So, to my fellow limo rider with a storied hard-court past, thank you for telling us about your exploits as an athlete. I looked you up on PubMed and think that you are certainly in the top 10 in a state filled with some of the best lupologists in the world. You are making fine progress. Be aware that the rewards of sports and medicine are different. In our profession, there are no autograph seekers or paparazzi, no dopey interviews with the media (“Tell us, Dr. M., what was going through your mind when you presented the data on safety?”), no appearance money, and no endorsement contracts from Avon, Reebok, or Gatorade—the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova (who is lithe and lissome, by the way) have that business sewn up.
As you continue to do research and advance in your academic career, Dr. M., please use the lessons you learned playing tennis: Work hard, keep your eye on the ball, and follow through.
Good luck. And, for the patients with lupus who need your help, I hope that you hit real winners.
Dr. Pisetsky is physician editor of The Rheumatologist and professor of medicine and immunology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
