Broadcasting Rheumatology Information to Wider Audiences

As a relatively young physician, Mohammad Ursani, MD, FACP, RhMSUS, a rheumatologist in private practice with Millennium Physicians near Houston, Texas, was both surprised and pleased to be nominated as the new chair of the ACR Committee on Communications and Marketing. This committee manages the ACR’s websites and develops content for the ACR, helps set the ACR’s communications and marketing priorities, oversees The Rheumatologist (TR) and more.

Dr. Ursani

Dr. Ursani’s involvement with the committee first began when he was an ACR fellow in the Fellows-in-Training program. He finished his training and volunteered to work on a project that enthralled him: starting and maintaining a podcast. Launched in summer 2019, ACR on Air became the ACR’s first official podcast. New episodes, released monthly, tackle a wide variety of topics, including the newest guidelines, drug shortages, telehealth and COVID-19 vaccines for rheumatology patients.

TR spoke with Dr. Ursani to learn more about the podcast and what else he has in store for the committee.

TR: Who is ACR on Air’s intended audience?

Dr. Ursani: Originally, it was intended for rheumatology health professionals, but over time, patients and patient groups also became our audience members. We’ve broadened our topics from initially discussing disease management guidelines to highlighting important topics from the ACR national meetings, the importance of advocacy, discussions of diet and complementary alternative therapies and, of course, COVID-19.

Some savvy patients also follow the podcast. As a physician, the most satisfaction I can get is if a patient takes their condition by the horns and plays an active role to help manage it based on information they obtained from our podcast.

TR: As chair, what are you hoping to do with the podcast?

Dr. Ursani: The audience has grown substantially, and the aim is to make the podcast more frequent. We aim to continue to create stimulating content that people will listen to and hopefully appreciate and share.

The committee members have been so supportive and open-minded to each other’ss thoughts. When I first started working on the podcast, I was hesitant to express an idea that may not be popular, but I soon realized there are no bad ideas with the committee and every idea or thought is given its due importance. I hope to continue to promote this environment and encourage all our members to put forth their thoughts and ideas without hesitation.

TR: What else are you hoping to do as chair?

Dr. Ursani: Being a rheumatologist, our duties don’t start and end in the clinic or hospital. We owe a lot to the ACR and the community around us. The prior chair, Suleman Bhana, MD, left me with big shoes to fill, and I hope I can do half as good a job as he did.

As a committee, we aim to revamp the ACR website and create a more organized, user-friendly experience.

Although ACR Convergence was purely a virtual experience the past two years due to the pandemic, we are hoping that perhaps 2022 can be a hybrid model—in-person and virtual—but of course, this depends on the state of the pandemic.

TR: How did you come to rheumatology in the first place?

Dr. Ursani: During my time as an undergraduate student, I initially wanted to pursue more of a basic science career in immunology and molecular genetics. Once I started volunteering in a lab, I realized this was not for me. So I switched gears and, at the time, there was a lot of interest in oncology with gene targeting and immunotherapy, so my next idea was to go to medical school and pursue hematology-oncology.

During residency, I did a hematology-oncology rotation, and again, I realized it was not for me. Rheumatology was a random rotation not required by my program, but I decided to take it. It opened my eyes, and everything kind of just fell into place. At a basic science level, the immunology of the diseases was fascinating, and clinically, the patients presented with such variable pathology that it kept things very interesting. Additionally, the treatments were based on the same immunology and molecular biology that I was interested in during my pre-medical years. I also appreciated how well the conditions could be treated and how one can really impact the patient’s quality of life and develop long-term relationships. All these aspects really drew me to the field.

TR: What do you do in your spare time, when you have it?

Dr. Ursani: I really enjoy playing the guitar. I picked it up as a hobby in high school. It’s nothing serious, but it’s one of the ways that I de-stress and find my own Zen.

I also really enjoy running. I’ve run half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks. It’s one of those things that, when I am out there breathing in the fresh air and can disconnect, makes me feel like a whole new person. Especially during the COVID pandemic, since we’ve been cooped up in our shells for the last two years now, it’s been a lifesaver and literal breath of fresh air to get out there and run.

Kelly April Tyrrell writes about health, science and health policy. She lives in Madison, Wis.