In this episode, Dr. Kumar talks about the insidious nature of ageism and how rheumatologists can combat it.


Bharat Kumar, MD, MME, FACP, FAAAAI, RhMSUS, is a clinical assistant professor of internal medicine in the Division of Immunology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City. Before assuming the role of physician editor, he was a member of the ACR Board of Directors (beginning in 2020). After attending college at the University of Pennsylvania, he went to Saba University School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Kentucky. He arrived in Iowa in 2014 and completed fellowships in both rheumatology and allergy/immunology in 2017, as well as a master’s degree in medical education and certification in musculoskeletal ultrasonography. His clinical interests include the intersection of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency, musculoskeletal ultrasonography, and ocular inflammatory diseases. As the associate program director for the rheumatology fellowship training program, he is also driven by a desire to improve the quality of medical education as well as the value of clinical work for both patients and practitioners. Outside the clinic, Dr. Kumar has a keen interest in medical journalism, quality improvement and humanism, and is the Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s Humanism-in-Research Associate Editor.

In this episode, Dr. Kumar talks about the insidious nature of ageism and how rheumatologists can combat it.

Learn how to identify & combat age-based discrimination for improved communication & better patient outcomes.

In this episode, Dr. Kumar talks about why deliberate practice and relentless curiosity matter, and how to achieve mastery in rheumatology.

What does it take to become a master in rheumatology? Explore how deliberate practice, relentless curiosity & profound humility are key to true expertise.

In this episode, Dr. Kumar talks about professional identity and legacy in rheumatology.

Dr. Bharat Kumar reflects on professional identity formation, self-concept, key psychological theories and maintaining a growth mindset throughout one’s career.

In this episode, Dr. Kumar talks about the fascinating and intriguing secret lives of rheumatologists—real life superheroes.

Clark Kent, Hannah Montana, Dexter Morgan, David Bowie and your friendly neighborhood rheumatologist: What do all of these people have in common? Chances are, they live secret lives we rarely get to peer into. Unlike Superman, Miley Stewart, Dexter Morgan and Ziggy Stardust, rheumatologists are very much real, flesh-and-blood characters. Rheumatologists also have secret lives…

In this episode, Dr. Kumar talks about the myths, rituals and stories that are essential to the patient’s narrative, diagnosis and care.

“Doctor, I hate to tell you this but that shelf is definitely not made of wood,” my patient gently chided me as I knocked on a plastic piece of shelving. “I know … but you get the point,” I replied with a small laugh. It’s become a habit of mine over the past few years…