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 / Rheumatologist Doubles as Ophthalmologist

Rheumatologist Doubles as Ophthalmologist

September 1, 2014 • By Richard Quinn

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

You Might Also Like
  • New Joint Space Mapping Technique Doubles Diagnostic Sensitivity for Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatologist Pursues Beekeeping Pasttime
  • Rheumatologist Recalls Devastation of Hurricane Katrina
Explore This Issue
September 2014
Also By This Author
  • Backlog Slows Medicare Appeals Process for Hospitals, Physicians
Dr. James Rosenbaum with his hand on the shoulder of his father, Dr. Edward Rosenbaum.

James Rosenbaum, MD, has medicine in the genes: His dad, two brothers, his wife and his daughters—both of them—are doctors.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Why medicine? Curiosity, mostly. Dr. Rosenbaum is still wide-eyed to learn, whether it’s in his post as chair of the Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), or as chief of ophthalmology at Legacy Devers Eye Institute, both in Portland, Ore.

He has a unique combination of talents: He’s the only practicing rheumatologist in the world to head a department of ophthalmology. He developed an interest in ophthalmology some 35 years ago when, as a fellow trying to develop a rat model of reactive arthritis, a pathologist told him rats had developed uveitis.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

His passion comes from his father, Edward Rosenbaum, MD—the first rheumatologist in Oregon and, later, the author of A Taste of My Own Medicine, a memoir that served as the basis for the screenplay of the 1991 Disney film, The Doctor. Dr. Rosenbaum’s chair is named for his father, who built OHSU’s rheumatology division.

Dr. Rosenbaum’s passion for medicine is something he clearly passed on to his two daughters—Lisa, a cardiologist and noted author who has written for The New England Journal of Medicine, The New Yorker and The New York Times, and Jennifer, who is still choosing a specialty. Dr. Rosenbaum’s wife, Sandra, is a cardiologist.

Dr. Rosenbaum recently talked to The Rheumatologist about his career:

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The Conversation

The Rheumatologist: As a kid, did you think you wanted to be a rheumatologist?

Dr. Rosenbaum: Becoming a doctor was sort of the path of least resistance. My parents had four sons, and my dad would take us on rounds. And it was clear that everyone adored him. So he never said to us, ‘Gee, you ought to be a doctor,’ or ‘This is a wonderful life.’ What he showed was that he derived a tremendous amount of gratification from taking care of people. And so my older brother’s a doctor, I’m a doctor, my younger brother’s a doctor, and the black sheep became a lawyer.

Dr. Edward Rosenbaum with his two granddaughters, Lisa (left) and Jennifer (right).
Dr. Edward Rosenbaum with his two granddaughters, Lisa (left) and Jennifer (right).

TR: You blazed your own trail in combining two specialties. Why have you continued your focus for so many years?

Dr. Rosenbaum: Science doesn’t resolve questions; it finds answers that allow you a platform to ask additional questions. So the more that I discovered or that others discovered about the model that I stumbled on, the more unresolved issues were raised. And that still remains true today. Science is a lot like working on any kind of puzzle—a crossword puzzle, a Sudoku—but you don’t just turn to the answer in tomorrow’s paper, which makes it sometimes more frustrating, but all the more satisfying if you can gain a piece of the resolution.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Profiles Tagged With: opthamologist, Profile, Quinn, rheumatologistIssue: September 2014

You Might Also Like:
  • New Joint Space Mapping Technique Doubles Diagnostic Sensitivity for Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatologist Pursues Beekeeping Pasttime
  • Rheumatologist Recalls Devastation of Hurricane Katrina
  • Rheumatologist Dr. Jonathan Coblyn Releases Stress by Fishing

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Meeting Abstracts

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

Visit the Abstracts site »

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.