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
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout 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
  • 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 / Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Ronald Anderson

Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Ronald Anderson

July 15, 2020 • By Jason Liebowitz, MD

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

zieusin / shutterstock.com

Rheumatologists who are outstanding clinicians, provide consistently exceptional care to patients and serve as role models for colleagues and trainees are in the spotlight in our Lessons from a Master Clinician series. Here, we offer insights from clinicians who have achieved a level of distinction in the field of rheumatology and who are respected by other rheumatologists for their exceptional clinical reasoning, knowledge across a wide range of medical specialties and patient-centered care.

You Might Also Like
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Alan Baer
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Paul Plotz
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Michael Weisman
Explore This Issue
July 2020
Also By This Author
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: Listen to Your Patients

Ronald J. Anderson, MD, is one such outstanding rheumatologist. Now in his sixth decade of clinical teaching and patient care, Dr. Anderson has spent the majority of his career at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, where he established the clinical rheumatology training program in 1971.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

This program has trained more than 200 physicians, many of whom are now rheumatology leaders themselves, both locally and at the national level. These graduates have positively affected the lives of patients afflicted with rheumatic conditions—whether by research, teaching or the delivery of patient care. An ACR Master, Dr. Anderson was honored by the ACR in 2012 as the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award. He remains active in teaching and is a Master Clinician Teacher in the Department of Medicine, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The Rheumatologist (TR): How would you define a master clinician?

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Anderson: In a traditional sense, the master clinician is an individual with a library of knowledge and technical skills that explodes at the seams; someone who is always the star participant in clinical pathologic case session and offers unique insights while making rounds or attending clinical conferences.

The process of obtaining this level of competence is somewhat dependent on both effort and intellect. But does it end there? Is this skill the essence of what is required to become a master clinician? Or are we describing a master technician?

Philip Tumulty, MD, in his opening lecture to third-year medical students at Johns Hopkins, would define a clinician as ‘one whose prime function is to manage a sick person with the purpose of alleviating most effectively the total impact of the illness upon that person.’ I agree with this definition and believe one should accept the premise that there will always be other physicians, some as close to a minute’s walk away, who know more about a specific problem than you do.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The reasonable and obtainable goal is to aim at becoming the best physician possible for the specific patient under your care, in other words, a master clinician.

TR: What do you view as the goals for training young physicians?

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Education & Training, Profiles Tagged With: Dr. Ronald Anderson, fellowship, Lessons from Master CliniciansIssue: July 2020

You Might Also Like:
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Alan Baer
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Paul Plotz
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Michael Weisman
  • Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Gail Kerr

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

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 © 2006–2021 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.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.