David Daikh, MD, PhD, is associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), chief of rheumatology at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, and co-director of the Lupus Research Center at UCSF. He received his medical degree and doctorate of philosophy from the Oregon Health Sciences University, and completed his residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in rheumatology at UCSF. Dr. Daikh is a fellow in the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Daikh’s most recent volunteer appointment was serving as president of the Rheumatology Research Foundation. “I love rheumatology because of the intersection of science and clinical care in our field, and I love the ACR because it serves to keep the clinical, educational, and scientific components of our specialty working together under one roof,” says Dr. Daikh. He hopes to see the ACR “stay out in front of the myriad of issues that are impacting the practice of rheumatology, in both the community and academic setting, in a way that provides effective help and advocacy for practicing rheumatologists.” At the top of this list is realization of a functional patient registry that will allow providers to provide required demonstrations of value and quality improvement
Emily Isaacs, MD, received her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington and completed her fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Health Science Center in Dallas. She is board certified in rheumatology and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Isaacs was recognized as a Top Doctor in Fort Worth, Texas Magazine. She was also listed as a Super Doctor in 2012. Super Doctors identifies top doctors selected by their peers and the independent research of Key Professional Media. In addition to her practice at the Medical Clinic of North Texas, Dr. Isaacs has taken on several volunteer positions, including serving on the board of directors of the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Dr. Isaacs recently completed her term as chair of the Development Advisory Council. She says that she is “honored to serve on the ACR board. Our field of medicine continues to be very rewarding as we build long-term relationships with our patients and support them as they live with chronic illness. At this time, we face many challenges that may hinder our ability to provide the best care.” Dr. Isaacs states that she is looking forward to working with an extraordinary and dedicated group of volunteers and ACR staff to find solutions to support and attract the next generation of rheumatologists, address insurance changes and regulations, ensure access to medications, and care for the patient population. “My goal is to be a voice on the board to enhance support to our members so that they can continue their careers and maintain a good quality of life.”
Kenneth Saag, MD, MSc, is Jane Knight Lowe professor of medicine in the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and professor of epidemiology at the UAB School of Public Health. He is the founding director of the Deep South Musculoskeletal (DSM) Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs), and associate director of the Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center (NIAMS P60). Dr. Saag is also director of the UAB Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education (COERE), a university-wide supported interdisciplinary research center. He is the only rheumatologist on the board of directors of the National Osteoporosis board of trustees, and also serves on the board of directors of the Gout and Uric Acid Society. Dr. Saag is associate editor for Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease, and has completed terms on the editorial boards of Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, Arthritis Care and Research, and Arthritis Research and Therapeutics.
Dr. Saag has served on many committees of the ACR and recently completed his tenure as the chair of the Committee on Quality of Care. “There has been a perception that board members represent either academic or community practice perspectives. As a board member, I will do my best to ‘work across the aisle’ and consider the interests of colleagues both in academia and those in practice,” says Dr. Saag. During his term on the board, Dr. Saag would like to see the ACR “strive to expand its collaborations with relevant entities both within and outside the United States. As our healthcare environment changes, we will benefit our clinical research and training missions from selective partnerships with related groups, while maintaining our brand identity.”
Zsuzsanna H. McMahan, MD, MHS, is assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Dr. McMahan received her MD degree from The University of Texas at Houston Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at The University of Texas–Southwestern in Dallas and a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical and experimental rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University. During her rheumatology fellowship, she also earned her Masters in Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has served on and chaired the ACR Fellows’ Subcommittee and was a member of the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, 2020 Task Force, and 2013 Strategic Planning Committee.
As the incoming young member of the board of directors, Dr. McMahan says, “as a volunteer, a comprehensive understanding of the infrastructure, operations, and goals of the ACR is essential when taking responsibility to help advance its mission and vision.” Dr. McMahan is looking forward to representing the needs and interests of rheumatologists, particularly those early in their careers. She says, “beginning a clinical practice or starting an academic career during a time of significant national budget cuts can be daunting. I look forward to implementing the ACR strategic plan to support the needs of its members through these challenging times.”
Timothy Laing, MD, is a member of the rheumatology faculty at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he also serves as the vice chair for clinical programs in the department of internal medicine. He is also a faculty group practice board member and chairs the clinical practice committee. Previously, Dr. Laing served a term on the Michigan State board of medicine as well as the Michigan Broadband Development Board. Within the ACR, he has been a member of the Committee on Rheumatologic Care and RheumPAC. He also serves as the ACR representative to the American Medical Association Relative Value Update Committee.
For the last three years, Dr. Laing has served as chair of the Government Affairs Committee. During his term on the ACR board of directors, Dr. Laing would like to see the ACR make concrete gains in the areas of “fair and sustainable payment reform that recognizes the value of clinical rheumatology, and support for research.” Dr. Laing hopes to achieve these challenging goals by focusing on “volunteerism, financial strength, professional alliances, and an even stronger partnership with the Arthritis Foundation.” He describes his experience as a volunteer as being highly rewarding on a personal level. “We have an outstanding society and I am very happy to part of it,” he says.
The ACR board of directors is composed of 19 voting members and two ex-officio members. Duties of the board include supervising, controlling, and directing the business and affairs of the ACR, its committees, and its publications; actively promoting the ACR’s purpose; and supervising the disbursement of its funds. To learn more about the ACR board of directors, visit www.rheumatology.org, click on “About the ACR” and then click on “Leadership.”
