-chair of its board of directors.  In 2008, Dr. Weinstein was recognized by the LFA as Volunteer of the Year.

"We are honored to have Dr. Weinstein on the board due to his extensive strategic and clinical experience in rheumatology and autoimmune disease," stated Ron Rocca, Exagen president and CEO. "With his valuable input, we will continue to develop meaningful clinical diagnostic tests to assist rheumatologists in improving patient outcomes."

About Exagen
Exagen Diagnostics, Inc. is a patient focused, discovery driven, CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory with a growing menu of proprietary, internally developed tests focusing in the areas of rheumatology and autoimmune diseases. Committed to Personalized Medicine, our tests are specifically designed to provide objective information to physicians and patients for more accurate, efficient diagnosis and better disease management. For more information, please visit www.AviseTest.com.

SOURCE Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.