Rheum After 5: Embracing Their Inner Swiftie

Dr. Liew describes Swift’s surprise songs as mashups where she combines two or more songs, inviting fans try to derive the hidden meaning of the combination. Many of Swift’s recent mashups have been a nod to her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

“In college, [I found] Taylor’s music a guilty pleasure, but I thought her songs were geared for younger people,” she says. “I became a fan when Red came out, and more recently, evermore, folklore and The Tortured Poets Department, were introspective albums that I connected with personally.”

Discovering that so many rheumatology professionals are also Swifties has been an unexpected plus for Dr. Liew.

“I met Noelle Rolle, MD, through the ACR, and we’ve formed a peer mentorship and a friendship that goes beyond just being Swifties,” she says. “I think we all appreciate how Taylor is more than a performer or singer, she’s also a songwriter, CEO and businesswoman.”

Despite facing incredible scrutiny over the past several decades, Dr. Liew notes that Swift’s music carries powerful messages about resilience and developing a thick skin in the face of criticism.

“As someone who works in research and academia, I can relate,” she says.

Dr. Intelly Lee

Favorite album: “Her pandemic albums, folklore and evermore.”

Intelly Lee, MD, PhD, a clinical fellow at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., was pleased to learn there were so many others in the rheumatology field who shared his appreciation for Taylor Swift.

“For me, getting introduced to the fandom and having a community of people here at the center who were so welcoming and passionate about Taylor really drew me in,” says Dr. Lee. “After isolating during the pandemic, it was a welcome relief to join a professional community of rheumatology professionals who are also engaged in an interest outside our clinical practice.”

Although Dr. Lee has yet to attend a Taylor Swift concert, he hopes to in the future.

“She’s just a wonderful writer, in addition to being a singer,” Dr. Lee says. “I find her songs to be very relatable.”

Noelle Rolle (left) and Starla Blanks (right) at the ACR’s Advocacy Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., May 2024. (Click to enlarge.)

Starla Blanks

Favorite era: 1989.

Starla Blanks, MBA, MPH, senior director of Collaborative Initiatives at the ACR, Atlanta, has been a fan of Taylor Swift’s since her second album went mainstream.