Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Physician Editor Simon M. Helfgott, MD, is associate professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He serves as director of education and fellowship training for the division and is actively involved in the curriculum redesign at the medical school.

Articles by Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Rheuminations: Epigenetics May Help to Explain Why Some Get Rheumatic Disease

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | March 1, 2013

Recent research around genes and environmental stresses suggests outside influences can make lasting changes to the genome via epigenetic mechanisms

What Mick Jagger Can Teach Us About Growing Old Gracefully

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | February 1, 2013

Preventive lifestyle behaviors, including regular exercise, can compress morbidity and disability to the very end of our lives, say rheumatologists

Was Gout Rampant Among the Romans?

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | January 1, 2013

Lead in wine consumed by Romans may have contributed to a high incidence of gout among aristocrats of the Roman Empire

No Easy Solution for Lack of Transparency in the Practice of Medicine

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | December 1, 2012

Several well-publicized episodes highlight the apparent lack of disclosure of conflicts of interest in medicine, but will disclosure laws fix the problem or add to the confusion?

The ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Provides Look Back at History of Rheumatology

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | November 1, 2012

The annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology and Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals’ (ACR/ARHP) provide an opportunity to rewind through the history of rheumatology, and spotlight the speciality’s future

How Microbes, Mycobacteria, and Metastases May Alter the Way We Look at Rheumatic Diseases

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | October 1, 2012

Studying the relationships between microbes and their hosts, the role for Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) as a vaccine for Type I diabetes, and emotional stress and bone metastases

Life, Happiness, and the Pursuit of Rheumatology

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | September 5, 2012

What makes rheumatologists such a happy group?

Rheumatology Students Learning How To Look for Symptoms

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | August 8, 2012

First impressions and presumptions can lead us astray if we don’t pay attention.

A Fork in the Road: Advocacy for Rheumatology

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | July 10, 2012

Is that fork bent? So you must be a rheumatologist.

Minerals, Mud, Martinis, and Methylprednisone

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | June 10, 2012

How the practice of rheumatology differs in America and Europe.