Following a five-year term as editor in chief of Arthritis Care & Research (AC&R), Kelli Allen, PhD, is beginning another five-year stint with the journal, but now as co-editor in chief (co-EiC) with Daniel K. White, PT, ScD, who had formerly served as an AC&R associate editor. Dr. Allen is professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and research health scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Durham, N.C. Dr. White is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, Newark.
Both Dr. Allen and Dr. White are energized by this opportunity to work together and ensure the journal stays true to its mission of bringing high-quality research to its broad readership.
The Rheumatologist (TR) asked Dr. Allen and Dr. White why they joined up for the co-EiC approach to AC&R, and what they hope to accomplish in their joint five-year term.
TR: To begin, please give our readers a short overview of your professional backgrounds.
Dr. Kelli Allen
Dr. Allen: I started out in exercise science and really enjoyed working on clinical trials of behavioral interventions for people who had osteoarthritis and other rheumatic conditions. From there, I went to graduate school to work on a doctorate in biobehavioral health and continue to do research focused on arthritis. I remain motivated by trying to improve care and outcomes for people who have chronic pain-related conditions.
Dr. White: I am a physical therapist and rehabilitation scientist with a deep interest in physical activity and physical function in adults with arthritis, and this really comes from seeing many of my patients whose pain and functional limitations could have been lessened with an active lifestyle. My interest in rheumatology specifically came from doing what turned into a seven-year postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University’s Medical Center under the mentorship of David Felson, MD, MPH, professor of rheumatology, and Tuhina Neogi, MD, PhD, chief of rheumatology at Boston Medical Center. During that time, I developed a deep interest in rheumatology, particularly adult knee osteoarthritis. Eventually, I moved to the University of Delaware, where I began conducting my own studies and my own trials, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 10 years.
TR: How did the idea arise to shift from one editor in chief of AC&R to a co-EiC structure?
