I vividly recollect asking my physics professor for a letter of recommendation. I sat in the front row of his lectures and visited his office hours most weeks in the semester. He turned me down because he was “too busy.” I was devastated—and panicked about asking my next choice for letter writer. On the plus…
Avoiding real and apparent conflicts of interest is a fundamental principle of guideline development, but what should we do when every thought leader is conflicted? An example of this conundrum in rheumatology has been the ACR’s ongoing effort to establish guidelines for the management of lupus nephritis, which has been stymied by the fact that…
Women are substantially under-represented among the recipients of major awards in rheumatology, according to a 2022 study by Halling et al., which looked at the gender award gap in North America and Europe over the past two decades.1 This trend is also seen in other fields, with only one woman winning the Fields Medal in…
Through the development of position statements that lay out the ACR’s official stance on issues related to the management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions, the Committee on Rheumatologic Care helps outline policies that affect the practice of rheumatology and the wellbeing and care of patients.
Tien-I Karleen Su, MD, FACR, who co-founded a practice in California, has been named the first chair of the CPC. Her first task will be to help fill out the council with rheumatology professionals from small or independent practices.
Now in the second year of his 2021–2023 term as the Rheumatology Research Foundation president, V. Michael Holers, MD, a professor of medicine and immunology and the Smyth Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Colorado, Denver, is looking forward to fortifying and expanding the Foundation’s missions in the framework of its new strategic plan.
Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Receives the 2022 Lupus Insight Prize In June 2022, the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) awarded its Lupus Insight Prize to Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, for her discovery of the link between endogenous retroviruses and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Dr. Iwasaki, who is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and a professor of dermatology,…
One of the newer state rheumatology organizations, the Rheumatology Association of Iowa, brings together rheumatology professionals, offering connections to fill rural care needs and advocate for policies that support patient care. The organization’s 9th annual meeting will be Feb. 24–25.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects a substantial number of patients worldwide, with an estimated prevalence in North America of 241 per 100,000 people.1 The morbidity and mortality associated with the condition can be significant, and thus research on this disease continues to be of utmost importance. The story of one of the world’s leading experts…
Happy New Year, readers of The Rheumatologist! As the incoming editor, I want to welcome you back in this new year and hope that you’ll stick around, month after month, as we journey together through 2023. As the year progresses, you may notice some departures from what we have previously done, but I also wish…