Physician Editor Philip Seo, MD, MHS, is associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He also serves as director of the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center and the Johns Hopkins Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program. He has worked at Johns Hopkins in a variety of roles, including as an intern, resident, hospitalist, assistant chief of service and rheumatology fellow, prior to joining the faculty. In addition to serving as the physician editor of The Rheumatologist, he is a member of the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Meeting Planning Committee and Committee on Training and Workforce, and is co-chair of the In-Training Examination Subcommittee.
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was at work. I had accepted a position as an assistant chief of service (ACS) for the Department of Medicine, which is Hopkins-speak for a hybrid position that involves all the administrative duties of a chief resident, plus the responsibility of an attending. For a year, I admitted patients to…
Some were furious. State by state, laws were enacted to ensure compliance. In most states, the laws were accompanied by a modest fine, as an added incentive. By the time the laws were written, most understood they were based on good science and common sense. The potential to save lives and prevent tragedy was finally…
On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off the lunar landing module, Eagle, and walked on the moon.1 Or so they would have you believe. For most, the basic facts are not in dispute: On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to a joint session…
On Dec. 17, 1903, at 10:35 a.m., the restraining wire was released. The Wright brothers—Orville and Wilbur—owned a bicycle sales and repair shop called the Wright Cycle Exchange, in Dayton, Ohio. At the time, the popularity of bicycles was exploding, thanks to an innovation that made them much easier (and safer) to ride. The money…
On March 29, Brandon Elliot walked up to a 65-year-old Filipino American woman near Times Square and kicked her in the chest. Footage from the security camera of a nearby luxury apartment building recorded the attack: Elliot shoved her to the ground, and then repeatedly kicked and stomped on her, while shouting, “You don’t belong…
Independence Day. I can’t wait. Generally, it’s not a holiday that carries a lot of meaning for me. Having grown up in New York and Boston, the smaller firework displays that take place in Baltimore fail to impress. Also, as a program director, the holiday falls in the middle of the new fellows’ first week…
I’m a believer in blue light. I’ve spent years lecturing my insomniac patients, buzzed on prednisone, on the importance of good sleep hygiene. In my own home, I try to practice what I preach. When I’m ready for bed, I leave my laptop and phone on my nightstand, and concentrate on relaxing. If I can’t…
Each state has different requirements for residents to obtain a coronavirus vaccination, with some allowing preregistration and others coordinating vaccinations via employers or the local health department. Below, we list some online resources created to help people determine whether they qualify for coronavirus vaccination and where they should go to schedule an appointment, broken down…
Just YouTube it. As a rheumatologist who sees many patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), I have spent a significant portion of my life talking to people about neti pots. Originally, the neti pot was part of the Ayurvedic tradition. Neti pots were used to flush the sinuses with water, milk and ghee, or to…
The editors of The Rheumatologist would like to thank all of the rheumatologists, rheumatology professionals and professional writers who took the time and effort in an unprecedented pandemic year to ensure we could continue to bring you the important clinical guidelines, case reports, current research, COVID-19 coverage and so much more. This publication would not…