Louis Kuritzky, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor Emeritus
University of Florida School of Medicine
Department of Community Health & Family Medicine
Clinical Faculty, UCF College of Medicine/HCA GME Consortium
Family Medicine Residency Program
Gainesville, FL

Dr. Louis Kuritzky began his academic career as clinical faculty for the UCLA Department of Family Medicine (Los Angeles) in the 1970s. He has been affiliated with the University of Florida (Gainesville) since 1983, and became tenured faculty in the Department of Community Health and Family Medicine in 1988. He currently holds the title of Clinical Assistant Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida and is clinical faculty for the UCF College of Medicine/HCA GME Consortium Family Medicine Residency Program (Gainesville, Florida). His current professional society participation includes the American Society of Hypertension (ASH), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP). In addition to being board-certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine, he has received certification as a Specialist in Hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension.

Dr. Kuritzky has given hundreds of presentations, including domestic and international venues. He is on the editorial board of Internal Medicine Alert, Consultant, Clinical Diabetes, and the International Journal of Impotence Research. He has authored over 150 articles in journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Comprehensive Therapy, Hospital Practice, Consultant, Postgraduate Medicine, Journal of Pain and Palliative Care, and Patient Care.

Clarence W. Legerton III, MD, FACR
Low Country Rheumatology
Managing Partner
Articularis Healthcare
Charleston, SC

Dr. Clarence W. Legerton currently serves as Managing Partner of Low Country Rheumatology in Charleston, SC. Dr. Legerton is a native of Charleston, SC, graduated Davidson College (cum laude) in Davidson, NC, and received his M.D. degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 1986 where he was awarded the Clinical Science and Physical Diagnosis Award. He matriculated to Vanderbilt University to complete a 3-year internship and residency in Internal Medicine, followed by Fellowships both in Internal Medicine/Health Promotion and in Rheumatology. While at Vanderbilt, he served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at Saint Thomas Hospital from 1990-1991.

In 1992, Dr. Legerton returned to Charleston to join the faculty at MUSC in the Division of Rheumatology where he was actively involved in graduate education, research, and clinical care of patients with a wide variety of rheumatic diseases. In addition to his clinical and research interests, he, along with Dr. Julius Sagel, directed the Internal Medicine Core for Junior medical students and served as both Vice-President and President of the Medical Staff of the MUSC Hospital. His efforts as a teacher and clinician resulted in appointment to the AOA National Medical Honor Society. In 2002, he joined Low Country Rheumatology. During his tenure, Low Country Rheumatology has expanded as Articularis Healthcare into 2 states, SC and GA, and has grown to include 16 rheumatologists.

Dr. Legerton is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Rheumatology, the Charleston County Medical Society which he served as treasurer, Vice-President, and President, and the South Carolina Rheumatology Society which he has served as Program Chair and President. He is listed as a member of the Best Doctors in America. He continues his strong interest in clinical research, participating in many clinical trials involving rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and lupus, among others. Dr. Legerton is board-certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. He lives in Charleston with his wife and 2 college-aged children.

David M. Plourd, MD, FACOG
Staff Obstetrician & Gynecologist & Obstetric Hospitalist
Formerly Naval Hospital
San Diego, CA

Dr. David M. Plourd has been an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, and at UCSD, for two decades, before he joined the Obstetric Hospitalist Team at Scripps Hospital. Dr. Plourd has been teaching and lecturing nationally and internationally on numerous women’s healthcare topics. He was voted “Teacher of the Year” by the interns & residents at the Naval Medical Center. Dr. Plourd has been a Board Examiner for the American Board of OB/GYN. He is also an Expert Reviewer for several State Medical Boards. Dr. Plourd also serves as a consultant for Dr. Oz, ABC News, Web-MD, and Fox News, as well as Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Redbook, and Woman’s Day magazines.

Matthew R. Weir, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chief of Nephrology Division
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD

Dr. Matthew R. Weir is attending physician and Director of the Division of Nephrology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Maryland Hospital, Baltimore. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Dr. Weir’s primary research interests include the use of antihypertensive therapy for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive renal injury in African Americans, and preventing allograft nephropathy in transplant recipients. He has written more than 600 manuscripts and book chapters about these topics. He has edited 8 books: on topics in nephrology, transplantation, and hypertension. He has presented at numerous international scientific association meetings, hospitals, and medical schools.

Dr. Weir currently reviews manuscripts for more than 30 major medical journals, including the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, and Archives of Internal Medicine. He is on the editorial board of 12 journals and is Section Editor of Current Hypertension Reports and Current Opinion in Hypertension and Nephrology. He has 3 active NIH supported grants from NIDDK and one from NHLBI. In addition, he is a member of numerous associations, including the American Society of Nephrology, the National Kidney Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the American Society of Transplantation.

Dr. Weir received his medical degree from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. He completed his internship and residency programs in medicine at the Waterbury and Yale-New Haven Hospitals in Connecticut, and completed his nephrology training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Massachusetts. He then moved to the University of Maryland where he has been a full-time faculty member since 1983.