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 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 contributes 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. As 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.

Richard D. Brasington, Jr., M.D., FACP, MACR

Richard Brasington Jr., MD, FACP, MACR, joined Arthritis Consultants, Inc. in September 2022. Dr. Braisington is an emeritus professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, where he also served as the clinical director of the Division of Rheumatology and director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program for many years. Dr. Brasington brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him and he has a passion for educating both patients and medical professionals on the topics of rheumatological diseases.

Umar Daud, M.D.

Dr. Umar Daud joined Arthritis Consultants, Inc. in October 2022. was born in Pakistan and received his medical degree from King Edward Medical College in 1991. He completed his residency at St. Louis University School of Medicine, working in internal Medicine and Psychiatry in addition to his sub-specialty of Rheumatology. Before arriving to our facility, he has practiced rheumatology for over 20 years including practices in St. Louis and Hannibal and is now been servicing our satellite location in O’Fallon, MO on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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 for over 18 years and recently obtained her master in Nursing as an Adult Nurse Practitioner through Goldfarb School of Nursing at Washington University St. Louis.

Her career has covered many aspects in the nursing field from 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, and she has brought an incredible amount of care, understanding, and knowledge with her.

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 a registered Nurse for over seventeen years.

She has a passion for teaching others and has also worked as an adjunct faculty member as a Nursing instructor of 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 (Barnes-Jewish). She is certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and she is also a current member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Rheumatology.

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, NP-C

We are delighted to welcome Leanna Scheidemantel NP-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 having worked on the medical/oncology/palliative unit 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 care 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 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 majority of her nursing career in Acute Medicine at Barnes Jewish hospital as a nurse. 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.