The 2020 ACR Awards of Distinction & Masters Class

It’s a thrill to be recognized by one’s peers for something that means so much. —Dr. Kassan

Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award

Robert Warren, MD, PhD, MPH, professor emeritus of pediatric rheumatology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, received this year’s Distinguished Clinician Scholar award, given each year to a rheumatologist who has made outstanding contributions in clinical medicine, clinical scholarship or education.

Dr. Warren graduated with both an MD and PhD from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and later earned an MPH from the UT School of Public Health, Dallas. At Duke University, Durham, N.C., Dr. Warren completed his pediatric training and finished a combined fellowship in pediatric rheumatology and allergy and immunology.

“Pediatric rheumatology is a team effort, and this award truly reflects the awesome synergy among all my colleagues over the course of my career at Duke, the University of North Carolina [UNC], Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and the Medical University of South Carolina,” Dr. Warren says.

Dr. Warren led the Pediatric Rheumatology Division at UNC, Chapel Hill, and at Baylor and Texas Children’s Hospital. After relocating to South Carolina, he was chief medical information officer for MUSC until his retirement in 2018.

Today, Dr. Warren works part time as a consultant in healthcare informatics and teaches in the MUSC Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship program and the Health Informatics graduate program.

“I love working with children, their parents and my team,” Dr. Warren says. “My greatest joy comes with discovery—the Sherlock Holmes work for both diagnosis and treatment—but most important, seeing children’s smiles when they master their health challenges.”

Dr. Warren’s clinical and administrative work has long focused on improving the care experience for providers and families. This includes examining how electronic medical records can improve quality of care, as well as communication between providers and families for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN).

Dr. Warren chaired the CSHCN Advisory Committee for the Texas Department of Health and served as co-chair for the Texas Pediatric Society Committee on Children with Disabilities.

Through his work with the Pediatric Rheumatology Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Clinical Rheumatology Study Section of the Arthritis Foundation, Dr. Warren has seen the field of rheumatology undergo extraordinary changes.

“The last 40 years have seen the advent of methotrexate and biologics, as well as improvements with CT scans, MRI scans, and many critical laboratory studies,” Dr. Warren says. “Overall, our evolving understanding of rheumatologic diseases and best practice continues to transform our patient care and outcomes.”