Incoming ACR Volunteers

Dr. Kolba

Karen Kolba, MD, is a rheumatologist in private practice at the Pacific Arthritis Center Medical Group in Santa Maria, Calif. She is currently a member of the board of directors of the California Rheumatology Alliance and served as chair of the ACR Committee on Rheumatologic Care (CORC) from 2008 to 2011.

“Like many physicians, early in my career, the only way I could participate in organized medicine was by paying membership dues,” she says. “My involvement with CORC the past six years has opened the window on the inner workings of ACR. The board of director’s position will allow me the opportunity to bring the concerns of practicing rheumatologists to this organization, and help steer the medical system in a direction that encourages innovation while protecting the physician–patient relationship.”

Dr. Colbert

Robert A. Colbert, MD, PhD, is a senior investigator and chief of the pediatric translational research branch of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He joined the NIAMS Intramural Research Program in late 2008 after spending 14 years on the faculty at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati. He has served on the former ACR pediatric rheumatology section executive committee, and for the last three years he chaired the Committee on Research.

“Being asked to serve on the board of directors is an honor,” says Dr. Colbert. “I hope to gain a better understanding of how the ACR works to serve its members and advance our subspecialty. I also hope to bring to the board a unique perspective formed by my experience as a pediatric rheumatologist, laboratory-based investigator, and member of the ACR’s Committee on Research. I will continue to promote the research mission of the organization, including our need to attract and train future physician-scientists in rheumatology. We need to be thinking about what our subspecialty will look like in 10 to 15 years, and how we can act now to ensure a bright future and the best possible outcomes for patients with rheumatic disease.”