Award Presentations & Artificial Intelligence Top the List in Opening Session & Keynote Lecture
SAN DIEGO—Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to play a transformative role in healthcare. During the Opening Session & Awards on Saturday afternoon, keynote speaker Avi Goldfarb, PhD, delved into the dynamics of machine-driven prediction in medicine.
Dr. Avi Goldfarb, University of Toronto, delivered the keynote address at ACR Convergence 2023, San Diego.
Dr. Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare and a professor of marketing at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is also the chief data scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab. His research focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy. Along with Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, he is the author of the books Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence and Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence.
“Medical diagnosis is a problem of prediction.” But judgment is a human thing. “Machines don’t make decisions. … People decide. Machines predict.”
The takeaway? AI has the potential to transform medicine. “Yes, AI can likely diagnose patients better than 90% of physicians,” said Dr. Goldfarb, “so what does that leave for rheumatologists to do? Everything else.
“You want to be doing the other aspects of decision making that aren’t about prediction. The judgment about what matters remains with you.”
Dr. Goldfarb encouraged attendees to consider their mission. Is your mission diagnosis or patient care? “How much of what you do is really about what it means to do better?”
Welcome to ACR Convergence 2023
Dr. Goldfarb’s keynote presentation followed welcoming comments by ACR President Douglas White, MD, PhD, ARP President Kori Dewing, ARNP, DNP, and Rheumatology Research Foundation President V. Michael Holers, MD.
“Welcome to the feast that is ACR Convergence 2023,” said Dr. Dewing.
Dr. Doug White welcomed attendees to San Diego and thanked all the volunteers who made
ACR Convergence possible.
Dr. White thanked the members of the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, other committee members and the “policy wonks,” saying “What a relief it is to most of us that someone else is scrutinizing governmental policies for us.”
Dr. Holers called attention to the $218 million the Foundation has been able to dedicate to advancing the mission of rheumatology since the Foundation’s launch in 1985. He also mentioned the fact that 100% of board members and the Foundation staff have themselves donated to the Foundation. “They believe in our mission,” he said.
Dr. Dewing and Dr. White then made award presentations to members who have made significant contributions to rheumatology. Here’s a first look at the awardees. Watch for profiles in coming days.
Presidential Gold Medal
The Presidential Gold Medal, the highest award that the ACR can bestow, is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in rheumatology over an entire career. Established by the past presidents of the ACR, candidates will have made important contributions in multiple areas such as clinical medicine, research, education or administration. Funding support for this award of distinction is provided by the Rheumatology Research Foundation. This year, the ACR is proud to bestow this honor to:
Ellen M. Gravallese, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
ACR Awards of Distinction
The ACR also recognizes leading researchers, clinicians, mentors, and other professionals exhibiting superior commitment to the advancement of the field of rheumatology with the Awards of Distinction honors. Winners of this year’s awards are:
Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award
John Varga, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award is awarded to a basic or translational investigator making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology.
Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award
Daniel J. Wallace, MD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
The Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award is awarded to a rheumatologist who has made outstanding contributions in clinical medicine, clinical scholarship or education.
Henry Kunkel Early Career Investigator Award
Jason S. Knight, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The Henry Kunkel Early Career Investigator Award is awarded to an early career physician scientist, who is 12 years post Rheumatology certifying examination eligibility, who has made outstanding and promising independent contributions to basic, translational or clinical research in the field of rheumatology.
Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award
Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
The Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award is awarded to a clinical scientist making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology. This award was known as the Clinical Research Award prior to 2006.
Paulding Phelps Award
Kelly Weselman, MD, RhMSUS, FACP, Wellstar Health System, Smyrna, Ga.
The Paulding Phelps Award is awarded to a clinical rheumatologist for outstanding service to patients, community and the practice of medicine.
Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award
Robert Picard Sundel, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
The Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award is awarded to a current or former rheumatology program director that has made outstanding contributions in the mentoring and training of future rheumatologists. ACR members in good standing who are current or former rheumatology program directors for a minimum of five years and who participate in related ACR educational activities.
Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award
Debashish Danda, MD, DM, FACR, FRCP, MBBS, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India
Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award is awarded to a rheumatologist or rheumatology health professional outside the U.S. and Canada for exceptional contributions in public service and advocacy to the global rheumatology community.
Innovation in Clinical Care Award
Thomas Paul Olenginski, MD, FACP, Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pa.
Innovation in Clinical Care Award is awarded to a community rheumatologist who has significantly advanced the practice of rheumatology though novel clinical initiatives. This may be accomplished through innovation in clinical practice design or quality, development of cutting-edge methods to improve health equity in rheumatology, cost savings initiatives, creative approaches in mentoring in community practice, or other innovations that improve the care of patients with rheumatic disease and/or advance the rheumatology subspecialty.
Distinguished Service Award
Erin Lois Arnold, MD, Arnold Arthritis and Rheumatology, Skokie, Ill.
The Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an ACR member for outstanding and sustained service to the ACR.
Recognition as an ACR Master is one of the highest honors that the College bestows on its distinguished members. The designation of Master is conferred on ACR members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through scholarly achievement and/or service to their patients, students, and the rheumatology profession. These honorees have devoted their long careers to furthering rheumatology research and improving clinical standards in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.
The 2023 recipients of the Master of the ACR designation are:
- Alfred Denio, MD, FACR, MACR, Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pa.
- Ann Rosenthal, MD, FACP, FACR, MACR, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis.
- B. Anne Eberhard, MBBS, MSc, MACR, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, New Hyde Park, N.Y.
- Arthur Kavanaugh, MD, FACR, MACR, University of California San Diego, San Diego
- David Karp, MD, PhD, FACR, MACR, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
- Enrique Roberto Soriano, MD, MSc, MACR, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Jorge Sanchez-Guerrero, MD, MSc, FACR, MACR, University Health Network/Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario
- Gail Kerr, MD, FRCP(Edin), FACR, MACR, Washington, D.C., Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Georgetown University, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
- Gary Koretzky, MD, PhD, MACR, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
- George A. W. Bruyn, MD, PhD, FACR, MACR, Reumakliniek Lelystad, Lelystad, Netherlands
- Geraldine McCarthy, MD, FRCPI, FACR, MACR, University College Dublin, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Gregory Dennis, MD, FACR, MACR, IQVIA, Durham, N.C.
- Jonathan Kay, MD, FACR, MACR, University of Massachusetts, Chan Medical School, Worcester
- Jorg Goronzy, MD, PhD, FACR, MACR, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
- Joseph Eugene Huffstutter, MD, FACP, FACR, MACR, Arthritis Associates, Hixson, Tenn.
- Kent Kwoh, MD, FACR, MACR, University of Arizona Arthritis Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, Ariz.
- Leslie Crofford, MD, FACR, MACR, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.
- Linda Ilene Ray, MD, FACR, MACR, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson
- Maria E. Suarez-Almazor, MD, PhD, FACR, MACR, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Peter Gorevic, MD, FACR, MACR, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
- Robert Taylor Schoen, MD, MBA, FACR, MACR, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
- Sharon L. Kolasinski, MD, FACR, MACR, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Sherine Emily Gabriel, MD, MSc, FACR, MACR, Arizona State University, Tempe
- Syed Atiqul Haq, MD, FACR, MACR, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Wolfgang A. Schmidt, MD, MACR, Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin, Medical Center for Rheumatology Berlin-Buch, and Charité University Medicine, Berlin
The Distinguished Fellow Award recognizes up to 10 clinical and research fellows who are in a rheumatology fellowship training program and who have performed meritoriously.
The 2023 recipients of the Distinguished Fellow Award are:
- Bryanna Mantilla, MD, PhD, MPH, University of Washington, Seattle
- Caoilfhionn Marie Connolly, MD, MSc Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore
- Caroline Haley Siegel, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
- Gregory McDermott, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
- Mariana Correia Marques, MD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
- Monica Yang, MD, University of California, San Francisco
- Sali Merjanah, MD, Boston University
- Sarah Donohue, MD, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Vanessa Kronzer, MD, MSc, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
- Wilson Kuswanto, MD, PhD, Stanford Medicine, Stanford, Calif.
ARP Awards of Appreciation
ARP President’s Award
The ARP President’s Award is awarded to the ACR/ARP member or team performing outstanding service within the present year in advancing the goals, ideals, and standards of the ARP.
This year, the ARP President’s Award is presented to all members of the ARP Governance Task Force.
- Jan K. Richardson, PT, PhD, OCS, FAPTA (Co-Chair), Medical Outcome Indicators, Durham, N.C.
- Yvonne Golightly, PT, PhD, MS (Co-Chair), University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
- Bharati Bhardwaja, PharmD, BCPS, LSSBB, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver
- Kaleb Michaud, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
- Daniel Schaffer, PA-C, MPAS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
ARP Awards of Merit
ARP Awards of Merit recognize the following: Lifetime Achievement Award, President’s Award, Addie Thomas Service Award, Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award, Distinguished Scholar Award, Distinguished Educator Award, Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award, and Master Designation. . Winners of this year’s awards are as follows:
ARP Lifetime Achievement Award
Jan K. Richardson, PT, PhD, OCS, FAPTA, Medical Outcome Indicators, Durham, N.C.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a current or former member of ARP whose career has demonstrated a sustained and lasting contribution to the field of rheumatology and rheumatology health professionals.
ARP Addie Thomas Service Award
Christine Stamatos, DNP, Northwell Health, Division of Rheumatology, Huntington, N.Y.
Hazel L. Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, S.C.
The Addie Thomas Service Award is presented to an ARP member in honor of our Association’s first president and recognizes individuals who have been an active volunteer involved with local, regional/state, national, and/or international arthritis-related activities.
ARP Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award
Jillian Rose-Smith, PhD, MPH, MSW, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
The Ann Kunkel Award is presented to an ARP member who has provided extraordinary service to advocate for patients with arthritis and rheumatic diseases or for health professionals in rheumatology.
ARP Distinguished Scholar Award
Helene Alexanderson, PhD, RPT, Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
The ARP Distinguished Scholar Award is presented to an ARP member who demonstrates exceptional achievements in scholarly activities pertinent to arthritis and rheumatic diseases.
ARP Distinguished Clinician Award
Martha Curry, MS, APRN, CPNP-PC, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
The ARP Distinguished Clinician Award is presented to an ARP member who is engaged in clinical practice and demonstrates outstanding clinical expertise in arthritis and rheumatic diseases.
ARP Distinguished Educator Award
Jessica Farrell, PharmD, Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, and Albany Medical Center, Albany, N.Y.
The Distinguished Educator Award is presented to an ARP member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in the teaching of patients and students/trainees, including health professional students, medical students, residents, graduate students, and/or fellows, with their primary focus being rheumatology related content.
Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award
Daniel White, PT, ScD, MSc, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.
The Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award recognizes the importance of the mentor/mentee relationship. A dedicated mentor can significantly influence the successful development and career of a mentee. This award honors an active ACR or ARP member for their contributions to the rheumatology profession through outstanding and ongoing mentoring. Funding support for this award of distinction is provided by the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Master of the ARP Designation
Recognition as an ARP Master is one of the highest honors that the College bestows. The designation of Master is conferred on ARP members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through service to the ACR/ARP and advancements in research, practice, education, and/or advocacy.
The 2023 recipients of the Master of the ARP designation are:
Kimberly Kimpton, PT, MARP, Retired, Denver
Catherine L Backman OT, PhD, MARP, Retired, Vancouver, British Columbia
Keri Losavio is the editor of The Rheumatologist.
