Some have opined, cynically, that transformative changes will not come to medical education and training, and to healthcare, until pigs fly. Well, in 2009–10, “swine flu,” and now we are in the midst of an unprecedented and disruptive pandemic, affecting virtually all aspects of our lives, including fellowships.1 As someone who started a rheumatology fellowship…
2020 has not only borne witness to a global pandemic, but also to increasing fervor in the fight for racial equity. In a wave of opposition to the systemic racism in the U.S., people have been in the streets demonstrating and protesting against social injustice and have taken to social media to promote political action….
2020 marks an important milestone for the Rheumatology Research Foundation. It is the Foundation’s 35th anniversary—a time when we can reflect on our past triumphs and look forward to a bright future for our profession and for our patients. The ACR established the Research and Education Foundation, later renamed the Rheumatology Research Foundation, in 1985,…
For most doctors, fellowship training represents the final two to three years of formal medical education, and recognition of the unique opportunities of this time period can help aspiring rheumatologists get the most out of their fellowship. Fellowship training is inherently different than residency training, with less structured time, smaller teams (often consisting of only…
In a December 2019 editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the implications of diagnostic error were explored through the story of two parents, both medical professionals, who sought a diagnosis for their sick child.1 Their son saw specialist after specialist and underwent repeated procedures, but for years was left without an explanation…
I have always been dissatisfied with the apparent dichotomy between researchers and clinicians; this is a false divide. Yes, research includes laboratory-based investigation, clinical trials, and retrospective and prospective studies of disease entities, among other pursuits. However, clinicians also contribute to research by sharing clinical data and through observations of their patients. Clinicians’ daily contributions…
An estimated one in four American adults live with a rheumatic disease, and according to a new national patient survey by the ACR, the healthcare and lifestyle challenges have become worse for these patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key survey findings include: Patients currently seeing a rheumatologist declined 52% between 2019 and 2020; 68% of…
This September marks the ACR’s fifth annual Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month (RDAM), which is designed to build support and advocate for patients with rheumatic diseases. This year’s theme, “My disease may be invisible, but I’m not,” emphasizes patients’ personal experiences…
National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, has selected Lindsey A. Criswell, MD, MPH, DSc, as director of NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). A rheumatologist, Dr. Criswell is currently the vice chancellor of research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is a professor…
Editor’s note: Registration for ACR Convergence 2020 is now open. Less than a year after becoming editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Eric Rubin, MD, PhD, found himself in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2-related submissions flooded the journal office at an unprecedented pace, making an impact on the…