The past several decades have seen the transition of medical training from a hierarchical, teacher-driven model to a learner-centered approach that emphasizes competency-based medical education (CBME). CBME refers to several aspects of education, including: 1) flexible, lifelong learning; 2) emphasis on knowledge and skills rather than regurgitation of facts; and 3) formative rather than summative…
Implicit bias negatively affects patients and clinicians alike in a variety of healthcare settings. Unconscious feelings and attitudes about others can damage professional and personal relationships. Demystifying Bias At the virtual ACR Division & Program Directors Conference in March, three physician leaders presented a panel called, Demystifying Bias: Empowering You to Have Courageous Conversations, and…
Editor’s note (March 23, 2022): In 2022, the Division Directors Conference and Program Coordinators Conference will both be part of ACR Education Exchange, held April 28–May 1 in Orlando, Fla. Registration is now open. New fellowship program directors often step into the role with little in the way of training, resources or mentoring. That’s where…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all rheumatology fellowship interviews conducted in the 2020 fellowship recruitment season were conducted in a virtual, video-based format to reduce the risks associated with travel and face-to-face meetings. In June 2020, the Coalition for Physician Accountability released guidance suggesting all programs commit to online-only interviews and recruitment events, even…
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a childhood form of inflammatory myopathy affecting children younger than 18 years. The diagnosis of JDM is based on characteristic clinical features of proximal muscle weakness, skin rash, elevated muscle enzymes, magnetic resonance imaging and muscle biopsy.1 Autoantibodies seen in patients with inflammatory myopathy are not only associated with particular phenotypes…
One thing that became clear very quickly this past year was that the COVID-19 pandemic would change the way we deliver care to patients. What has not changed amid an evolving healthcare landscape is our driving focus to ensure our patients’ access to rheumatology care and the availability of state-of-the-art treatments. We know you share…
AMA Honors Mark Andrejeski with Lifetime Achievement Award In November 2020, the American Medical Association (AMA) presented Mark Andrejeski, the recently retired executive vice president of the ACR, with its Medical Executive Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors a medical association executive who has contributed substantially to the goals and ideals of the medical profession….
Nearly all adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with chronic pediatric rheumatic disease require transfer of care to an adult rheumatologist, yet almost half are lost from care at the time of transfer.1-3 Although sometimes framed as a discrete event, transition refers to the longitudinal process, often spanning several years, in which AYAs and their families…
As with rheumatology care in general, the current demand for pediatric rheumatologists is greater than the supply of providers available. That imbalance is expected to increase significantly by 2030 unless action is taken, according to a new workforce study published in Arthritis Care & Research.1 The lack of pediatric providers is a serious problem that…
The ACR has joined with a coalition of organizations dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents to request $50 million to fund the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program.