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You are here: Home / Author: Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Physician Editor Simon M. Helfgott, MD, is associate professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He serves as director of education and fellowship training for the division and is actively involved in the curriculum redesign at the medical school.

Articles by Simon M. Helfgott, MD

A History of the Science, Treatment of Rheumatologic Illnesses from Gold to Gene Therapy

December 17, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Mysterious Ways The juxtaposition of the old and the new was readily evident that busy Wednesday morning. My first patient, a 94-year-old gentleman, Hal, arrived with a precise request. His rheumatologist for the past 40 years had just retired, and he was searching for a doctor with expertise in the use of gold sodium aurothioglucose,… [Read More]

Unwise Choices: EHRs, PBMs, Drug Costs Are Leading to Physician Burnout

November 5, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

My dear electronic health records How do I dislike thee? Let me count the ways Adaptation of Sonnet 43 By Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806–1861 As my tenure as physician editor winds down, it’s worth reviewing some of the more nettlesome issues confronting clinicians that have been previously discussed in these pages and gauge their current… [Read More]

The Legacy of Amyloid: Infiltration Linked to Dementia, Rheumatic Disease

October 16, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

An Unforgettable Story Her name was unforgettable. Not only did we share our given names—Simon and Simone, but her French-Canadian surname was based on this appellation, too. I was the junior resident working on our hospital’s nephrology service when she was admitted for evaluation of progressively worsening kidney disease and an overall failure to thrive…. [Read More]

When Is a Doctor Too Old to Practice?

September 18, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Steady hands, nerves of steel: The endoscopic transphenoidal hypophysectomy is a delicate neurosurgical procedure. Using a three-dimensional microscope and a powerful magnetic resonance imaging machine to guide them, the surgeon must meticulously dissect the throat tissues, navigate through the palate and the sinuses to reach the base of the skull where the pea-sized master gland,… [Read More]

What Do Diabetes, Islet Cells & Autoimmunity Have in Common?

August 15, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

“Man may be the captain of his fate, but he is also the victim of his blood sugar.” —Wilfrid Oakley, MB BChir, an early pioneer in diabetes care Perusing the list of the most notable medical achievements in the 20th century, a reader may conclude that the discovery of insulin should rank in a category… [Read More]

In Memoriam: Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher Jr.

August 14, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Our esteemed colleague, H. Ralph Schumacher Jr., MD, professor emeritus and former acting chief of rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and section chief of rheumatology at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, died at his home on July 30 from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr. Schumacher was a true giant… [Read More]

How Global Geographic Disparities Affect Healthcare Outcomes

July 13, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Your home & your health: Does geography impact medicine? Does it matter whether a region is surrounded by large bodies of water, encircled by towering mountain peaks or that its residents share a common ancestry? Consider Switzerland, a nation with a highly developed economy replete with advanced technological and medical infrastructure. Despite these advantages, less… [Read More]

The Birth and Growth of Biotechnology, and the Impact of Biologic Drugs on Rheumatology

June 15, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Here’s a trivia question: Where were the big ideas for the field of biotechnology first discussed? Answer: At a since-demolished delicatessen in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Go figure. The year was 1972, and Stanley Cohen, MD, professor of medicine at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and Herbert Boyer, PhD, a former professor and biochemist at the… [Read More]

Rheumatologist-Nobel Laureate Dr. Baruch (Barry) Blumberg Deserves Recognition

May 18, 2017 • By Philip L. Cohen, MD

I read with pleasure the March 2017 Rheuminations (written by Simon M. Helfgott, MD), but wanted to make a small emendation. There is one other rheumatologist–Nobel Laureate besides Philip Hench. Baruch (Barry) Blumberg (1925–2011) was a bona fide rheumatologist who trained in the mid-1950s with the renowned Charles Ragan at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New… [Read More]

How Tuberculosis Has Shaped Medicine and Society

May 17, 2017 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

Pathologists are legendary for blending their work product with the culinary arts. Through the years, their use of delectable foods as descriptors has created a clever way to indelibly link in the minds of clinicians the histopathologic observations of disease with an assortment of these tasty foods: There is the depiction of an apple green… [Read More]

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The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

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