Dr. Rodnan would be pleased to observe the progress beginning to unfold with regard to scleroderma. Polymyositis is more complex, as are inflammatory myopathies. Fibrositis is now the still-enigmatic fibromyalgia, and we still do not have good nonsurgical remedies for osteoarthritis. Sjögren’s disease is, indeed, an autoimmune disease. As rheumatologists, we now address and treat osteoporosis. And yet we will still use prednisone!
Still Learning After All These Years
I have now practiced rheumatology for half a century. Happily, we no longer need to explain to patients what exactly we do as specialists. At times I hear the haunting verses of Jackson Browne’s song, “Running on Empty.” Nevertheless, I am cheered on with a hungry heart to strive, seek and learn more in rheumatology.
I welcome the chance to assist our new fellows to appreciate the arc of change in their future. Hopefully, I may assist them in learning to monitor judgment over algorithms, learning resilience, ethics, empathy and communication, and learning from our patients. Artificial intelligence holds the promise of not only making us better healers, but also changing our role as physicians. Indeed, a promising future.
As I conclude this effort, I look forward to learning from our fellows. Dr. Rodnan was fond of the word progress. Learning from our clinicians and researchers enriches us; their creativity and intelligence are also fun! Perhaps we shall soon see prednisone relegated to our therapeutic museum.
Alan. H. Mallace, MD, is a rheumatologist at Honor Health, Scottsdale, Ariz., and an ACR Fellow. He has practiced in the Phoenix area since 1977.
