The ACR has expanded support for practitioners, both in private practice and academic faculty practice settings. We’ve hired additional skilled coders and created Webcasts and list serves. We’ve strengthened our commitment to physicians at the state and local levels by, for example, reorganizing the Regional Advisory Committee.
I am heartened by the success of the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) under the tireless leadership of James O’Dell, MD. The REF has raised approximately $20 million for the RA initiative “Within Our Reach” while continuing its core functions of recruiting medical students and residents into rheumatology, supporting fellowship training, and providing research grants for early career development.
Wonderful People, Wonderful Memories
While working on these various issues, I have met amazing people. The ACR’s Executive Committee has functioned extraordinarily well as a team without a moment of rancor, despite dealing with a number of difficult issues. We have committed board members and incredibly hard-working committee chairs.
I have a multitude of wonderful memories. I will certainly never forget the meeting that several ACR leaders from Massachusetts and I had with Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) this May. We spent 30 minutes discussing important health policies with this 45-year veteran of the Senate and champion of healthcare causes. He was well informed and supportive of our positions on important issues such as Sustainable Growth Rate reform; increased research funding; dual energy X-ray absorptiometry reimbursement; and the Arthritis Act, for which he is the co-sponsor in the Senate.
I also got to meet rheumatologists from around the globe. As president-elect, I attended the 2006 PANLAR meeting in Lima, Peru. My wife, Linda, and I added on a vacation in Machu Picchu. We found ourselves climbing around the awe-inspiring ruins with EULAR officers Tore Kvien, MD, and Paul Emery, MD. That night, Linda and I had a wonderful dinner in the Sanctuary Hotel at the entrance to Machu Picchu with Paul and Tore as well as their wives, Shirley Emery and Turid Kvien. Acquaintances evolved into lasting friendships in the course of a few hours.
I learned long ago that the success of any volunteer organization is a direct result of its full-time staff. The ACR is extremely fortunate to have Mark Andrejeski as its executive vice president. Having recently completed 20 years of service to the ACR, Mark is now the longest-serving medical society executive. He leads and inspires an incredibly talented, committed, and hard-working staff of nearly 70. I would like to close with a special word about Lynn Bonfiglio. Lynn will retire in December after more than 50 years as an ACR employee. Though small in stature, Lynn has been a giant in her commitment to the ACR. It is hard to imagine that we will ever have anyone else who works so long and so tirelessly for our organization. Join me in wishing Lynn a long, healthy, and happy retirement.
