Akgun Ince, M.D., FACR

Dr. Akgun Ince is a Clinical Professor at St. Louis University and has been in private practice at Arthritis Consultants, Inc. since 2001. Dr. Ince serves is the Chief of Rheumatology at Mercy Hospital St. Louis and serves as the Director of Clinic Research at Arthritis Consultants, Inc.

He received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1989 from Istanbul University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Rheumatology at St. Louis University. He worked as a full-time faculty at St. Louis University and was awarded “The Young Faculty Award” before joining Arthritis Consultants, Inc.

He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology. He has been President of St. Louis Rheumatism Society. Dr. Ince has been the primary investigator in many clinical trials on the treatments of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Osteoarthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. He has published numerous articles in peer-review journals and presented abstracts in National and International Scientific Meetings. He has contributed to the scientific literature by authoring multiple book chapters and serving as a reviewer for many rheumatology journals.

Dr. Ince has been chosen by his peers as one of the Top Doctors in America since 2011.

Amanda Dehlendorf, M.D., FACR

Dr. Amanda Dehlendorf joined our practice in 2010. A St. Louis native, she graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 2005 and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center. She completed a two-year fellowship in Rheumatology at St. Louis University in 2010. She was involved in clinical and basic science research and has published articles in peer-reviewed journals.

She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology. She is serving as a sub-investigator on several ongoing clinical trials.

Dr. Dehlendorf has been chosen by her peers as one of the Top Doctors in America in Castle Connolly’s list since its inception in 2021.

Isabel Hartig, NP-C

Isabel joined our practice in 2015. She was raised in St. Louis, where she graduated from Kirkwood High School. She went on to receive her Nursing degree from Southeast Missouri State University. Isabel has been a Registered Nurse since 1997 and obtained her master’s degree in Nursing as an Adult Nurse Practitioner through Goldfarb School of Nursing at Washington University St. Louis in 2015.

Her career has covered many aspects in the nursing field, including cardiothoracic ICU care, emergency medicine, and Rheumatology. Isabel was involved in clinical research as lead investigator and has been published. We are delighted to welcome Isabel to our practice where she has brought an incredible amount of care, understanding, and knowledge. She is an active member and speaker for Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers (RhAPP).

Elaine Zobrist, NP-C

Elaine joined our practice in 2017. She was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where she graduated from Eureka Senior High School. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southeast Missouri State University in 1999. She has been practicing nursing since 1999.

She has a passion for teaching others and has also worked as an adjunct faculty member in Nursing in Meramec Community College. In 2016, she earned her Master’s in Nursing with emphasis as an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College. She is certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), where she is also a current member, and is an active member and speaker for Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers (RhAPP).

As a Nurse Practitioner, it is Elaine’s promise to deliver excellence, compassionate, and evidence-based care to the rheumatology patient population. Thank you for entrusting her with your care.

Leanna Scheidemantel, FNP-C

We are delighted to welcome Leanna Scheidemantel FNP-C, to our practice. Leanna was born in Nashville, Tennessee and was raised in St. Charles County, Missouri. She is a graduate of Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011. Leanna comes to us from Missouri Baptist Medical Center, where she worked in the medical/oncology/palliative units for over 9 years.

In October 2021, Leanna earned her Masters of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner concentration from Maryville University. She is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Rheumatology.

Leanna has a passion for palliative treatment and is dedicated to excellent patient care. She loves educating patients while advocating to help them dictate their life goals so that their disease does not define them. She looks forward to partnering with all of you to achieve your best health!

Samra Fajic, NP-C

We would like to welcome Samra Fajic NP-C, to our practice. Samra was born in Bosnia and moved to St. Louis, Missouri when she was 8 years old. She graduated from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 2015. She went back to school and received her Masters of Science in Nursing in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care at Maryville University in 2019. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She spent the majority of her nursing career in Acute Medicine at Barnes Jewish hospital. She then worked as a Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner at Washington University for over 2 years before coming to Rheumatology. Samra is patient-focused, compassionate, and provides excellent care to her patients. She is looking forward to teaming up with all of you to provide the best care possible.