Summer 2024’s Awards, Appointments & Announcements in the World of Rheumatology

“Success,” he says, “is surrounding yourself with creative people who think likewise and who are very talented.”

Montana Now Has Its 1st Dedicated Pediatric Rheumatologist: Dr. Julie Campbell

Access to specialty care in rural areas is often spotty or nonexistent. Montana, until this past October, was one of seven states in the country without a pediatric rheumatologist. Several different pediatric groups, such as Seattle Children’s, Colorado Children’s and the University of Utah have filled some of the gaps in care for young Montana patients with rheumatic diseases. That changed when Montana-born Julie Campbell, MD, returned to her home state and began her pediatric rheumatology practice at Logan Health Specialty Care, Missoula.

Dr. Campbell began her pre-medical education at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and her grandmother’s diagnosis of lupus during that time piqued her interest in rheumatology. Dr. Campbell applied for and was accepted into the University of Washington’s WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Medical School, where she spent time both in Montana and Seattle.

She then completed a pediatrics residency through the University of Washington, where she recalls being drawn to the care of patients with lupus during her rheumatology rotation. What cemented her decision to pursue pediatric rheumatology was observing how providers created a good partnership with their young patients, and how they emphasized individualized care.

“There’s a lot of thinking that goes into both the diagnosis and the treatment plans. It was really great watching providers go through that [process]. This is not cookie-cutter medicine, and I think the complexity of rheumatology is never ending,” she says.

To become a pediatric rheumatologist, she then completed a three-year fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital through the University of Washington. Her fellowship program received funding from the Arthritis Foundation with the support of the Ludlow-Griffith Foundation. After graduating, she moved back to her home state of Montana to start her career.

Since beginning her practice, Dr. Campbell notes that she often uses telehealth visits to connect with patients and their families if weather conditions and travel distances are prohibitive. “That was one of the silver linings of COVID,” she notes, “because we learned that telemedicine really does have its use.”

Already familiar with the pediatric Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine (pGALS) tool devised by Helen E. Foster, now professor emerita of Newcastle University in the U.K., Dr. Campbell says it was an easy jump to use the tool in a video visit. While the tool was initially developed to help pediatricians and primary care providers find appropriate referrals for suspected rheumatologic disease, she notes that it allows her to get a “good sense” of how patients are doing in between in-person visits.