The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Dr. Harry Spiera Retires after 60 Years in Rheumatology

Dr. Harry Spiera Retires after 60 Years in Rheumatology

April 26, 2018 • By Kurt Ullman

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Ulf Wittrock / shutterstock.com

Ulf Wittrock / shutterstock.com

When Harry Spiera, MD, stepped out of the New York University School of Medicine in 1958, rheumatology was in its infancy. Obviously, much has changed for both the physician and the specialty over the 58 years between then and his recent retirement.

You Might Also Like
  • All in the Rheumatology Family
  • ARHP Executive Director Retires
  • Ron Olejko Retires from the ACR
Explore This Issue
April 2018
Also By This Author
  • RheumPAC Supports Rheumatology Through the Pandemic

“Early on, rheumatology was the most clinical of the specialties, because the science just wasn’t there yet,” says Dr. Spiera. “At that time, we were just starting to look at the rheumatic diseases in a serious and systematic way. That fascinated me.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Over the years, research has made great strides in identifying rheumatic diseases and, at least as importantly, their treatment. When he began his career, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was almost always a crippling and debilitating disease. Now, it is possible to stabilize patients and stop the progression of the disease.

“Rheumatology is not just a job, it is a part of who he is,” says Robert Spiera, MD, of his father. Dr. Robert Speira is Harry’s son and the director of the Scleroderma and Vasculitis Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. “He suffered with this patients, he had joy with his patients, and recognized that any interaction you have with a patient is deeply important to them and their families.”

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Groundbreaking Work in PMR

Father and son: Harry Spiera, MD (right), with Robert Spiera, MD (left)

Father and son: Harry Spiera, MD (right), with Robert Spiera, MD (left).

Dr. Harry Spiera contributed to the advancement of science of rheumatologic diseases via his groundbreaking work in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Criteria had been established for diagnosing other illnesses, but he noted a subset of elderly patients who appeared to be in good health who suddenly complained of stiffness and pain in the shoulder and hips.

PMR affects 1% of those over 50 at some time in their lives. Before Dr. Spiera published his series on multiple American patients in the 1960s, the only other work in the field had been a few cases studies in Europe.

That first series of 15 patients has, over the years, led to PMR becoming a well understood and accepted disease. He calls it “the most interesting and clinically satisfying part of my career.”

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“It was his skill as a hands-on clinician who was in the room and really listening to the patient that helped lead to the recognition of PMR as an important inflammatory condition of the elderly,” says Dr. Robert Spiera. “He saw people coming to him with pain, but with a different quality than usual. His ability to listen enabled him to realize he was looking at something that hadn’t been previously described.”

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Profiles Tagged With: Dr. Harry Spiera, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, SLE Lupus FoundationIssue: April 2018

You Might Also Like:
  • All in the Rheumatology Family
  • ARHP Executive Director Retires
  • Ron Olejko Retires from the ACR
  • 15 Years of Clinician Educators & Scholars in Rheumatology

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.