A: I think the people who make the most progress are those who realize that they need outside expertise at the beginning of their study, in the design stage. This includes the clinician working in tandem with the methodologist. It makes the project more efficient, often richer and certainly strengthens the validity and the credibility of what is accomplished.
Q: What has ARHP meant to you?
A: A particularly valuable aspect of ARHP, for me, is Arthritis Care & Research. I have learned a great deal as an author, reviewer and being on the editorial board. Having a top-notch journal in which to publish is key. It is a unique rheumatology journal in which public health and epidemiology research is highly valued, along with clinical studies.
Q: What does an award from your peers mean to you?
A: I honestly have to smile. I am honored and greatly value what the award represents. But this is a case where I feel that my research team has done the work and I receive the credit. So, I would say that the true credit goes to this amazing group of people with whom I am sharing my daily life.
ARHP Lifetime Achievement Award
Leigh Callahan, PhD
Mary Link Briggs Distinguished Professor of Medicine, professor of social medicine, associate director of epidemiology and outcomes research, Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Background: Dr. Callahan was an excellent study who enjoyed courses in epidemiology and “the academic and intellectual part” of outcomes research. But it wasn’t until she started working on a long-term, follow-up project of 75 individuals at Vanderbilt University that her interest in arthritis took root.
“What ‘hooked’ me on arthritis was my volunteer work,” she says. “I volunteered and was able to get to know many individuals with arthritis. I was able to see the impact of the disease on their quality of life.”
