After a busy day in rheumatology, Polly Ferguson, MD, gets creative at a local arts center, making beautiful pottery pieces, a skill she has wanted to develop for nearly 30 years.
Rheum After 5: Dr. George Tsokos Shares His Love & Friendship with a Cat
George C. Tsokos, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, both in Boston, doesn’t recall the moment he first became infatuated with Little, a 12-year-old Siamese cat. Dr. Tsokos doesn’t even own Little. Not that anyone can truly own any living creature….
Rheum After 5: Dr. Eric Matteson Writes Rheumatic Disease History
Over the past 20 years, Eric L. Matteson, MD, MPH, emeritus chair, Division of Rheumatology, and emeritus professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minn., as well as a past president of the Rheumatology Research Foundation, has authored or co-authored six books about the history of rheumatic disease and…
Rheum After 5: Dr. Veena Patel Combines Her Love of Medicine & Art
As a young child growing up in Oxford, Ohio, Veena Patel, MD, demonstrated a talent for arts and crafts. At age 7, she painted a portrait of her father, now a retired mechanical engineer, which he still proudly admires. Dr. Patel, an assistant rheumatology professor at Dell Medical School—the graduate medical school of the University…
Dr. Bernhard Helps Doctors in Underserved Areas Via the MAVEN Project
In 2018, Gerson Bernhard, MD, FACP, MACR, received a call from a primary care physician at a rural clinic in Florida who was treating patients with varying degrees of arthritis. One patient’s case was more complex than the others. Dr. Bernhard guided the doctor through the patient’s history, reviewed lab results, referred related studies, expanded…
Rheum After 5: Dr. Victoria Seligman Helps Create Cambodian Healthcare
In 2001, Victoria Seligman, MD, MPH, was vacationing in Vietnam. While traveling by train, she met a student from Yale University who was working on the school’s Cambodian Genocide Program, which documents the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 under the Khmer Rouge regime. Approximately 1.7 million people—representing 21% of the population—were slaughtered….
Rheum After 5: Dr. Stacy Ardoin & Mr. Mom
In 2004, Stacy Ardoin, MD, MHS, became pregnant with twins during the second year of her fellowship at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. Although she and her husband, Adrien, were thrilled by the news, the astronomical cost of day care for two infants was a specter. At the time, Adrien managed a bookstore…
Dr. Jonathan Paramo: Rheumatologist & Parrot Enthusiast
Excluding the years he spent in medical school, Jonathan Paramo, MD, has always kept birds as pets. As an animal lover, he believes he shares a special chemistry with birds, specifically any species of parrots. When he’s around them, he says he experiences “a special feeling.” “There are cat lovers and dog lovers, but you…
Dr. Jim O’Dell: Rheumatologist, & Master Artisan
As a young child, Jim O’Dell, MD, spent hours with his grandfather in his basement, making bird houses and bird feeders. “My grandfather, who was a woodworker, was one of the most influential people in my life,” Dr. O’Dell says. “He probably cringed at the crude things I made, but he certainly never let me…
Dr. Gary Firestein: Musician & Semi-Retired Surfer
Roughly 20 years ago, Gary S. Firestein, MD, was surfing at Cloudbreak, a sheltered reef nearly three miles south of Namotu Island in Fiji. With waves soaring as high as 20 feet, it’s either a surfer’s dream or nightmare, and ranked among the 10 most challenging waves anywhere on the planet. At the time, Dr….