Background: Dr. Hochberg has spent the past 43 years of his professional career in Baltimore, first at Johns Hopkins University and, since 1991, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Spurred by his work on an ACR subcommittee under the leadership of Roy Altman, Dr. Hochberg has focused his research on osteoarthritis (OA) for the past 30 years. He has developed and validated grading scales for radiographic features of OA of the hand, hip, and knee for use in epidemiologic studies, and studied risk factors for development and progression of hand, hip, and knee OA. He’s principal investigator of the Baltimore Clinical Center of the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), and co-principal investigator of the Genetic Contributions to Knee Osteoarthritis, a genome-wide association study utilizing DNA specimens from subjects enrolled in the OAI.
Q: How did mentors help guide your research career?
A: Dr. Mary Betty Stevens was a superb clinician and an excellent clinical teacher, especially at the patient’s bedside and in the examination room. She made the practice of medicine exciting. Dr. Lawrence Shulman instilled the desire for learning and research, and led me on the path of an area that was understudied. … This is key for younger people. To be successful in a research career, they have to have the appropriate mentorship and an appropriate amount of protected time to develop their research portfolio and demonstrate success.
Q: What has been the most gratifying part of your research?
A: The translation of research findings into the practice arena, both for primary and secondary prevention.
Q: You’ve been an ACR board member and active committee member. What has the College meant to you professionally and personally?
A: It’s given me an opportunity to participate. I have had the chance to meet a lot of people I never would have come across in my daily activities. And, it’s given me a perspective, not only on the various aspects of rheumatology in the U.S., but also international exposure through the ACR–EULAR exchange and international meetings. When you are an investigator, that exposure provides new insights into your own work. It’s been a tremendous experience, and I would encourage younger academic and practicing rheumatologists to seize the opportunity.
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.
