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,…
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…
Looking back on last year’s ACR/ARP annual meeting, I recall the energy and excitement of attendees as they participated in sessions covering the latest scientific concepts and new directions in our field. In 2019, we piloted a number of innovative ways to modernize and enhance future ACR meetings, with the promise of delivering a transformed…
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…
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…
Singer Jimmy Dean reportedly once said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” The COVID-19 pandemic has required us as rheumatologists to adjust our sails multiple times. We have had to rethink many of the ways in which we interact with our worried…
ATLANTA—Managing teenage patients may present challenges for pediatric rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals not only because of their often complex, rare conditions, but because teenagers are, well, teenagers. Teens may experiment with sexual intercourse, alcohol use, tobacco or vaping e-cigarettes to fit in with their peers, even if these habits have serious health consequences, according to…
On behalf of the ACR, I wish you happiness, prosperity and, above all, good health in this new decade. Now that the holidays are behind us and 2020 has launched, the ACR’s dedicated volunteers and staff are working collaboratively to achieve many ambitious initiatives to ensure the College’s dynamic and bright future. A few weeks…
We all have a short list of famous individuals whose writings inspire us and guide us. At the start of my presidential year, I turned to my own short list for some words of wisdom from Peter Drucker, whom many consider to be the founder of modern management theory. Underpinning Drucker’s teachings is a strong…
In 2004, the British Medical Journal published an article titled, “Resisting Cookbook Medicine,” which looked askance at the “routine use of predetermined directives” in clinical practice because it reduced doctors to practicing so-called cookbook medicine and eroded the art of medicine.1 Fast forward 15 years, and we find our appetite for “predetermined directives”—what we now…