Staff

Michael L. Smitherman, M.D.

Dr. Smitherman was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He developed an interest in medicine and rheumatology at an early age when his grandmother was diagnosed with a rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma overlap syndrome. He attended the University of Alabama School of Medicine, graduating in 1995. He then completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center- Miami Beach, Florida. He practiced internal medicine in Cumming, Georgia, and Tucker, Georgia, between 1998 to 2001. After which he completed a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, to achieve his goal of becoming a rheumatologist. While at the University of Florida, he was awarded an AMGEN fellowship award. As an AMGEN fellow he completed research in systemic lupus erythematosus which was presented at the American College of Rheumatology national meeting in 2003. He published research in fibromyalgia in Current Pain and Headache Reports (August, 2002) with Dr. Roland Staud (author of Fibromyalgia for Dummies) and completed research with Dr. N. Larry Edwards on new and emerging therapies for gouty arthritis. He is board certified in Rheumatology and board eligible in internal medicine

Staff Members

Yarely Solorio

Yarely Solorio

Medical Assistant/Infusion Coordinator

Originally from the Roswell area, she is a graduate of the Medical Assistance Program from Altierus Career College.  She originally joined the practice in 2013 and is presently attending Georgia State University where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in biology.

Here at our office she is a senior Medical Assistant/Infusion Coordinator who specializes in obtaining prior authorizations for injectables, biologics and infusible medications. She answers questions and educates patients on the use of various medications and demonstrates how to properly administer injectable medications.  Yarely is also our Infusion Coordinator.  In this capacity, she obtains prior authorizations and predeterminations for infusion medications and provides support to patients with obtaining financial and foundation assistance.

Sowmya Radhakrishnan

Sowmya Radhakrishnan

Medical Assistant/Back Office Support

Originally from the Marietta area, Sowmya recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in animal science from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Here at our office she assists patients with securing assistance for their medications through various foundations, getting patients’ vital signs, chart preparation and administration of injections for various medications. She also assists in obtaining prior authorizations for injectables and biologics. In the back office, she conducts patient eligibility including insurance verifcation functions, performs accounts receivable duties and provides support as needed to the Practice Administrator.

Heather Grafton

Heather Grafton

Nurse Practitioner

Heather Grafton is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She specializes in family medicine with a focus on adult health, internal medicine, and women's health. She prioritizes patient education and demonstrates empathy when working with clients. She received her B.S.N., M.S.N., and D.N.P. from Mercer University.  Before becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, she was a certified 7th-12th grade Language Arts teacher and JV cheerleading and tennis coach. She is the proud mother and uber of 2 children who keep her busy with travel baseball, tournament softball, cheerleading, and wrestling. When she isn't coaching her daughter's cheerleading team, spending time at the ballfield, or in the gym, she enjoys watching football, going to concerts, and playing tennis. She is an avid Florida State, Buffalo Bills, and Atlanta Braves fan.

Grace Lee

Grace Lee

Medical Assistant

Originally from the Peachtree Corners area, Grace Lee is currently attending Emory University where she studies Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She is on the premedical track in hopes of going to medical school to become a psychiatrist or neurologist. Aside from being a student, she is also an undergraduate Teaching Assistant for biology lab at Emory. She is involved in research at Emory Autism Center and the Atlanta VA Medical Center where she studies the neurobiology of 22q11 deletion syndrome. In her free time, Grace enjoys teaching piano and violin, relaxing with her cat, and reading mystery novels. At Atlanta Arthritis Center, I work as a Medical Assistant where I conduct patient education on biologics, train patients to self-inject, administrator injections, triage, chart prep and recently became the new patient coordinator.

Destiny Davis

Destiny Davis

Medical Assistant

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia Destiny who moved to Kentucky where she graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a BS Degree in Community Health. She is currently studying for her state certification in medical assistant/ billing and coding and is CPR certified. She plans to attend Georgia State University where she will pursue a BSN in Nursing.

Here at our office, she provides patient injection training, perform patient triage responsibilities, charts preparation, and administer injections for various medications. She is our principal new patient coordinator where she is responsible for sending new patient paperwork and getting medical records for their consultation with the physician. She was recently promoted to prior authorization specialist where she works to ensure that provider recommended therapies including injectables and biologics are approved by insurance.

Destiny enjoys singing and dancing in her spare time. She also believes times is precious and we should be grateful for every day that comes.

Annalyce Bass

Annalyce Bass

Infusion Nurse

Hi! My name is Annalyce Bass. I grew up here in Atlanta but left the area August of 2016 when I started my undergrad degree in Kinesiology at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Upon graduation, I applied to Vanderbilt Universities accelerated BSN-MSN program. I became a nurse in September of 2021 and have been working at Atlanta Arthritis Center since then! I am still in school part time at Vanderbilt's School of Nursing getting my Masters of Nursing to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I have loved every minute of working at the Atlanta Arthritis Center and feel so grateful to be here!

Here at our office, Annalyce is committed to serving patients as an infusion nurse where she can devote her attention to each patient, offer her compassion and care, and personalize each individual’s infusion experience. She enjoys working with the team to deliver quality patient care, as well as educate patients about their conditions and infusion medications.