Her passion comes, in part, from seeing what the diseases can do firsthand. She was studying to be a nurse when her mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Then, her sister was also diagnosed with RA. Her thesis and doctoral dissertation focused on arthritis, and a lifetime of achievement kicked off.
‘I really like the interprofessional contacts that I have with ARHP. I get to know PTs, OTs, psychologists & numerous other disciplines that work with persons with rheumatic diseases.’ —Dr. Neuberger
Q: You’ve been in ARHP since 1977. What keeps you going?
A: I really like the interprofessional contacts that I have with ARHP. I get to know PTs, OTs, psychologists and numerous other disciplines that work with persons with rheumatic diseases. I have learned much from their presentations at national meetings and through interactions with them at committees that I have served on.
Q: There’s an endowment in your name. How proud of that are you?
A: This fund is providing the opportunity for nursing students to attend an annual meeting in which research presentations are presented by nurses. I am hopeful that this meeting will inspire some of these students to seek PhD degrees in nursing and become active as faculty members who also conduct research. There is a current shortage of PhD-prepared nurses.
Q: How would more PhD-prepared nurses help the field?
A: More nurses would be prepared to apply for NIH funding of their research. A PhD
degree is considered the research degree for nurses, and more nurses with PhDs will add to the increased number of nurse scientists.
ARHP Addie Thomas Service Award
Carol Oatis, PT, PhD
Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pa.
Background: Dr. Oatis’ first job as a physical therapist was on the rheumatology service of a large rehabilitation facility in Southern California. “I was treating adults solely with arthritis, and I was fascinated by it,” she says. “Quite frankly, that experience colored my career ever since.”
