I invite each of you become engaged—there are many different ways that you can do this. Read the weekly updates from ACR advocacy staff delivered to your email. Visit the Legislative Action Center to contact your representatives. Invite patients to participate in the Simple Tasks campaign. Invest in RheumPAC to ensure the needs of the rheumatology community are heard. Make a tax-deductible donation to the Rheumatology Research Foundation to ensure our researchers have the funding they need to begin or sustain their careers and make meaningful contributions to the field.
I couldn’t say it better than American political activist and philosopher Angela Davis: “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
Will you accept my invitation to do the same?
Christina D. Downey, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California.
References
- Yang S, Santacroce L, Collins JE, Feldman CH. Association of historical redlining and present-day racialised economic segregation with health-care utilisation among individuals with rheumatic conditions in Massachusetts and surrounding areas of the USA: A retrospective cohort study. Lancet Rheumatol. 2025 Jan;7(1):e33–e43. doi:10.1016/S2665-9913(24)00235-2.
- Yip K, Navarro-Millán I. Racial, ethnic, and healthcare disparities in rheumatoid arthritis. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2021 Mar 1;33(2):117–121. doi:10.1097/BOR.0000000000000782.
- Liang MH, Lew ER, Fraser PA, et al. Choosing to end African American health disparities in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024 Jun;76(6):823–835. doi:10.1002/art.42797.
- Cha AE. Trump’s HHS budget cuts spark concern among scientists. The Washington Post. 2025 Apr 16.
