TR: Is this the beginning of other joint ACR/ARP committees?
Dr. Ledingham: Time will tell. But I hope so, because I think everybody on the MAC became aware of things that they never would have thought about and heard other perspectives, such as that of a physician, researcher, PT, nurse practitioner or physician assistant. We were all at the same table having really free-flowing conversations, not as representatives of the ACR or the ARP, but as MAC members. I think it has been very successful and see no reason not to build on this joint approach with other committees.
TR: Thinking about the ARP in the coming year, what initiatives do you hope to pursue?
Dr. Ledingham: Along those lines, we’ve been reviewing our strategies, including looking into whether the ACR and the ARP could be collaborating more because we all know you have more success when you have different voices at the table. My drive is to keep this momentum going, with more shared responsibilities within the College and more collaboration among different segments of the College.
We’re also looking at strategies for educational programs. The eLearning Subcommittee was at the forefront of initiating online educational programming at the ARP. That went into a bit of a holding pattern due to shifting priorities associated with COVID-19, but I’d like to get back to building up and improving the online educational platforms, especially now that technology has advanced and we are all more adept at using it.
TR: What do you see as some of the biggest obstacles for rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals in the long term?
Dr. Ledingham: I believe the biggest obstacle right now is a lack of public understanding of the role that rheumatology professionals play in healthcare, which means we need to do a better job of promoting the big picture of what rheumatology professionals can offer patients and do this in a pragmatic way. Diagnosis and medications are part of that, but so are care for things like depression, fatigue and social determinants of health. I think that we within rheumatology see that big picture, but I don’t think the public does. We should work to change that.
TR: Finally, what is something you would like to share about yourself to help ACR/ARP members get to know you a bit better?
Dr. Ledingham: I lived in the United Kingdom for five years, working as a physiotherapist for the National Health Service (NHS) in Portsmouth, Hampshire. In about a year’s time, I became the manager of pediatric physiotherapy. This was a phenomenal experience for me—professionally and personally.
