Dr. Max I. Hamburger, MD, FACP, FACR

Expert Publications

• Differentiation of hyaluronate products by qualitative differences in their immunogenicity in rabbits: possible mechanism for product-specific severe adverse reactions? Comment on the article by Martens.
• Osteoarthritis and beyond: a consensus on the past, present, and future of hyaluronans in orthopedics.
• Influence of an educational seminar on use of disease activity measurements by rheumatologists in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Response to Biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs after Discontinuation
• Reticuloendothelial system Fc receptor function in the drug induced lupus erythematosus syndrome.
• Immunoresponsiveness in acute babesiosis in humans.
• Assessment of reticuloendothelial system function in man using receptor-specific probes.
• Visual evoked potentials altered by serum IgG of patients with multiple sclerosis.
• Reticuloendothelial system fc receptor function in rheumatoid arthritis.
• A critical review of therapeutic apheresis in the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis.
• NIH Conference: Immunoglobulin G Fc receptor-mediated clearance in autoimmune diseases.
• Defective Fc-receptor functions associated with the HLA-B8/DRw3 haplotype: studies in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and normal subjects.
• Sjögren's syndrome (Sicca syndrome): current issues.
• Multiple types of immune complexes in patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia.
• Opsonic requirements for intravascular clearance after splenectomy.

Media Releases

Get to know Rheumatologist Dr. Max I. Hamburger, who serves patients in New York. Dr. Hamburger is Managing Partner of Rheumatology Associates of Long Island (RALI), a leading rheumatology practice focused on providing comprehensive and compassionate care to patients suffering from diseases that affect the muscles, joints and bones. With convenient offices in Smithtown, Port Jefferson Station, Melville, Staten Island and Riverhead, New York, the practice’s goal is to help patients enjoy life again – free of pain. Dr. Hamburger is board-certified in both Rheumatology and Internal Medicine by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), an ethically-driven, professional membership organization committed to improving the care of patients with rheumatic disease and advancing the rheumatology subspecialty. Dr. Hamburger founded the New York State Rheumatology Society (NYSRS) in 2004 and served as its President until 2017. The New York State Rheumatology Society represents the interests of rheumatologists and allied health care providers treating autoimmune and other musculoskeletal disease in New York State. Their mission is to promote the standards of excellence for rheumatology care, provide educational and professional development opportunities for their members and to support advocacy efforts which foster healthcare policies that improve and protect patients’ access to the highest quality health care. Dr. Hamburger grew the organization to more than 150 members, conducting two annual meetings attracting rheumatologists from throughout the Northeast, and established NYSRS as the official organization of rheumatologists recognized by both the ACR and the Medical Society of the State of New York. Dr. Hamburger extended his commitment to continuing medical education on a national scale, with the formation in 2005 of the American Society of Clinical Rheumatologists ( ASCR). ASCR members affiliated to advance the identity of the rheumatologist as the specialist in the diagnosis and medical management of musculoskeletal diseases, and to serve the medical community as educators. To date, as led by Dr. Hamburger, ASCR members have presented more than 1000 accredited Continuing Medical Education lectures to community physicians and other rheumatologists. As the continually changing healthcare environment became progressively more challenging, Dr. Hamburger then founded and serves as Executive Chairman of United Rheumatology (UR) LLC, the preeminent Management Services Organization supporting independent practice rheumatologists across the country. Dr. Hamburger founded UR in 2014 in order to help rheumatologists strengthen the doctor patient relationship and provide the highest quality cost effective care in the face of an ever more complex health care environment. UR currently has 530 members in 37 states. Dr. Hamburger served as Chief of Rheumatology at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center from 1988 until 2006, and was Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook from 1979 until he retired from his academic position in 2017. He is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology, where he represents New York State on the Affiliated Societies Council. He also serves the Honorary Board of Directors of the Long Island Arthritis Foundation. Dr. Hamburger is a member of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He has been named “Top Doctor” for the last fifteen years by Castle Connolly, and by Stratford, and one of Long Island’s Top Doctors by Newsday from 2008 through to 2019. Dr. Hamburger received his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude in 1969. He received his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, in 1973. He served as an intern and resident at the NYU Bellevue Hospital Center from 1973 until 1976. Thereafter, he served as a Clinical Associate in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and also on the Arthritis Branch, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, from 1976 until 1979. Dr. Hamburger joined the full-time teaching faculty at SUNY Stony Brook in 1979, and then entered full time private practice in 1981. Dr. Hamburger has been the lead author or author of over 50 publications. He has been honored by the Arthritis Foundation for his service to the Long Island community, receiving the Regina Quick Award for Medical Excellence. Rheumatology is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists treat arthritis, autoimmune diseases, pain disorders affecting joints, and osteoporosis. Dr. Hamburger utilizes the latest diagnostic testing and up-to-date treatment techniques to provide his patients with the best possible treatment.

Recommended Articles

• Nerve Pain Medications for Fibromyalgia

  Living a quality life is tough if you are dealing with chronic pain that is caused by fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by predominant pain in the bones, muscles, and soft tissue. It is also associated with sleep issues, mood swings, and overwhelming...

• Fibromyalgia: Coffee Consumption May Help Reduce Dose of Opioids

  Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by general discomfort, hypersensitivity to pain, brain fogginess, and mood swings. Many people living with fibromyalgia may need opioid painkillers to overcome the pain caused by fibromyalgia. However, the adverse effects related to opioid therapy are always...

• Managing Lupus Non-Pharmacologically

  Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease where the body begins to produce autoantibodies against the body’s healthy cells. The resultant inflammation of the organs produces various symptoms in patients. Every person faces a unique set of symptoms. The disease occurs in episodes...

• Does Physical Therapy Help or Hurt RA?

  Over 40 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or related forms of arthritis. That’s one in eight people in America alone who have arthritis, and this number has increased by about 40 percent within the last 10 years.Arthritis (or inflammation of the joints) may be one...

• Can Moderate Consumption of Alcohol Reduce Fibromyalgia Symptoms?

  Fibromyalgia syndrome, popularly referred to as FMS is a severe chronic condition whose symptoms includes intense widespread musculoskeletal pain, depression, body fatigue, headaches, bowel and bladder problems. Other symptoms such as poor sleep, painful menstrual periods, arthritis, anemia,...

• Keeping Cozy: How Lupus Patients Cope with Raynaud's Phenomenon

  In the United States, about 30 to 40 percent of lupus patients have been found to also suffer from Raynaud's phenomenon. Raynaud's causes a constriction in the arteries supplying blood to the extremities—mostly the fingers and toes, but sometimes also the ears, nose, lips and chin. This causes...