Dr. Pender is a clinical assistant professor of medicine in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. She is currently full-time faculty at the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System. She earned her bachelor’s degree in integrated life sciences from Kent State University in 2001 and her medical degree from the Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine in 2005. She completed her internal medicine residency and fellowship training in rheumatology at the University of Arizona in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
Dr. Pender has been involved in several clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis. gout and systemic lupus erythematosus related drug therapies. She also has interest in providing specialty medical care to patients in rural areas. She has successfully initiated telemedicine in Rheumatology at the Tucson VA Medical Center and serves many patients via telemedicine. Dr. Pender is also involved in mentoring primary care providers in rural areas with the goal of increasing knowledge in the primary care provider treatment of basic rheumatologic disorders.
Dr. Pender has been a member of the American Medical Students Association, American College of Rheumatology and American College of Physicians.
She is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology.