Dear Rich,
Congratulations on your delightful and thought-provoking reflections on new guidelines for rheumatology fellowships (“Rheum With a View: How Should We Train Rheumatology Fellows?, August 2013). We fully share views on educational responsibilities and priorities, even as the rheumatologist’s role has evolved over the past couple of generations. I agree that the modern emphasis on person- and patient-centered management should be reinforced, but the styles and models of the “old masters” could certainly have incorporated those priorities.
Al Masi, MD, DRPH
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
University of Illinois College of Medicine
Peoria, Ill.