A Wealth of Achievements

Much of Dr. Yelin’s research concerns the relationship between the labor market and how people with chronic diseases manage in that market, with some emphasis on the differential impact of various illnesses. In patients with RA, for example, the nature of the workplace, working conditions, and the state of the economy all determine job loss, he says. In RA, with its alternating periods of flare and remission, patients can often work with employers to control the time they can put into their work. During a flare, for example, when they need to see their physicians, they can often manage their workload and gain control over the pace of work. This underscores the importance of workplace autonomy for patients with RA, he says. In contrast, the impact of lupus on a patient’s work performance is driven more by the severity of disease and its specific manifestations. In patients with lupus, he says, the disease trumps everything.

Along with his colleagues, Dr. Yelin is examining how a person’s own background, place of residence, and type of community affects the kind of care that is received and the long-term outcome of care for lupus. In this National Institutes of Health– funded project, they will also investigate whether there are separate effects of being poor or of living in a low-income area on lupus care and outcome.

Q: How did you become involved with rheumatology?

A: It was an accident of history. I was hired by my mentor when I was a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley and working on some health policy issues related to chronic disease. Rheumatic diseases are among most common chronic conditions, and they have tremendous health policy implications. And the diseases themselves are also interesting.

Q: What’s it like to work with your co-winner, Dr. Katz?

A: There isn’t a day that I work with her that I don’t learn something. She has great insight and research judgment. These traits also help when we’re editing the journal. She has good judgment about what’s good and new, versus what’s just OK. She also has a good sense of humor, which is great when you work with someone every day.

ARHP Award

ARHP President’s Award

Patricia P. Katz, PhD

Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Health Policy, University of California, San Francisco

Background: Dr. Katz, PhD, is the co-winner with Dr. Yelin of the ARHP President’s Award for 2010. She has spent 24 years at the University of California, San Francisco. She has been an active member of AHRP for 20 years, serving on several committees over the years and acting as associate editor of AC&R from 1994 to 2005. She is currently co-editor of AC&R with Dr. Yelin.