Presidential Gold Medal The highest award the ACR can bestow, the Presidential Gold Medal is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in rheumatology over an entire career. This year’s award went to James O’Dell, MD, the Stokes-Shackleford Professor of Internal Medicine, vice chair of internal medicine and chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the…
To the Members of the American College of Rheumatology, I had the honor and privilege of becoming the ACR’s 83rd president during the annual meeting in Atlanta in November 2019. My aspirations for the year were ambitious, filled with hopes of leading the ACR and the field of rheumatology forward in many new and bold…
In 1905, two pediatricians in Vienna, Austria, published Serum Sickness, a detailed 120-page monograph that was the first to carefully characterize the syndrome.1 The work would go on to become a classic, ultimately helping illuminate many important questions in immunology. Antitoxin Serum Treatments In the late 19th century, researchers were working to develop lifesaving antitoxins…
ACR Convergence 2020—At two plenary sessions, speakers highlighted key findings, including results on the QTc interval in patients on hydroxychloroquine, and data from a study on denosumab vs. alendronate for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. The QTc Interval & Hydroxychloroquine The safety profile and optimal dosing of hydroxychloroquine has been a topic for decades because it is known…
Investigators are tackling rheumatology practice challenges, assessing what drives career choices in pediatric rheumatology, improving fellowship training and more—all with the support of the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Vaneet K Sandhu, MD, FACR, RhMSUS, discusses how rheumatologists should persevere and collaborate with colleagues to overcome the challenges of the pandemic.
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—At the annual meeting’s second Plenary Session, Saturday, Nov. 7, speakers highlighted phase 2 results of a potential new biologic for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as data on remission maintenance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after withdrawal of etanercept or methotrexate. Phase 2 Trial of Monoclonal Antibody for Lupus (LILAC) Several converging…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Among the many ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of modern medicine is the emergence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but serious condition that shares many features of Kawasaki disease (KD). With this topic in mind, leading pediatric experts from around the world came together…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In patients with connective tissue diseases, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc), pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. In her lecture on Friday, Nov. 6, Pulmonary Hypertension: An Update, Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc, professor of medicine and medical director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at The George…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In many ways, the current plethora of treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis patients represents an embarrassment of riches. However, while many therapeutics approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) are available, knowing the order in which to try these medications with patients can be quite challenging. In The Great Debate, held…