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 / REF Award Opens New Doors for Young Investigator

REF Award Opens New Doors for Young Investigator

May 1, 2007 • By Staff

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Jon T. Giles, MD, received an ACR REF Clinical Investigator Fellowship Award in 2004.

Do you know that old adage about the best-laid plans? If you ask Jon T. Giles, MD, about it, he’d agree that even the firmest plans change. “When I entered medical school at Vanderbilt University, I was convinced that I’d pursue subspecialty training in neurology,” recalls Dr. Giles. “My plan was to specialize in movement disorders.”

You Might Also Like
  • ACR REF Niche Award Helps Define a Research Career
  • REF Fellowship Training Award Expanded
  • 2007–2008 REF Award Recipients
Explore This Issue
May 2007
Also By This Author
  • Ethics Forum: Letters from Our Readers—Accepting Gifts

Though Dr. Giles held fast to that plan during his first three years at Vanderbilt, his fourth year held a few surprises. During that year, Dr. Giles elected to complete a rheumatology rotation. What he didn’t elect was the career-changing experience he would have. “The rheumatology rotation made sense for me because I was interested in movement disorders,” says Dr. Giles. “I knew that exposure to musculoskeletal disorders would provide an advantage to me as I went on to pursue neurology. What I didn’t know is how fascinating these musculoskeletal and rheumatic disorders actually were in themselves.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

His rheumatology rotation was such an interesting and enriching experience that Dr. Giles decided to switch gears and build his career around rheumatology. “Diagnosing and treating rheumatic disease involves creativity and finesse, and a future in rheumatology would present the kinds of exciting professional challenges I was seeking for my medical career,” comments Dr. Giles.

He completed his residency at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). “It was during my residency that I really defined my career plan,” says Dr. Giles. “I had excellent interactions with the rheumatology faculty at UCSD, and decided to pursue fellowship training in rheumatology with a plan to focus on clinical research.” Though sad to leave Southern California, Dr. Giles decided to pursue his fellowship training at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., where he found a research mentor in Joan Bathon, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

During his fellowship, Dr. Giles worked closely with Dr. Bathon on a study focused on subclinical cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. As he neared the end of his fellowship, knowing that he wanted to continue with clinical rheumatology research, Dr. Giles looked for research funding.

“Figuring out how I wanted my career in rheumatology research to progress—that was the easy part. Figuring out how to fund my career in rheumatology research was not nearly as easy,” shares Dr. Giles. “Research funding is hard to obtain, especially if you are a young investigator trying to get started. I wanted to stay on as faculty at Johns Hopkins and continue my research projects, but without adequate funding, I’d have to spend less time on research and more time in the clinic.”

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Career Development, Education & Training, Profiles Tagged With: ACR Research and Education Foundation, Awards, clinical investigator, Jon T. Giles MDIssue: May 2007

You Might Also Like:
  • ACR REF Niche Award Helps Define a Research Career
  • REF Fellowship Training Award Expanded
  • 2007–2008 REF Award Recipients
  • ACR REF Award Provides Big Research Career Break

Meeting Abstracts

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

Visit the Abstracts site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

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

Learn more »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

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.