No event in recent history has caused such far-reaching changes within the medical industry as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to its ability to spread indiscriminately—infecting people regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background—the virus is inducing immediate and, likely, permanent changes across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Comfortable routines of healthcare delivery have been…
These are difficult times for rheumatologists. We have seen sharp declines in face-to-face patient visits since the COVID‑19 pandemic began. Many of us have questions about the best ways to maintain employee and patient safety while keeping our practices afloat and continuing to provide optimal care. The volunteer leaders at the ACR continue to care…
Caring for pediatric patients during a pandemicin the age of COVID-19 requires adaptations, says Jay Mehta, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The one exposure that seems to put [pediatric] patients at risk is if they are on higher doses of steroids, with some data suggesting worse outcomes. We just put out guidelines telling providers to reduce steroids in their patients to the lowest dose that can adequately control their disease.”
June saw the passing of a beloved colleague, mentor and friend to many in the rheumatology community when J. Timothy Harrington, MD, died of pancreatic cancer in his hometown of Madison, Wis. Dr. Harrington trained at Massachusetts General Hospital, the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute and UT Southwestern Medical Center, and served on…
What do rheumatology and wizardry have in common? More than you may think. Like basilisks, rheumatic diseases are often elusive and changing in presentation…
The ACR and Rheumatology Research Foundation hope a new report on rheumatic disease research can leverage more money for ACR members, funding future research…
Advocacy efforts on access and workforce issues in Florida are discussed.
Japanese pediatrician Tomisaku Kawasaki, MD, who identified an inflammatory syndrome that affects children, died on June 5 in Tokyo. He was 95. Tenacity & Attention to Detail Born Feb. 7, 1925, in Tokyo, Dr. Kawasaki graduated from medical school at what is now Chiba University in Chiba, Japan, in 1948 and worked as staff pediatrician…
As president of the Georgia Society of Rheumatology (GSR), Wambui Machua, MD, a rheumatologist with Piedmont Physicians Rheumatology, Atlanta, oversees a membership of 90 rheumatologists, six orthopedists, two nurses, 85 physician assistants and 27 fellows and residents. According to Dr. Machua, the GSR, founded in 1967, continues to pursue its original mission of providing educational…
These are truly extraordinary times. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the rheumatology community, both providers and patients, in many ways, and our advocacy efforts are now more important than ever to ensure policymakers hear us and help address the issues facing our community. As with so many things during this pandemic, we are reimagining advocacy…