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Donah Zack Crawford, MA, was a research coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania, focused on premenstrual syndrome and perimenopause, when her symptoms first started. “Someone suggested I see a rheumatologist,” she says, and not long after, Philadelphia-based physician Bruce Hoffman, MD, diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis.
It was the mid-1990s, and treatment options were limited. “I couldn’t go to work. I could hardly move,” says Ms. Crawford. “When I first got sick, I couldn’t do anything. I was walking around like a little old lady, but I had little kids.”
With time, her symptoms eased, and recognizing her passion for research, Dr. Hoffman suggested she get involved in a clinical study he was just getting started. Ms. Crawford quickly realized she was not eligible to be a participant; Dr. Hoffman asked if she would, instead, like to coordinate it.